The nominees for this year's Spellemann awards, the Norwegian Grammy, have been announced:
Female Artist: Christel Alsos - Tomorrow is () Ida Maria - Katla (/) Ingrid Olava - The guest () Susanne Sundfør - The brothel ()
Male Artist: Moddi - Floriography () Odd Nordstoga - November (/) Thom Hell - All good things () Thomas Dybdahl - Waiting for that one clear moment ()
Pop Group: deLillos - Hjernen er alene i Operaen () I was a king - Old friends (/) Kråkesølv - Bomtur til jorda () Madcon - Contraband ()
Electronic: Bjørn Torske - Kokning () Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Real life is no cool () Ost & Kjex - Cajun lunch (/)
Rock: Blood Command - Ghostclocks (/) Kvelertak - Kvelertak () Motorpsycho - Heavy metal fruit () Serena-Maneesh - No 2: Abyss in b minor () Tommy Tokyo & Starving for My Gravy - Go time, showtime & absolute war ()
Hip-Hop: Karpe Diem - Aldri solgt en løgn () Lars Vaular - Helt om natten, helt om dagen () Salvador Sanchez - Happy daze ()
Folk: Gjermund Larsen trio - Aurum (/) Ingvill Marit Buen Garnås og Per Anders Buen Garnås - Salme, segn & solbøn () Sondre Bratland/Annbjørg Lien - Alle vegne () Unni Boksasp Ensemble - Keramello ()
Jazz: Elephant9 - Walk the nile () Ivar Antonsen/Vigleik Storaas - Dialogues () Paolo Vinaccia - Very much alive () Supersilent - 10 () Trondheim Jazz Orchestra - Triads and more ()
Open Class: Beady Belle - At Welding Bridge () Jaga Jazzist - One-armed bandit () Karl Seglem - Ossicles (/) Pelbo - Pelbo () Petter Wettre/Audun Kleive - The only way to travel 2 ()
Lyrics: Bare Egil Band - I fyr og flamme (/) Erik Fosnes Hansen - Neste stasjon Grorud () Ingrid Olava - The guest (
Pop Composition: Gjermund Larsen - Aurum (/) Ingrid Olava - The guest () Odd Nordstoga - November (/) Susanne Sundfør - The brothel () Thom Hell - All good things ()
Newcomer: Bjørn Johan Muri () Frida Ånnevik () Kvelertak () Moddi () Thomas Eriksen ()
Far from Tellus' self-titled album is a swirling, cohesive, and, most importantly, damned entertaining effort, combining elements of folk and blues, 70s rock and 80s pop, all on their own terms. Like some strange marriage between The Kinks and fellow Norwegians Superfamily, Far from Tellus ramble through decades of inspiration, tying these echoes together into seamless, layered, and often anthemic compositions. Also, like the aforementioned Kinks, Far from Tellus have a fine relationship with the poignant and the playful, never allowing the latter to overpower or besmirch the former: "Norwegian fairytale mix" blossoms to life with such swagger upon layers of guitar, piano, and banjo, only to transition into a gloriously simple and memorable chorus; "Mogens" opens with a strummed banjo and closes with enough rock organ to make any Zeppelin fan happy, its middle section reminiscent of the clever, driving compositions of Herr Nilsson, yet another Norwegian outfit (I'm sensing a theme here); and seven-minute closer "Bless our souls" builds beautifully to its wonderfully raucous ending, reminding me of Britpop acts like James throughout. "Far from Tellus" is an impressive display of talent and songwriting. I wouldn't be surprised to find it on my Best of 2010 list, even with almost half a year left to go. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
artist Moddi is the third recipient of A-ha's million-kroner stipend fund: http://www.groove.no/html/news/85741988.html
I'll bet money that Casiokids will win out over Lars Vaular for the fourth and final coinpurse.
Norwegian label is my favorite new label. Not my new favorite label, but you get the idea. Conceived as the sister label to to concentrate on new up-and-coming acts, they've got a surprisingly strong and diverse roster. I told you about Far From Tellusthe other day, now here's a track from Kobert, the first act on the label to release an album. The two couldn't be more different -- whereas the former is folksy, upbeat pop, Kobert makes low-key, jazzy electronica. Inorganic sounds with an organic vibe; just listen to the way vocalist/sample-manipulator Ingrid Lode deftly navigates the narrow melody. What sounds simple is anything but. Sometimes the group does veer off towards trip-hop/adult contemporary territory at times, but the more I listen, the more I find them to be on the right side of tasteful/whitewashed. Still, would not be surprised to hear them in a Euro-style elixir bar, all white and metal and right-angles. I'd be okay with that.
Far From Tellus