Simon Says goodbye

Norwegian indierockers Simon Says No! are calling it quits with one last EP of previously unreleased material called "For the last time" and a couple of farewell gigs in Bergen and Oslo on September 29 and October 11 respectively.

Culkin - Left behind (plus tourdates!)

Finally, new music from Culkin, giving us a taste of what to expect from their long-awaited full-length debut which will be out on HaHa Fonogram... eventually. The band will also be touring Scandinavia with Simon Says No! and Youngteam as part of the "Revolution in Sound" tour in September -- dates here: http://www.brothersister.se/gigs/

18 Norwegian acts now confirmed for SXSW

Listen to Norway runs down the 18 Norwegian acts now confirmed for SXSW 2011: http://www.listento.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2011011114030711899290
The list: Altaar, Benea Reach, Casiokids, Datarock, Death Crush, Forza, Harry`s Gym, DE Håker Flaten, Kvelertak, Marit Larsen, The Megaphonic Thrift, My Little Pony, Nico D & Admiral P, Serpentine, Simon Says No!, Sondre Lerche, Tôg and Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson.

Simon Says No! - Solitary rush (video)

There is now a video for the new Simon Says No! single "Solitary rush": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ik5OSFJ00g

Simon Says No! - Solitary rush

Preview the new Simon Says No! single "Solitary rush": http://soundcloud.com/brilliance/solitary-rush

Simon Says No! sign to Oslo Grammofon

Norwegian indie act Simon Says No! will release their debut album on September 13 via Oslo Grammofon. Look for the first single "Solitary rush" on August 23.

Ja Ja Ja showcase at The Great Escape, more

Ja Ja Ja will be throwing a special Nordic showcase on May 14 for the occasion of London's Great Escape Festival featuring Susanne Sundfør, Jaakko & Jay and For a Minor Reflection. More details: http://www.jajajamusic.com/news.php?id=33
Other Scandinavian acts performing at this year's festival include Choir Of Young Believers, Erik Hassle, Simon Says No!, Ingrid Olava, Joensuu 1685, Megaphonic Thrift, Seabear, Vuk and possibly others, but I can't tell because their website is a piece of shit.

Ja Ja Ja
Live @ The Lexington, London, UK 01/21/10

Scandinavian club nights (with or without bands playing) have been a regular feature in London for quite some time now and the new kid on the block is Ja Ja Ja, who started a monthly club night at The Lexington last November. The Lexington is one of London's most exciting venues at the moment, some of the most up-and-coming bands play there, and the bar area downstairs is fantastic. Anyway, since there were three bands playing there was no time to hang out downstairs, but one had to stay upstairs (which is more grimey than downstairs, but still kind of nice in a quirky way). First out were Iceland's Leaves who left me rather bored, reminding me of a dull Radiohead. Next up were Norwegians Simon Says No! who were not as boring as Leaves but even less to my taste. They've been compared to shoegaze mammoths such as Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine, but being no great fan of either of those two bands, I am probably not their target audience. It was not a good start to the evening, but thankfully Icelandic band Sudden Weather Change somehow lived up to their name and put on a brilliant show, sounding like a Dischord band from the mid 80s, and thus ending my night on a high. Ja Ja Ja is a great night out though and I'll without a doubt return to it. I'm sure some fantastic bands will end up playing, it's definitely worth keep an eye out for who they've got on the bill.
- Stefan Nilsson

Ja Ja Ja #3 lineup

The full lineup for January's Ja Ja Ja Scandinavian showcase show in London on January 21 has been confirmed and will include Simon Says No!, Leaves and Sudden Weather Change. More info: http://www.jajajamusic.com/events.php?id=6

Ja Ja Ja in January details

Sean Adams from Drowned in Sound will curating the January edition of London-based Scandinavian music showcase event Ja Ja Ja. The date is January 21 and the first act confirmed is Norwegians Simon Says No!.

Presenting: Starving Artist Kokebok

A group of Oslo-based artist expats (2 Australians, 1 Canadian) have put together something called the "Starving Artist Kokebok", or "cookbook" for the Norwegian-impaired, a book and CD package featuring artwork, stories and of course recipes from 37 fellow Oslo-based bands, artists and journalists. Also included is a 19-track CD:

01. Simon Says No! - Sleeping Heart
02. Death is Not Glamorous - Clear Lines
03. Lionheart Brothers - Bring it Down (Kokebok Edit)
04. Maribel - Soothe
05. Pica Pica - The Man with the Magic Hands
06. CCTV - We Belong (Radio Edit)
07. Einar Stray - Arrows
08. Pilemil - Ghost
09. Hiawata! - Valley Boys
10. Happy Dagger - 2012
11. Manhattan Skyline - The Below
12. Spirits of the Dead - White Lady Black Rave
13. Årabrot - The Minute
14. The Bee's Niece - Stolen Bike
15. Norma Sass - Japan
16. The Loch Ness Mouse feat. Stella Mwangi - New Graffiti (Single Edit)
17. Center of the Universe - Sing it Again
18. Rosix Noir - Binden Sie Meine Hnde (Remix)
19. The White Tiger Prepade - Powerful fast forward knowledge pushing scared inprinted gem stones levitating by seemingly apathic sound movement reactions

Other contributors include Benea Reach, Haust, Je Suis Animal, Lydia Laska, My Little Pony, Silver and lots more. There will be a release party on November 18 at Rubber Soul featuring an exhibition of the original artworks followed by a show at Revolver later in the evening. More info: http://starvingartistkokebok.blogspot.com/

Simon says goodbye

Not sure if this means the end of Simon Says No! or not, but namesake member Simon Oakland has parted ways with the group: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=96027805&blogId=516147984

Simon Says No! to play NYC, CA

Simon Says No! will be doing a few extra US dates around SXSW before they head out to LA to record:

03/13 - Pianos, New York, NY
03/14 - Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
03/16 - Fontana's, Mew York, NY
03/18-03/22 - SXSW
03/24 - Starline, Fresno, CA
04/01 - The Harlot, San Francisco, CA
04/02 - 3 of Clubs, Los Angeles, CA

Simon Says No! to Spoon Train Audio

Norwegian act Simon Says No! will have their demo EP "Ahoi de Angst" given a proper release via Spoon Train Audio on February 9.

MP3: Simon Says No! - Shiver

More 90s indie nostalgia? Sure, why not! Norway's Simon Says No! doesn't really mine the same territory as say, Sad Day for Puppets -- they've got more in common with bands like Culkin or maybe Giant Boar, 'cept that's not right either. Simon Says No! is more muscular, heavier. I'm actually reminded a lot of fellow Norwegian act Cadillac who evoked similar 90s alt-rock feelings with a bit more of a detached stoner vibe. There might be a little Motorpsycho and 120 Days in there too, however the one band that's the strongest touchstone for me would have to be Chavez. Especially on tracks like "Shiver", with its big, beefy riffs and that continually buzzing part persisting throughout. It's a good formula, even if the song itself loses its luster once you get past the immediacy of the big guitars. Too many starts and stops, not enough memorable melodies to latch onto. Still, as demo bands go, I can't complain. There's potential.

Simon Says No! - Shiver