Top ten: 2003

A scant two Scandinavian entries in the Pitchfork top 50 of 2003:

#50: Supersilent - 6
#36: Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Stop the Beat

The BBC has chosen Supersilent's "6" as one of their nominees for experimental album of the year. Go here to cast your vote. Other Scandinavians acts nominated for the award include EST (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) in the jazz category and Plej in the dance category.

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"

v/a - Money Will Ruin Everything (2xCD + book) (Rune Grammofon)
If you are at all curious about the current avant-garde music scene, you need to get this. The Norweigan scene spotlighted here is where a lot of really exciting things are happening in music nowadays. As anyone who reads Wire already should know, bands like Supersilent and Jaga Jazzist are becoming increasingly revered worldwide and for good reason. And that's just two of the thirty names here. These groups are challenging and expanding the boundries of rock, electronica and jazz to create something completely new and amazing. And even though the marriage of physical art and music is nothing new, it's great to see the tradition continued with this exquisite package. Highly recommended.

Upcoming Supersilent-related live events next year:

01/31 - Pistol & Motorsykkel [Helge (treatments) & Jarle (drums)] in Bergen, Norway
02/07 - Arve (solo) in Bergen, Norway
02/13 - Supersilent in Rome, Italy
04/01 - Supersilent in Paris, France
04/03 - Supersilent in Voss, Norway

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/

Post-rockers The Low Frequency in Stereo have confirmed "Travelling Ants Who Got Eaten by Moskus" as the title of their new album. It's being mastered by Deathprod (Supersilent, ex-Motorpsycho) and will be out January 25 on Rec90.

BBC Radio 3 will broadcast some live material from Nordic jazz improvising innovators Supersilent on New Year's Day, January 1 at 10pm GMT. It will include material from this past year's Molde Jazzfestival and will be available online after the fact.

Ariel Kill Him will release a new CDEP/12" of all-new material in February/early March called "Labyrinths". Here's the tracklist:

01. Popka
02. Leland
03. It Was You
04. Up and Down
05. Yellow, Brown and Green
06. Hold On/Labyrinths

As mentioned before, Norweigan singer/songwriter Askil Holm1 has a bunch of dates coming up in both Norway and Japan. He's also got a couple more confirmed gigs with Martin Hagfors and Cream of the Crop, who he plays guitar for. Here's the latest confirmed details (all dates in Norway unless otherwise noted):

12/03 - Cafe Kaos, Oslo (Thorvald meyers gate 58)
12/04 - Namsos - Event: Release of new book
12/09 - Ikenoue Bobtail, Tokyo (JAP) (acoustic)
12/11 - Dig me out cafe, Minami-Horie, Osaka (JAP)
12/12 - Club Acid, Shinjuku, Tokyo (JAP) (acoustic)
12/13 - HMV Shinjuku, Tokyo (JAP) (acoustic)
12/13 - Club Dawn, Osaka (JAP) (acoustic)
12/14 - Virgin Megastore, Shin-Saibashi, Osaka (JAP)
12/17 - Trondheim w/Martin Hagfors and Cream of the Crop
12/18 - Concert for Frelsesarmeen at Egertorget, Oslo w/Martin Hagfors and Cream of the Crop
12/18 - Blå, Oslo w/Martin Hagfors and Cream of the Crop
12/19 - tba w/Martin Hagfors and Cream of the Crop
12/20 - tba w/Martin Hagfors and Cream of the Crop
12/22 - Kaffebaren, Namsos
12/25 - Pub 1030, Verdal
12/26 - Sjøåsen Hotell
12/30 - Vik, Flatanger

A recording of Norweigan improv/experimental act Supersilent's concert at Jazzfestival Saalfelden in Austria on 08/30 will be broadcasted on Deutschlandfunk this coming December on the 29th. More info: http://www.dradio.de/dlf/

In other Supersilent news, the band will be performing in Dresden, Germany on December 13. Details: http://www.scheune.org/

NORCD will release a new album called "Vals" from Veslefrekk feat. the trio of Jarle, Ståle and Arve from Supersilent (that's everyone but Helge Steen aka Deathprod btw) sometime during spring next year.

Listen to a sample of the track "Borrowing Moons" from the new album "Nightwatch" from Norweigan jazz vocalist Silje Nergaard, also featuring Arve (trumpet) and Jahre (drums) from Supersilent.

News from Norweigan avant label Rune Grammofon:

New Rune Grammofon signing Susanna and the Magical Orchestra is featured on "The Wire Tapper 10", the double cd that is in included with all copies of the October issue of The Wire. They are represented with "Believer", a beautiful track produced by Andreas Mjøs (Jaga Jazzist) and mixed and co-produced by Helge Sten (Deathprod, Supersilent).

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra are Susanna Wallumrød on vocals and Morten Qvenild (formerly of Jaga Jazzist), and they will make their UK debut in London at the launch of "Money Will Ruin Everything", the 2CD compilation and book to be released by Rune Grammofon in late October. Their debut album is scheduled for release in January.

Acclaimed Norweigan percussionist Terje Isungset and trumpet player Arve Henriksen (Supersilent, etc.) are playing the London Jazz Festival together on November 18. Read more. Esbjorn Svensson Trio play November 14.

Singer Suzanna Wallumrød (sister of ECM pianist Christian Wallumrød) and pianist Morten Qvenild (shining, ex-Jaga Jazzist) just finished up with the recording of their debut album together. It was produced by Andreas Mjøs of Jaga Jazzist, mixed by Helge Sten aka Deathprod (Supersilent, ex-Motorpsycho) and will see a release on Rune Gramofon in January.