Pitchfork reviews the new Shining album "Grindstone": http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/41234/Shining_Grindstone

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
02. William Hut - Nightfall
03. Askil Holm - Harmony Hotel
04. Skambankt - Elixir
05. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
06. Bjørn Eidsvåg - Nåde
07. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
08. Herodes Falsk/Tom Mathisen - De beste
09. Øystein Sunde - Sundes verden
10. Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes og Askil Holm - Hallelujah - Live
11. 120 Days - 120 Days
12. Ane Brun - Duets
13. Tungtvann - 96% Tungtvann
14. Jan Werner - Stronger
15. Sissel - De beste 1986-2006
16. Ole Ivars - Jag trodde änglarna fanns
17. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook
18. Odd Nordstoga - Heim te mor
19. Shining - Grindstone
20. Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive

Shining has posted three tracks from their new album "Grindstone" on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gninihs

Shining's new album "Grindstone" will get a European release in March. Dates for other territories will vary.

Whacked-out Norwegian jazz act Shining recently posted a whole slew of live videos to youtube: http://www.shining.no/v1/news.php

The release date of Shining's new album has been set for January 2007.

The winners of Norway's Alarm awards:

Alarmpris: Sofian
Rock: Madrugada - The Deep End
Pop: Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
Metal: El Caco - The Search
Hip-hop/rap: Paperboys - When Worlds Collide
Newcomer: Mira Craig
Club: Röyksopp - The Understanding
Jazz: Shining - In the Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster
Post-rock/electronica: Cloroform - Cracked Wide Open
Song: Madrugada - The Kids Are On High Street
Live: Purified In Blood
Video: Cast
Fan: Henning Klokkeraasen/Kaizers Orchestra

The nominees for this year's Spellemann (the Norwegian Grammy) have been announced:

Female artist:
Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive (Det Er Mine/V2)
Lene Marlin - Lost In A Moment (EMI)
Marthe Valle - It's A Bag Of Candy (Grammar Records)
Maria Mena - Apparently Unaffected (Sony BMG)
Simone - Last Days And Nights (Daworks)

Male artist
Alejandro Fuentes - Diamonds Or Pearls (Sony BMG)
Magnet - The Tourniquet (Atlantic)
Robert Post - Robert Post (Universal)
Sofian - This Is Sofian (C+C Records)

Pop group:
Jim Stärk - Jim Stärk (Sweet Recordings)
Ravi & Dj Løv - Den Nye Arbæidsdagn (Sony BMG)
Röyksopp - The Understanding (EMI)

Electronica:
Alog - Miniatures (Rune Grammofon)
Datarock - Datarock Datarock (Yap/VME)
Toy - Toy (Smalltown Supersound)

Rock:
Bigbang - Poetic Terrorism (Gransport Records)
JR Ewing - Maelstrom (Sony BMG)
Madrugada - The Deep End (EMI)
My Midnight Creeps - My Midnight Creeps (MMC Records)
Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh (Honeymilk)

Metal:
Audrey Horne - No Hay Banda (Dog Job/Tuba Records)
El Caco - The Search (Black Balloon Records)
Extol - Blueprint (Century Media)
Stonegard - Arrows (Bonnier)

Hip-hop/Rnb:
Cast - Problembarn (Pass It Records)
Paperboys - When Worlds Collide (Bonnier)
Tommy Tee - Tommy Tycker Om Mej (Tee Productions/C+C Records)

Jazz:
Hans Mathisen - Quiet Songs (Curling Legs AS)
Jimmy Rosenberg/Stian Carstensen - Rose Room (Hot Club Records)
Karin Krog/Bergen Big Band - Seagull (Grappa Musikkforlag AS)
Sigurd Køhn Quartet - This Place (Heidi Køhn)
Solveig Slettahjell - Pixiedust (Curling Legs AS)

Open class:
Arild Andersen Group - Electra (ECM/Grappa)
Beady Belle - Closer (Jazzland)
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must (Smalltown Supersound)
Nils Petter Molvær - Er (Universal)
Shining - In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster (Rune Grammofon)

Best newcomer:
Animal Alpha - Pheromones (Racing Junior)
Audrey Horne - No Hay Banda (Dog Job/Tuba Records)
Draumir - Draumir (Playground/Little Hill)
Marthe Valle - It's A Bag Of Candy (Grammar Records)
Sofian - This Is Sofian (C+C Records)

Best song:
Alejandro Fuentes - Stars (Sony BMG)
Kurt Nilsen - Never Easy (Sony BMG)
Madrugada w/Ane Brun - Lift Me (Det Er Mine/V2/EMI)
Maria Mena - Miss You Love (Sony BMG)
Ravi & Dj Løv - Tsjeriåu Me De Månråus (Sony BMG)

Music video:
Maria Mena - Miss You Love (Sony BMG)
Animal Alpha - Bundy (Racing Junior)
Ravi & Dj Løv - E-Ore (Sony BMG)
Robert Post - Got None (Universal)
Röyksopp - What Else Is There (EMI)

For all categories, go here: http://www.ifpi.no/spellemann/nomlst.html
Winners will be announced on January 28.

On January 24 Rune Grammofon will present their first two releases for 2006: First up is the debut album from MoHa!, a duo comprised of guitarist Anders Hana and drummer Morten Olsen. Head over to The Wire website to watch documentary footage from the album recording. The second album being released that day is the solo debut "Pohlitz" from drummer/composer Thomas Strønen (Food, Humcrush) which is described as "a beautiful mix of gamelan inspiried percussion and electronic textures." In the not-too-distant future (springtime), the label will also be putting out a 5x10" box containing tracks from 19 RG releases to celebrate their 50th overall release. A 10" of Deathprod remixes should be released around te same time as well. After that, look for a reissue of Phonophani's OOP album originally released via Biosphere's Biophon label as well as new stuff from Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Supersilent, Shining and maybe In The Country this coming fall.

The nominees for this year's Alarm awards, the alternative to the Spellemansprisen (Norway's version of the Grammy):

Rock:
Richochets - Isolation
Madrugada - The Deep End
Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh
JR Ewing - Maelstrom
My Midnight Creeps - My Midnight Creeps

Pop:
Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
Loch Ness Mouse - 11-22
Maria Mena - Apparently Unaffected
Anja Garbarek - Briefly Shaking
Sofian - This Is Sofian

Metal:
Stonegard - Arrows
Grimfist - 10 Steps To Hell
El Caco - The Search
Scum - Gospel For The Sick
Solefald - Red For Fire

Hip-hop:
Paperboys - When Worlds Collide
Cast - Problembarn
Onkl P - Det kunne vært deg
Warlocks - The Never Ending Story
Tommy Tee - Tommy Tycker Om Mej

Free music/electronica:
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must
Cloroform - Cracked Wide Open
Toy - Toy
Supersilent - 7
Alog - Miniatures

Club:
Røyksopp - The Understanding
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - Lindtrøm & Prins Thomas
Datarock - Datarock Datarock
Annie - DJ Kicks
Future Prophecies - Warlords Rising

Jazz:
Kornstad/Wiik - Eight Tunes We Like
Shining - In The Kingdom Of Kitch
The Thing - Live At Blå
Tord Gustavsen Trio - The Ground
Atomic - Bikini Tapes

Song:
Madrugada - The Kids Are On High Street
Röyksopp - What Else Is There
Ane Brun - My Lover Will Go
Superfamily - Taxi Dancing
Mira Craig - Boogieman

Live:
Madrugada
Turbonegro
Purified in Blood
Richochets
Kaizers Orchestra

Newcomer of the year:
My Midnight Creeps
Mira Craig
Sofian
Superfamily
Animal Alpha

Vote for your favorites here: http://www.alarmprisen.no/

Norway's Shining will tour the US next April. Dates soon. In other news, the band plans to enter the studio with producer Kåre Vestrheims in late January/early February to begin work on the follow-up to "In the kingdom of kitsch you will be a monster".

Shining has enlisted Morten Strøm as their new bassist.

Dusted reviews Shining: http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2185

Also at Pfork today is an interview with Norwegian post-rock/jazz combo Shining: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/s/shining-05/

I forgot to mention it earlier this week, but the latest Aquarius Records new release list features quite a few Scandinavian music selections such as Audiopain, Elope, Alog, Imperium, Ratto Ja Lehtisalo and Shining: http://www.aquariusrecords.org/cat/newest.html
It's worth noting that the Elope disc they rave about can be bought directly from me for a full $2 cheaper. How you like dem apples?