I have been remiss in never officially posting an Årabrot track, so here's a little something from their latest (and possibly greatest) album "Revenge". On days like today when my dayjob feels like it is suffocating me and the world outside is cold, grey and wet, few things feel better than this sort of mid-tempo ugliness, a sound that only becomes more appealing as I get older. As for the subject of revenge, I'm a big proponent of the method of success.
Susanne Sundfør has officially signed a European deal with ,the label founded by Herbert Grönemeyer. Look for Susanne's latest album "The brothel" to be released in Germany on May 20 with Austria, Switzerland, France, Benelux, Italy, Spain and Portugal to follow on the 23rd.
To say that Norwegian Stian Westerhus is a respected experimental artist is quite the understatement. To add that his output may well be overrated by many is also a fair point. "Pitch black star spangled" has been lauded by certain members of the press and, while it is a decent album within the realm of experimental guitar-based drone, it's a difficult one to listen to other than in a passive sense, whereby the music serves as the background to something more important (for me that was rearranging part of my office and, on another occasion, reading an old copy of Cinefantastique from May '86). Yes, he has quite obviously thought in great detail about what goes where, how different passages should be arranged, and how to keep the album as varied as possible, but there's something about it that just cries boredom. For the apparent randomness of the compositions within "Pitch black star spangled" it is, however, clear that everything has been carefully thought out and crafted. Therein, of course, lays the visionary in Westerhus. Sadly, it doesn't quite hit the mark this time. - John Norby
Stream the new Joensuu 1685 split with Brad Laner, now out digitally via : http://splendour.no/post/3853568272
The official release for the 12" vinyl will be April 16, aka Record Store Day.
Belin-based clubnights Nordic by Nature and Karrera Klub have teamed up for a new monthly event called "I'm from Scandinavia" which will make its premiere on April 2 at Festsaal Kreuzberg with live performances from The New Wine and Degrees.
This is a new video from Norwegian metal act Insense, the first single off the forthcoming album "Burn in beautiful fire" due out April 8 via . Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjuD3FlzeU8
is a new regional label out of Bodø, Norway and their first two signings are the hardcore act Gabriel and indierockers Ihab, both of whom will be releasing EPs this coming spring. Read more (in Norwegian) and hear sample tunes: http://www.beyondrecords.no/
Stian Westerhus