You like your guitars sound fat and dirty? You happen to like most of Orange Goblin's discography? You like a band that throws you a curve ball once in a while? WE are the band for you. The curve balls that they send your way this time around are straight indie rock songs as well as one of the best ballad I have heard this year. Let's not forget that the band rocks more than is probably necessary.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Norwegian hardrockers WE will contribut a cover of the Roky Erikson song "Cold Night" to the upcoming Last Train`s 20th anniversary compilation, which I now understand is to be called "No Music Requests". No word on a release date, but it should be out soon. Oh, and don't forget to check these guys out on the "Reader's companion" comp as well.
Nun Music, the label founded and run by the guys in WE, now has their full website online: http://www.nunmusic.com/
WE's latest album "Smugglers" went straight to #1 in Norway when it was released last week, selling more copies than their last two albums combined. Pretty amazing, eh? Of course, I'm stoked to have them on the "Reader's Companion" compilation which I was just informed should be ready and on it's way to me within the week. Great band, great album, totally worth checking out. Their success is well-deserved. Up next for the guys is a tour of Norway and here's what they've got booked so far:
10/01 - Hawk, Fredrikstad (NOR)
10/02 - Blå, Oslo (NOR)
10/08 - Scene 37, Horten u 18 (NOR)
10/14 - Blå Rock, Tromsø (NOR)
10/20 - tba (NOR)
10/21 - Flytten, Haugesund (NOR)
10/22 - Hulen, Bergen (NOR)
10/23 - Storebø Grendahus, Austevoll (NOR)
10/27 - Meieriet, Sogndal (NOR)
10/28 - Stud Samf, Volda (NOR)
10/29 - Studentenes Hus, Gjøvik (NOR)
10/30 - Felix, Lillehammer (NOR)
11/05 - Dolby, Tønsberg (NOR)
11/12 - Club 3, Asker u18 (NOR)
11/13 - Ridderspranget, Vågå (NOR)
11/19 - Rockefeller, Oslo (NOR)
11/25 - Martin's, Lillestrøm (NOR)
01/21 - Hydranten, Hamar (NOR)
WE has enlisted Tariq as their fifth member. He contributed so many orchestral parts with various moogs, mellotrons and clavinets on the new album "Smugglers", they figured they might as well hire him on. Head on over to the band's website for the first batch of confirmed Norwegian tourdates: http://www.werock.org/live.php
In anticpation of the new album "Smugglers", WE has unveiled a new website: http://www.werock.org/
Not many bands can write a 10-minute epic on the international drug trade, but WE can and does.
See the video for the new WE single "Catch Electrique": low / high
In case you didn't notice, this track is one of the many fine tunes that will appear on the upcoming "It's a trap! reader's companion volume one" compilation that I'm putting out.
Head over to the Nun Music website to stream a sample of WE's new single "Catch Electrique": http://www.nunmusic.com/
The Norwegian hard-rockers release their excellent new album "Smugglers" on September 13.
Norwegian hard-rockers We shot a video for the song "Catch Electrique" yesterday with actress Ane Dahl Torp at a racetrack right outside Oslo. I presume that track will be the lead single from the just-completed new album "Smugglers", due out this coming fall.
Norwegian rockers We will release their new album "Smugglers" in Norway on September 13. The album is produced by the band with help from Chriss Goss. Guests appearances include Euroboy and Chris Summers from Turbonegro, Chris Goss and Danny Young from Gluecifer.
Norweigan hard-rockers We are still busy in the studio working on overdubs and they report that they've been blessed with guest appearances from Jai Shankar, Chris Summers (Oslo Motherfuckers), Anders Møller (Euroboys), Euroboy (Turbonegro), Danny Young (Gluecifer) and more. The band also plans to tour Europe in support on their latest release "Lightyears Ahead" in March and we should have dates confirmed soon.
Here's most of the nominees for the Spellemannprisen, Norway's answer to the Grammy:
Female pop soloist:
Lene Marlin - "Another Day"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"
Male pop soloist:
Julian Berntzen - "Waffytown"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
Magnet - "On Your Side"
Pop group:
D'Sound - "Doublehearted"
Ephemera - "Air"
Number Seven Deli - "Falkner Street"
Electronica:
Snuten - "Welcome to the Jungle"
Ulver - "Teachings in Silence"
Xploding Plastix - "The Donca Matic Singalongs"
Rock:
Amulet - "Danger! Danger!"
Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
Thulsa Doom - "And Then Take You To a Place Where Jars Are"
Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
We - "Lightyears Ahead"
Blues/Country:
Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
Amund Maarud - "Ripped, Stripped and Southern Fried"
Tumbleweed - "Once More, With Feeling"
Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
Enslaved - "Below the Lights"
Old Man's Child - "In Defiance of Existence"
Hip-Hop:
Diaz - "Velkommen Hjem Andres"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Paperboys - "The Great Escape"
Jazz:
Atomic - "Boom Boom"
Toe Brunborg Quartet - "Gravity"
Karin Krog - "Where You At?"
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - "Sofienberg Variations"
Håvard Wiik - "Postures"
Open class:
Anne-Lise Berntsen/Nils Asheim - "Kom Regn"
Hallvard Bjørgum & Co- "Free Field"
Motorpsycho/Jaga Jazzist Horns - "In the Fishtank"
Niko Valkeapää - "Niko Valkeapää"
When - "Pearl Harvest"
Music video:
Diaz - "Hvem er denne karen"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Cecilia"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Girl Like You"
Best newcomer:
Julian Berntzen - "Whaffy Town"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Rebekka Karijord - "Neophyte"
Kurt Nilsen - "I"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Best song:
Maria Arrendondo - "In Love With An Angel"
David - "Wild At Heart"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Lene Marlin - "You Weren’t There"
Kurt Nilsen - "She’s So High"
Go here for the rest: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3399677.html
Norweigan hardrockers We are currently in Hangaroundsounds studio in Oslo with American producer Chris Goss (Masters of Reality, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss). Read more: http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/2003/12/770191.shtml (in Norweigan)
There's also some pics from the proceedings posted on their website: http://www.werock.org/
Madrugada, one of Norway's biggest bands, plays a one-off gig in London tonight at The Metro to try and raise some awareness about the UK-release of their latest album "Grit" on Music for Nations. Check out the flyer here. The UK version of the album also has a different tracklist than the original, featuring just seven songs from the Norweigan version. Members Frode, Sivert and Robert with the thought that they'd rather provide a much broader overview of the band's sound as opposed to just the new tracks. Here's what they came up with:
01. Blood Shot Adult Commitment
02. Ready
03. I Don't Fit
04. Madrugada
05. Majesty
06. 7 seconds
07. Lucy One
08. Hands Up - I Love You
09. Got you
10. Belladonna
11. Ready To Carry You
It's also got a new cover that you can view here. The band hopes to come back for a full UK tour in January, but I don't have anything confirmed yet.
In other news, the band reports that they are hard at work on new material and practicing 6-7 hours a day. They should hopefully have something out by next autumn, but nothing's been set yet. Ah, but they do have a confirmed new release coming up! They'll be doing a split EP tribute to revered psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson together with We, another Norweigan band I really like. Madrugada does the 13th Floor Elevator song "Slip Inside This House" and it should be out soon on Black Balloon Records. And in related news, Sivert's sideproject The Opposition have their debut album coming out in February and they will tour Norway in support soon after in March. While not turning out as singer/songwriter-esque as he originally imagined, he says it's "pop, the way I perceive that pop should be like" and is incredibly proud of the way it sounds. And last but not least, on December 9, Sivert will take part in a Johnny Cash tribute album recording at, where else but Kretsfengsel avd. A prison in Oslo with the inmates as the audience. Very cool. Other artists set to take part include Thomas Dybdahl, Magnet, Steinar Albrigtsen, Paal Flaata from Midnight Choir and Øystein Greni from Big Bang and it should be out in either late January or early February.
We - "Lightyears Ahead" (Black Balloon)
Norway's We mines classic hard-rock, kinda in the same way that Soundtrack of Our Lives does. They both obviously borrow heavily from their forbearers, but both manage to bring it all together in a way that includes the group's own personality and makes it unique. Whereas TSOOL tends towards straight-up rock n' roll and psych-rock, We is more heavy metal and borrows more from the Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin end of the 70s rock spectrum. Yeah, there's some obvious T. Rex riffing going on too, but there's also a bit of a late-era Beatles thing going on, albeit slightly heavier. The instrumental transition tracks on this EP are cool too - I really like how it helps everything flow together, though the bong hit opening is a bit silly. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes on these guys.