Uncle's Institution - Everything a Man Can Dream Of (I Know What You Did Last Records)
Uncle's Institution is Egil Olsen, yet another entry in the long line of Norweigan singer/songwriters gaining prominence as of late. The most immediate comparison is Sondre Lerche of course, as they both share a lot of the same Beatle-esque qualities. But Egil is more like Sondre's more irreverent, michievious and indie cousin. Whereas Sondre is very earnest and great at what he does, Egil comes across much looser and is more likely to break out a string of profanity or let loose with distortion. The guy released a single called "Santa Claus is Gay" for crissake! Hard not to appreciate that. I'm not too into some of his choices for cheesy lead keyboard sounds or drum machine beats, but the songwriting remains strong regardless. I also like how Egil easily slips between whispered, low-key vocals such as on "Hey Paul" and still sounds just as great when belting it out on the louder tracks. Good stuff.