Fysisk Format announces new Nils Bech single, album in fall

Fysisk Format has announced that they will be releasing the new Nils Bech 12" single "A sudden sickness" on June 29 with the album "Look inside" to follow this fall. Full details here, video coming soon.

Nils Bech
Look back
Fysisk Format

It's always refreshing to see a label with so much devotion to good music that it'll have a multitude of acts spanning a variety of genres on its roster. It's the mark of a true music fan; someone who's not afraid to take risks and stick two fingers up to the naysayers and proudly state: "This is what I like and I'm releasing it!" Norwegian Nils Bech, is one of the non-metal acts on Fysisk Format, his laid back, retro-styled electropop sitting alongside the fist and fury metal battery from the likes of Obliteration, Haust or Okkultokrati. It has to be said that there's a time and a place for "Look back"; It requires a certain frame of mind before someone could take the entire album in one sitting, but that doesn't mean it's a bad release. It's just conducive to pre-planned, late-night, candlelit ambience rather than any summer drive-time fervor. And when it kicks off in that kind of subdued atmosphere, it can be simply wondrous. Vocally, Bech is probably what a Morten Harket and Morrissey hybrid would sound like if they had been releasing stuff in the early '60s. Sure, his music might be classed as electropop but, with its definite retro leanings, it sounds more like the male counterpart of Goldfrapp's "Felt mountain" than the '80s disco companion of "Scoundrel days". The term 'crooner' springs to mind often on this and, if there's one main criticism of Bech, it's that his English pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired. Generally, English sung in a foreign tongue adds a certain mystique to an album and, while that's true on a lot of "Look back", Bech's approach can be slightly off-putting at times. The songs on here are well done and, while there's a good buzz around Nils Bech, the vocals really taint this release in places. Best tracks on here are the upbeat "Medieval times" and the distinctly Björk-y "French affairs". A good album that's definitely original. Unfortunately, it would have been much better if Nils had sung på norsk.
- John Norby

Krazy Fiesta + Nils Bech - Drunk love

Check out the Krazy Fiesta/Nils Bech collaboration "Drunk love" over at Discobelle: http://www.discobelle.net/2010/07/09/drunk-love/

Sirius playlist week #17

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Okkultokrati - Ragnarokian
02. TALK 1
03. Menfolk - Matador
04. Newkid - Gör det för
05. Rasmus Kellerman - Five years from now
06. TALK 2
07. The Tarantula Waltz - Synthetic sun (feat. Ebba Forsberg)
08. Kommun - Death of a CEO
09. Far from Tellus - Far from Tellus
10. TALK 3
11. Moddi - Stuck in the waltz
12. Faster Katt - Death song
13. Blowback - Fool
14. TALK 4
15. Nils Bech - Don't worry
16. Familjen - När planeterna stannat
17. Banjo - You and the sun
18. NEI - A wonderful day
19. TALK 5
20. Junip - Rope and summit

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Four debuts on the way from Fysisk Format

Fysisk Format is releasing four new debut albums in coming months:

02/22 - Kollwitz - Like iron I rust
03/23 - Okkultokrati - No light for mass
04/12 - Blood Command - tba
04/19 - Nils Bech - tba

Hit up the label website to sample a track from each: http://www.fysiskformat.no/