Norwegian indierockers The Low Frequency In Stereo are back after an extended break in sideprojects such as The Megaphonic Thrift and The Gin & Tonic Youth and are working on a new album to be released in fall 2013.
Ja Ja Ja has confirmed that the lineup for their October showcase on the 21st will feature The Deer Tracks, The Low Frequency in Stereo and Rökkurró.
PopMatters reviews The Low Frequency in Stereo's latest record "Futuro": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/93028-the-low-frequency-in-stereo-futuro/
The Low Frequency in Stereo are doing a batch of German dates in May and bringing fellow Norwegians Hypertext along for the ride:
04/30 - Drone Bar, Copenhagen (DK)
05/01 - Klub Drushba, Halle (GER)
05/02 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
05/04 - Magnet Club, Berlin (GER)
05/05 - Gladhouse, Cottbus (GER)
05/06 - Kukuun, Hamburg (GER)
Yesterday's featured artist Livaventura was founded by a member of The Low Frequency in Stereo; too bad they tend towards the aforementioned school of good ideas/weak execution rather than pure excellence. Not that I'm one to find fault with good ideas though, many bands would be blessed to have any and the driving Kraut-skronk of "Texas fox" is plenty good enough to carry four minutes of music. It's a friendly familiar blues progression lined up, quantized and made alien though rigid repetition and an intriguing soulessness. That's a slight exaggeration of course, The Low Frequency in Stereo aren't really without soul or feeling, they just happen to play to the straight and narrow. Like Devo. Less mechanical, more awkward and lumbering. Like a gangly teen.
The Low Frequency in Stereo - Texas fox
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. TALK 1
02. Culkin - Breathholders
03. Max Peezay - Boven i droven
04. Detektivbyrån - En annan typ av disco
05. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - You'd better watch out, 'cause I like you
06. TALK 2
07. Sad Day for Puppets - Marble gods
08. Viola - The hardest hit
09. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
10. Kalle J - I skydd av mörkret
11. TALK 3
12. Murmansk - Vague language
13. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius (Dmitry Fyodorov Radius Relaxation Remix)
14. The Low Frequency in Stereo - Texas fox
15. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil
16. TALK 4
17. Paper - Out of it into it
18. Andreas Tilliander - Caught in a riot
19. On Volcano - Out of sight
20. Entombed - Seeing red
21. TALK 5
22. Säkert! - Någon gång måste du bli själv
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.
Details are now posted for The Low Frequency in Stereo's new album "Futuro", due out January 12 via Rune Grammofon: http://www.runegrammofon.com/artists/the-low-frequency-in-stereo/rcd-2082---the-low-frequency-in-stereo_-futuro
Norwegian artsy shoegazers The Low Frequency in Stereo have signed with Rune Grammofon and will be releasing their new album "Futuro" on January 12. Preview a few tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lowfrequencyinstereo
Norwegian act Simon Says No has enlisted Snorre from Hypertext/Catastrophes and Linn from The Low Frequency in Stereo as new members. Listen to the band here: http://www.myspace.com/nosayssimon
Norwegian shoegazers The Low Frequency in Stereo will be releasing a new 10" EP eneitled "Amtrak diesel" this coming June. The band considers the record to be "The last temptation of...The Low Frequency in Stereo pt.2" and recorded it last Summer in Oslo.
The nominees for the 2006 Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian Grammy, have been annnounced:
Female artist:
Elvira Nikolaisen - Quiet Exit (Sony BMG)
Marit Larsen - Under The Surface (EMI Music Norway)
Mira Craig - Mira Mira (Homemade Records)
Male artist:
Bjørn Eidsvåg - Nåde (Petroleum/Sony BMG)
Odd Nordstoga - Heim Te Mor (Universal Music AS)
Thomas Dybdahl - Science (Universal Music AS)
Pop group:
Delillos'85 - Suser Videre (Universal Music AS)
Jim Stärk - Turn Around And Look (Sweet Recordings)
Minor Majority - Reasons To Hang Around (Big Dipper Records)
Electronica:
Lindstrøm - It's A Feedelity Affair (Smalltown Supersound)
Splaxxter Watts - The Shakeout (Cafe Superstar DA)
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams (Smalltown Supersound)
Rock:
120 Days - 120 Days (Smalltown Supersound)
Bonk - Bonk Against Nothing (Racing Junior)
Madrugada - Live At Tralfamadore (EMI Music Norway)
The Low Frequency In Stereo - The Last Temptation Of... (Rec 90)
The School - Espionage (Kong Tiki Records)
Metal:
Benea Reach - Monument Bineothan (Tabu Recordings)
Enslaved - Ruun (Tabu Recordings)
Gorgoroth - Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam (Regain Records)
Keep Of Kalessin - Armada (Tabu Recordings)
Hip-hop:
Darkside Of The Force - El Dia De Los Puercos (C+C Records)
Karpe Diem - Rett Fra Hjertet (Bonnier Amigo Music Norge)
Tungtvann - Siste Skanse (C+C Records)
Jazz:
Atomic - Happy New Ears! (Jazzland)
Helge Sunde/Norske Store Orkester - Denada (Act)
Håkon Kornstad/Håvard Wiik - The Bad And The Beautiful (Moserobie)
Ken Vandermark/Paal Nilssen-Love - Seven (Smalltown Superjazzz)
The Thing - Action Jazz (Smalltown Superjazzz)
Open class:
Hanne Hukkelberg - Rykestrasse 68 (Propeller Recordings AS)
Kristin Asbjørnsen - Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook (Universal Music AS)
Mari Boine - Idjagiedas - In The Hand Of The Night (Universal Music AS)
Terje Isungset - Igloo (All Ice Records/Grappa)
Wibutee - Sweet Mental (Sonne Disk)
Best newcomer:
120 Days - 120 Days (Smalltown Supersound)
Elvira Nikolaisen - Quiet Exit (Sony BMG)
Marte Wulff - Jacket (It's Definitly Records)
Mira Craig - Mira Mira (Homemade Records)
Rockettothesky - So Sing You Apple Trees (Trust Me Records)
Music video:
Bjørn Eidsvåg M/Elvira Nikolaisen - Floden (Sony BMG)
Christel Alsos - Come On (Sony BMG)
Grand Island - Us Annexed (Racing Junior)
Marit Larsen - Don't Save Me (Emi)
The White Birch - Seer Beliver (Racing Junior)
The rest of the categories are here: http://www.spellemann.no/nomine.html
It's a little risky for an established instrumental group to suddenly start adding vocals, which made my first listen or two to this one a bit underwhelming. But then I started readjusting my ears and soon realized that this Norwegian post-rock quartet have one of the most consistent, propulsive grooves in the entire genre, and that's saying a lot. There's a muscularity to their playing that's pretty awe-inspiring; both the rhythm section and the guitar work are punchy perfection. A few tracks are straight instrumentals, but when vocals are used, they're quite effective. Hanne Andersen (who also plays killer trumpet and organ - is that a Farfisa?) gives us a taut, slightly distorted lead vocal on "21", then sweetens her delivery considerably on "Axes". Here and there, we get male/female harmonies that are quite nice. LFIS never give in to empty virtuosity: everything is about the primary groove and the interlocking musical components. The post-rock cup literally runneth over this year, but you can't deny the extra splash of excitement provided by these cool Norwegians.
- Kevin Renick
Low Frequency in Stereo is a Norwegian band that's been slowly gathering a bit of a buzz over the last six months or so since the release of their most recent album "The last temptation of" in March. They kind of got that thick and fuzzy sound associated with what folks are calling a shoegazer revival, but we all know that lots of effects pedals does not necessarily equal shoegaze. LFIS has way too much boogie-woogie going on for that. It's way more Deep Purple than Jesus and Mary Chain. They do get a bit self-indulgent, spaced-out and droney on the ten-minute title track, but it's the exception, not the rule. Aside from the closer, not a single other track exceeds four minutes. It's still not in ye traditional verse-chorus pop formula, but again - that's the 70s rock influence shining through. Worthy of buzz? Eh, I don't love the record, but they've got promise. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
The Low Frequency in Stereo - 21