Check out the video for Thomas Dybdahl's new single "B A part": http://www.universalmusic.no/wvxgen.asp?dybdal-video.wmv

MP3: Thomas Dybdahl - Cecilia

There's always way too many things to do the day before going on vacation, so I'm going to have to make this short, especially since I'm going to try to write a few extra mp3 posts for next week before I leave. Thomas Dybdahl could probably be considered the Norwegian equivilent to José González 'cept that instead of José's excellent finger-picking you get a young man with a sweet, smokey voice whose songs tend to be on the more soulful side of things. I imagine a lot of indier-than-thou types will probably find his music a bit too MOR, but to me good music is good music and I really like Thomas' style. He never overdoes it like, say Nicolai Dunger for example (I'm a fan, but he definitely oversings sometimes) - instead, he keeps things chill and lowkey. I imagine him melting hearts everywhere he goes. It's unbelievable it took some three odd years for him to get a US deal. I can't imagine him being a hard sell at all. This particular song I've posted today from his 2003 album "Stray dogs" is about as uptempo as Thomas gets and happens to be one of my favorites as well. Catchy, but in an extremely subdued way. Good to calm the nerves on a day when I feel manic.

Thomas Dybdahl - Cecilia

Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl now has two songs from his forthcoming album "Science" up on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tdybdahl

Thomas Dybdahl's website sucks and won't let you copy & paste (damn flash!), but he did post a ton of his fall tourdates if you're willing to slog through the mess to check it out: http://1micadventure.com/

Listen to the brand new Thomas Dybdahl single "Always": http://www.universalmusic.no/wvxgen.asp?Dybdahl_Always.wmv

The tracklist has been confirmed for Thomas Dybdahl's new album "Science": http://thomasdybdahl.net/site/pivot/entry.php?id=163

Norwegian troubadour Thomas Dybdahl will release his new album "Science" in late September.

Christopher Porter on Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl, his pick for NPR's song of the day: http://www.christopherporter.com/2006/07/my-debut-piece-for-nprs-song-of-day-is.html
I really hope that Dybdahl gets more attention in the US. He really is a gifted artist.

MP3: Jackman - Leave you where you lie

Jackman is the solo project of Wunderkammer guitarist/frontman Pål Jackman along with brother Morten, who also plays drums with Helldorado and The Colors Turned Red. The trio is rounded out by bassist John Lilja, whose playing can be heard on albums from artists like Thomas Dybdahl and Rub a Dubs. The band has toured with fellow Norwegians Kaizers Orchestra, pairing that will seem obvious once you hear the song I've posted today. Yes, both bands play a form of Gypsyfied rock, though Kaizers tends to be far more grandiose and bombastic while Jackman seems much more suited for a dark and smokey barroom. Pål croons and strums while the band lays down a heavy shuffling beat. The little diminished chord guitar licks enhance the atmosphere, but the thing I love most about Jackman is the recording. This is the sound of three guys playing music together, nothing more. No excessive overdubs, no gratuitous production. There's not even any distortion on the guitar - any dirt you hear is just the sound of the amp being pushed hard. The upright bass thumps and clicks just like it should. The drums sound clean and natural. It's so simple, it's stupid. Why can't more bands record like this? Oh yeah, most bands just aren't that good.

Jackman - Leave you where you lie

Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl will finally have his most recent album "One day you'll dance for me, New York City" released in North America on August 1 via Recall Records. He will reportedly be touring in support, but no dates have been announced yet. He's a bit more MOR than José González, but I really like his smokey voice, so I expect he'll do well with the right marketing push. Ideally, I see him as a perfect fit for the Starbucks-music-buying crowd. Read more about Thomas here: http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2006/06/1245.cfm

Norwegian label Checkpoint Charlie Audio Productions is offering up four new mp3s every month with the current selection featuring cuts from Thomas Dybdahl, Popface, The Colors Turned Red and Jackman. Read more: http://blog.myspace.com/61441543

Bates Motel is saying that Recall Records has signed Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl for the US.

Check out a video of Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl working on a new song in the studio: http://www.thomasdybdahl.com/media/diary/diary-1.wmv

Upcoming releases on the way in 2006 from Norwegian label Checkpoint Charlie:

Popface - Eleven Pieces Of A Broken Heart - 02/20
Jackman - tba - 03/06
The Colors Turned RedTHE COLORS TURNED RED - All The Way Up - 03/13
Thomas Dybdahl - tba - fall 2006
Mayflies - tba - fall 2006

More details: http://www.checkpoint.no/

The Thomas Dybdahl fansite has added a few demo tracks for download: http://thomasdybdahl.net/