The winners of Norway's Alarm Awards:
Pop: Magnet
Rock: Turbonegro
Jazz: Supersilent
Lydverketprisen: Karin Park
Metal: Dimmu Borgir
Video: Paperboys - Hey Man
Live: Turbonegro
Hip Hop/Rap: Equicez
Petreprisen: Ephemera
Electronica: Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band
Some of the new bands on the City Sound Festival lineup: Magnet, Vidar Busk, Division of Laura Lee, Amulet, JR Ewing, Le Mans, Differnet and Beezewax.
Norwegian singer/songwriter Magnet is heading to the UK to support Zero 7 in March. The first couple dates will be solo and the rest will be full band, but I'm not sure which are which. Anyhow, here's the dates:
03/15 - Colston Hall, Bristol
03/16 - Guildhall, Southhampton
03/18 - Octagon, Sheffield
03/19 - Carling Academy, Manchester 03/20 - Carling Academy, Glasgow
03/22 - Carling Academy, Birmingham
03/23 - UEA, Norwich
03/25 - Dome, Brighton
03/26 - Brixton Academy, London
03/27 - Brixton Academy, London
The new single "Lay Lady Lay", a cover of the Bob Dylan song with Gemma Hayes contributing guest vocals, will come out March 22 on 7" and CD. The b-sides will be a of "Clean Slate" from The Bee, Tom Middleton's mix of "Last Day of Summer" and the exclusive track "Wish Me Well".
Magnet is playing Australia in March:
03/03 - Ric1s Café, Brisbane
03/04 - Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney
03/05 - Pony, Melbourne
03/06 - Rob Roy Hotel, Melbourne
03/07 - Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide
03/09 - Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Better late than never, Panorama.no lists their top picks from 2003:
Best Norwegian single:
01. Girls Keep Secrets in the Strangest Ways – Ephemera
02. Lay Lady Lay – Magnet feat. Gemma Hayes
03. Fuck the World – Turbonegro
04. Salt & Pepper – Kaizers Orchestra
05. Et Sunnhetstegn – Johndoe
06. Think Twice – Ralph Myerz And The Jack Herren Band
07. Breaking news – Amulet
08. Skull EP – Martin Horntveth
09. You're the One that I Want – Jim Stärk feat. Claudia Scott
10. Lorraine EP – Lorraine
Best Norwegian album:
01. On Your Side – Magnet
02. The Ghost of Our Love – Ricochets
03. Waffy Town – Julian Berntzen
04. Evig Pint – Kaizers Orchestra
05. It's a Record – Sergeant Petter
06. The Perfect Cure – Lorraine
07. Scandinavian Leather – Turbonegro
08. Stray Dogs – Thomas Dybdahl
09. Hin Bordende Sod og Sø – Ásmegin
10. No Time Wasted – Jim Stãrk
Here's most of the nominees for the Spellemannprisen, Norway's answer to the Grammy:
Female pop soloist:
Lene Marlin - "Another Day"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"
Male pop soloist:
Julian Berntzen - "Waffytown"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
Magnet - "On Your Side"
Pop group:
D'Sound - "Doublehearted"
Ephemera - "Air"
Number Seven Deli - "Falkner Street"
Electronica:
Snuten - "Welcome to the Jungle"
Ulver - "Teachings in Silence"
Xploding Plastix - "The Donca Matic Singalongs"
Rock:
Amulet - "Danger! Danger!"
Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
Thulsa Doom - "And Then Take You To a Place Where Jars Are"
Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
We - "Lightyears Ahead"
Blues/Country:
Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
Amund Maarud - "Ripped, Stripped and Southern Fried"
Tumbleweed - "Once More, With Feeling"
Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
Enslaved - "Below the Lights"
Old Man's Child - "In Defiance of Existence"
Hip-Hop:
Diaz - "Velkommen Hjem Andres"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Paperboys - "The Great Escape"
Jazz:
Atomic - "Boom Boom"
Toe Brunborg Quartet - "Gravity"
Karin Krog - "Where You At?"
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - "Sofienberg Variations"
Håvard Wiik - "Postures"
Open class:
Anne-Lise Berntsen/Nils Asheim - "Kom Regn"
Hallvard Bjørgum & Co- "Free Field"
Motorpsycho/Jaga Jazzist Horns - "In the Fishtank"
Niko Valkeapää - "Niko Valkeapää"
When - "Pearl Harvest"
Music video:
Diaz - "Hvem er denne karen"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Cecilia"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Girl Like You"
Best newcomer:
Julian Berntzen - "Whaffy Town"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Rebekka Karijord - "Neophyte"
Kurt Nilsen - "I"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Best song:
Maria Arrendondo - "In Love With An Angel"
David - "Wild At Heart"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Lene Marlin - "You Weren’t There"
Kurt Nilsen - "She’s So High"
Go here for the rest: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3399677.html
Adressa's top 10 Norweigan CDs of 2003:
01. The Ricochets - The Ghost of Our Love
02. King Midas - Romeo turn
03. Magnet - On Your Side
04. Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
05. Johndoe - Rastløs Rock `n Roll
06. Julian Berntzen - Waffy Town
07. Sgt. Petter - It`s a record
08. Dipsomaniacs - Praying Winter
09. Motorpsycho & Jaga Jazzist - In the Fishtank
10. Lionheart Brothers - White Angel, Black Apple
Read more: http://www.adressa.no/kultur/article.jhtml?articleID=462217
It's not too dissimilar from the Dagbladet list (see 12/09), but here's the top 21 records of the year from Norway's Aftenposten:
01. Equicez - "State Of Emergency"
02. Magnet - "On Your Side"
03. Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
04. King Midas - "Romeo Turn"
05. Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
06. Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
07. Ephemera - "Air"
08. Rebekka Bakken - "The Art Of How To Fall"
09. Tord Gustavsen Trio - "Changing Places"
10. Supersilent - "6"
11. Enslaved - "Below The Lights"
12. El Corazón - "El Corazón"
13. Karen Jo Fields - "Chase The Blue"
14. St. Thomas - "Hey Harmony"
15. Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
16. Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"
17. Kaospilot - "Kaospilot"
18. Cloroform - "Hey You Let's Kiss"
19. Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
20. Jaa9 & OnklP - "Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape"
21. Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
Dagbladet's top 10 Norweigan albums of the year:
01. Magnet - On Your Side
02. Equicez - State Of The Emergency - Generation Equiz
03. Ephemera - Air
04. King Midas - Romeo Turn
05. Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
06. Sergeant Petter - It's A Record
07. Atomic - Boom Boom
08. Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
09. Vidar Busk - Love Buzz
10. Kaizers Orchestra - Evig Pint
Now the question is whether any of these will hold up to international scrutiny, now that Norway is said to be the "new" Sweden, whatever that means. I'm sure frantic record execs are busy scrounging for someone to place their bets on now that the buzz has been started. I'm not sure any of these guys fit the bill either. Kaizers Orchestra is my own personal favorite of the bunch, but they sing in their native tongue, so you can scratch them from the list. Turbonegro is great, but they have waaaaaaay too many homosexual undertones for middle America. But what do I know? We'll see what happens. Read more: http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2003/12/09/385705.html (in Norweigan)
This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:
01. The Rasmus - First Day Of My Life
02. Redrama - Hang It Up
03. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
04. Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
05. Moneybrother - It's Been Hurting All The Way With You Joanna
06. Outlandish - Aicha
07. C21 - One Night In Bangkok
08. Paperboys - Hey Man
09. Erik Faber - Century
10. Negative - The Moment Of Our Love
11. The Knife - Pass This On
12. Fintelligens - Vaan Sil On Väliä
13. Christian Kjellvander - Portugal
14. Beats & Styles - Dynamite
15. The Latin Kings - Cashen Dom Tas
16. Lene Marlin - You Weren´t There
17. I'Dees - Brave And Optimistic Girl
18. The Fashion - Let´s Go Dancing
19. Blackstrap - In Colored Ways
20. Captain Murphy - I´m A What
Challengers:
01. Nina Rochelle - (Happy) Jag hatar att det e så
02. Hardcore Superstar - Still I´m Glad
03. Magnet ft. Gemma Hayes - Lay Lady Lay
04. Nicolai Dunger - Hunger
05. Tim Christensen - Whispering At The Top Of My Lungs
Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.
Here's an article on that Norweigan Johnny Cash tribute at Kretsfengsel avd. A prison in Oslo that I talked about back on 12/01: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3323980.html (in Norweigan)
The backing band will be made up of Amund Maarud (guitar), Carsten Boe (guitar), Ole Petter Hansen (drums), Bill Trojani (bass) and Christer Knutsen (keys) and these people will sing: Sivert Høyem (Madrugada), Paal Flaata (Midnight Choir), Thomas Dybdahl, Even Johansen (Magnet), Øystein Greni (Big Bang), Vidar Busk, Steinar Albrigtsen, Trond Asker, Sondre Bratland, Karen Jo Fields, Sergeant Petter, Hilde Heltberg and Rita Eriksen
Swedish hardcore act Misconduct has signed a deal with UK-based label Golf Records, home to acts such as Poison Idea, Norma Jean, Ann Berretta, Stretch Armstrong, Consumed and more. They will licensing the band's newest album "United As One" from Side-by-Side Records for a full European release on March 8 next year. As mentioned before, Misconduct will be touring Europe around the time of release and you can get an up-to-date schedule from the band's website.
Nominees for Norway's Alarm awards:
Rock:
Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
King Midas - Romeo Turn
Ricochets - The Ghost Of Our Love
Amulet - Danger! Danger!
Sgt. Petter - It's A Record
Pop:
Julian Berntzen - Waffy Town
Magnet - On Your Side
Ephemera - Air
Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
Karen Jo Fields - Chase The Blue
Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon
El Caco - Solid Rest
The Cumshots - Norwegian Jesus
Enslaved - Below the Lights
Thulsa Doom - ...And Then Take You To A Place Where Jars Are Kept
Hip-hop/Rap:
Paperboys - The Great Escape
Equicez - State of Emergency - Generation Equiz
Jaa9 & OnklP - Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape
Spetakkel - Spetakkel
Diaz - Velkommen hjem, Andres
Electronica:
Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band - A Special Album
Pleasure - Pleasure
Xploding Plastix - The Donca Matic Singalongs
Tøyen - Did You Bring
Erlend Øye - Unrest
Jazz:
Atomic - Boom Boom
Supersilent - Supersilent 6
Come Shine - With The Norwegian Radio Orchestra In Concert
Håvard Wiik Trio - Postures
Paal Nilsen-Love / Ken Wandermark - Dual
Song:
Ephemera - Girls Keep Secrets In The Strangest Ways
Equicez - Barnslig
Ricochets - The Ghost Of Our Love
King Midas - Romeo Turn
Turbonegro - Fuck The World
Live:
Turbonegro
Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band
King Midas
Equicez
The International Tussler Society
The Alarm awards aren't quite as respected as the Spellemannprisen, Norway's version of the Grammy, but are considered more of a stepping stone for young artists. Go to the Alarm site to vote for your favorites: http://www.alarmweb.org/2003/
Madrugada, one of Norway's biggest bands, plays a one-off gig in London tonight at The Metro to try and raise some awareness about the UK-release of their latest album "Grit" on Music for Nations. Check out the flyer here. The UK version of the album also has a different tracklist than the original, featuring just seven songs from the Norweigan version. Members Frode, Sivert and Robert with the thought that they'd rather provide a much broader overview of the band's sound as opposed to just the new tracks. Here's what they came up with:
01. Blood Shot Adult Commitment
02. Ready
03. I Don't Fit
04. Madrugada
05. Majesty
06. 7 seconds
07. Lucy One
08. Hands Up - I Love You
09. Got you
10. Belladonna
11. Ready To Carry You
It's also got a new cover that you can view here. The band hopes to come back for a full UK tour in January, but I don't have anything confirmed yet.
In other news, the band reports that they are hard at work on new material and practicing 6-7 hours a day. They should hopefully have something out by next autumn, but nothing's been set yet. Ah, but they do have a confirmed new release coming up! They'll be doing a split EP tribute to revered psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson together with We, another Norweigan band I really like. Madrugada does the 13th Floor Elevator song "Slip Inside This House" and it should be out soon on Black Balloon Records. And in related news, Sivert's sideproject The Opposition have their debut album coming out in February and they will tour Norway in support soon after in March. While not turning out as singer/songwriter-esque as he originally imagined, he says it's "pop, the way I perceive that pop should be like" and is incredibly proud of the way it sounds. And last but not least, on December 9, Sivert will take part in a Johnny Cash tribute album recording at, where else but Kretsfengsel avd. A prison in Oslo with the inmates as the audience. Very cool. Other artists set to take part include Thomas Dybdahl, Magnet, Steinar Albrigtsen, Paal Flaata from Midnight Choir and Øystein Greni from Big Bang and it should be out in either late January or early February.
Jim Stärk is releasing a special limited edition double-vinyl edition of their two albums "Ten Songs and Hey Hey" and "No Time Wasted" this week. The former was much-revered by Norweigan critics and received a Spellermann nomination while the latter is quite nice, too. I'm still gathering my thoughts for writing a full review, but don't listen to me - go and listen yourself at the band's website. Upcoming dates for the group:
12/06 - Frelsesarmèens Julemusikanter, Egertorget, Oslo
01/15 - Rockefeller, Oslo w/Magnet