Despite the tragic death of guitarist Robert Burås earlier this year, Madrugada is continuing on and will be releasing the new single "Look away Lucifer" on December 10. Look for a new self-titled album in 2008 as well.

Rasmus Kellerman from Tiger Lou was my guest on this week's radio show and this is what we played:

01. TALK 1
02. Tiger Lou - The loyal
03. Sara Berg - Call me from below
04. Thomas Dybdahl - Maury the Pawn
05. Torpedo - Hospital
06. TALK 2
07. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Heroica
08. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
09. Isolation Years - Nurse hands
10. Jennie Abrahamson - Songs we sing
11. TALK 3
12. Firefox AK + Tellevika - Eric
13. Winter Took His Life - Lucky star
14. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
15. Favorita - Seven comforts
16. TALK 4
17. Mikael Jonasson - Can you dig this?
18. Lindeberg & Can - Forbidden romance
19. John Dahlbäck - Gas
20. TALK 5
21. Ozgur Can - Changed
22. Aril Brikha - Winter
23. TALK 6
24. Rupesh Cartel - Hide like this
25. Madrugada - Hard to come back
26. Mob - Wait for me
27. TALK 7
28. Tiger Lou - Functions

MP3: Bay Laurel - Outside these walls

I spent quite a bit of time combing through my music archives looking for dark and scary music to use in my various Halloween playlists, naturally digging up quite a bit of my old goth and doomrock in the process. One of the bands that jumped out was Bay Laurel, a Swedish act that I probably first became aware of through Katatonia, back when I used to regularly check the current playlist section of their website to see what they were listening to. I discovered quite a few great acts that way- it led me to revisit Kent and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and got me into other stuff like Ben Christophers, Novembre and Madrugada. Bay Laurel actually reminds me a bit of Madrugada, come to think of it, at least their older material circa "Industrial silence". It strikes a similar mood the guitarists do a decent job of approximating Robert Burås' superb use of space. It also helps that Bay Laurel frontman Rikard Löfgren has a deep voice reminiscent of Sivert Høyem, though his lyrical aspirations don't quite match up. Still, I appreciate Rikard's incredibly earnest delivery even if he sometimes over-indulges in cliché. And the music is great; dark and heavy without crossing the line into metal. Too bad there aren't more bands like this around nowadays or, if there are, I'm certainly not hearing about 'em.

Bay Laurel - Outside these walls

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
02. TALK 1
03. Madrugada - Shine
04. My Midnight Creeps - Don't let 'em bring you down
05. TALK 2
06. Asha Ali - A promise broken
07. Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen
08. Pelle Carlberg - Clever girls like clever boys much more than clever boys like clever girls
09. TALK 3
10. Enslaved - 793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)
11. TALK 4
12. Fare You Well - Take me away
13. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + Evil = Hurt
14. Emmon - Wake up time (Thermostatic remix)
15. TALK 5
16. KVLR - Traitors and thieves
17. Magnus Carlsson - Va med mig
18. Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Bebopalulia
19. TALK 6
20. De Må Være Belgiere - Cirkler
21. Johndoe - Kjøtere
22. Manes - Deeprooted
23. TALK 7
24. Khoma - Stop making speeches
25. The Giant's Dream - Significant dawn
26. Las Puertas - The water
27. TALK 8
28. Lordi - The chainsaw buffet
29. Logh - A sunset knife fight
30. Lack - 5 o'clock in the evening
31. TALK 9
32. The Bear Quartet - Before the trenches
33. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
34. TALK 10
35. Kashmir - The aftermath

Madrugada/My Midnight Creeps guitarist Robert Burås was laid to rest yesterday. Friend and fellow bandmember Sivert Høyem led a group of 40-50 people in singing "If I can dream" and his coffin left the church to the sounds of "Many rivers to cross" by Jimmy Cliff. Robert will be cremated and his ashes taken back to Nord Norge. Press coverage: VG / Dagbladet

MP3: Madrugada - Quite emotional

Robert Burås, guitarist for My Midnight Creeps and Madrugada, was found dead at his home in Oslo last night, July 12. He was 31 years old. MMC were scheduled to play at Stavernfestivalen in Vestfold tonight and the festival organizers have announced they will simply leave the stage black at 19:30, the time that the band would have gone on. Read a statement from his bandmates: http://www.emi.no/madrugada/
Like a lot of people, my first introduction to Robert's work was through Madrugada's landmark debut "Industrial silence", easily one of the best Norwegian rock albums ever released. Naturally, the first thing that drew me in was Sivert Høyem's unmistakable croon, but it was Robert's tremendous and understated guitar playing that kept my attention. He will be missed. RIP.

Madrugada - Quite emotional (live)

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Kaizers Orchestra - Ompa til du dør
02. TALK 1
03. Logh - Thieves in the palace
04. Élodie - At the end of the line
05. Beem - Ducker
06. TALK 2
07. Hell On Wheels - Alexander
08. Isolation Years - Albino child
09. Honey Is Cool - Bolero
10. TALK 3
11. Mob - Wait for me
12. Skywriter - For heaven's sake
13. Menfolk - Zero is also a number
14. TALK 4
15. Plain Fade - Datura
16. Division of Laura Lee - Dirty love
17. Det Gamla Landet - Det heliga landet
18. TALK 5
19. Elope - Black eyed citizen
20. Fontän - You, me & a tree
21. Gehenna - Touched and left for dead
22. TALK 6
23. Mustasch - I hunt alone
24. Cobolt - The Atlantic Ocean takes her back
25. Blinders On - Blinders are on
26. Madrugada - Higher
27. TALK 7
28. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
29. Notre Dame - Into the coven
30. TALK 8
31. The Motorhomes - The man

Dagavisen is counting down the top 30 Norwegian albums of all-time: http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/musikk/article293966.ece
Summary of what's posted so far:

30. Turboneger - Apocalypse Dudes
29. Tre Så Kinesere - 365 Fri
28. Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky
27. Madrugada - The Nightly Desease
26. Kung Fu Girls - This Is The Kung Fu Beat
25. Sissy Wish - You May Breathe
24. Lillemor - Lokkemann
23. Terje Rypdal - Bleak House
22. a-ha - Hunting High An Low
21. Thomas Dybdahl - That Great October Sound

Ane Brun
Live in Scandinavia
DetErMine/V2

Masterful. This album will make you readdress what you thought you knew of Brun. Smokey vox and bewitching string segments set stall on this career busting 17 song span of live tracks recorded towards the tail end of 2006. The collection foists great merit on her performances. At times Brun eclipes Åström, Weeping Willows, Madrugada in the bitter sweet stakes. The big sounds wailing blue, alt-country (I should be shot for using that description) on such 'beauts as "Lift me" (with equally beguiling Nina Kinert as opposed to Madrugada's Sivert Høyem), and the more up tempo "No. 6", are just two very strong highlights. "Balloon ranger" darts violin, the double bass. KT Tunstall would be proud of "So you did it again".
- Jason Christie

My radio show this week is all about good-time summer jams:

01. TALK 1
02. Junior Senior - Move your feet
03. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
04. Säkert! - Vi kommer att dö samtidigt
05. TALK 2
06. Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
07. Margaret Berger - Samantha
08. The Knife - Heartbeats
09. The Ark - The worrying kind
10. TALK 3
11. Bamse - Kapten Busters sång
12. Marit Bergman - Adios amigos
13. Last Days of April - Playerin
14. Nic & the Family - Hej Monika
15. TALK 4
16. Basshunter - Boten Anna
17. The Alpine - No I in team
18. Aqua - Barbie girl
19. TALK 5
20. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
21. Bertine Zetlitz - 500
22. Eric Prydz vs Floyd - Proper education
23. TALK 6
24. Children of Bodom - Oops, I did it again!
25. Whale - Hobo humpin' slobo babe
26. Kurt Nilsen - She's so high
27. Desert Planet - Return of the ninja droids
28. TALK 7
29. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
30. Peter Bjorn and John - Young folks
31. September - Cry for you
32. TALK 8
33. Randy - Summer of bros
34. Ace of Base - All that she wants
35. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-Garde - Democracy
36. TALK 9
37. Håkan Hellström - Kann ingen sorg för mig Göteborg
38. Seven Feet Four - Last days of summer
39. Tiger Lou - The war between us (Rupesh Cartel remix)
40. Madrugada - The kids are on high street
41. TALK 10
42. Europe - The final countdown

Download the companion "Summer jam '07" podcast mix right here.

My Midnight Creeps
Histamin
MMC Records/EMI

My Midnight Creeps are fronted by the dynamic duo of Robert Burås from Madrugada (here going by the name Bobby Cagehill) and Alex Kloster-Jensen from the Ricochets. That's a great deal of guitar power, and they put it to good use on their second record, which is a considerable improvement on their strong debut. They make no pretenses to originality. To the contrary, they offer a familiar take on swampy, bluesy, dark and heavy rock'n'roll. The old blues singers of the Deep South meet the British 60s, wind their way through 1970s Detroit and 1980s LA, and land in Norway, bringing some touches of Scandi guitar psychedelia with them. They swagger through songs about women, having the blues, and being wronged. It's big, it's bombastic, it's meant to be played loud, and it covers no new territory. But it's so very well done. The musicianship is stellar, and the band seems to be having such fun playing that it's hard not to feel good listening. Then there are passages in these songs - mostly instrumental - where they achieve that rare wall of surging atmosphere that transcends everything else and makes you stop whatever you're doing just to revel in it. Big bombastic rock'n'roll fun interspersed with moments of rock'n'roll perfection? Play it loud.
- Nancy Baym

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. BigBang - Too Much Yang
02. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
03. D.D.E. - No går det så det suse
04. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
05. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
06. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
07. Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao
08. Magnet - The Simple Life
09. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
10. Steinar Albrigtsen - Moments of Peace
11. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
12. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
13. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
14. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
15. Lomsk - Amerikabrevet
16. Ane Brun - Live in Scandinavia
17. Øystein Sunde - Sundes verden
18. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
19. Rune Rudberg - Rett fra sofaen
20. Madrugada - Live At Tralfamadore

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. BigBang - Too Much Yang
02. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
03. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
04. D.D.E. - No går det så det suse
05. Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao
06. Magnet - The Simple Life
07. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
08. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
09. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
10. Steinar Albrigtsen - Moments of Peace
11. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
12. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
13. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
14. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
15. Øystein Sunde - Sundes verden
16. Madrugada - Live At Tralfamadore
17. Åge Aleksandersen - Original
18. Ane Brun - Live in Scandinavia
19. Askil Holm - Harmony Hotel
20. Draumir - The Island

MIC Norway on Madrugada frontman/solo artist Sivert Høyem as he gets ready to play a few shows in Greece: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007042014251521284504

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. BigBang - Too Much Yang
02. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
03. D.D.E. - No går det så det suse
04. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
05. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
06. Magnet - The Simple Life
07. Steinar Albrigtsen - Moments of Peace
08. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
09. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
10. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
11. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
12. Ane Brun - Live in Scandinavia
13. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
14. Röyksopp - Back to mine
15. Askil Holm - Harmony Hotel
16. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
17. Madrugada - Live At Tralfamadore
18. Susperia - Cut From Stone
19. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook
20. Kjell Inge Torgersen - Aks av gull