RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://kornmo1.bandcamp.com/album/v-rjevnd-gnsnatt I am rather fond of this talented act’s previous records and find them engaging and beautifully crafted affairs that balance the epic and the intimate in a splendid manner. Vårjevnsdøgnsnatt is their fourth opus and sees them taking their instrumental symphonic prog to new heights in terms of sheer melodic…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://donner.bandcamp.com/album/the-van-gennep-gap Being rather infatuated with this entity’s debut effort, namely the evocative Hesitant Light from 2021, I had high hopes for White Willow mastermind Jacob Holm-Lupo’s latest creation under the Donner moniker. Now that The Van Gennep Gap is out and I have had the opportunity to properly immerse myself in…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://yobrepus.bandcamp.com/album/a-rhizome-revolution-part-1-2 I was thoroughly taken with A Rhizome Revolution Part 1 when that came out roughly seven months ago as it was an emotionally demanding yet perfectly accessible and rewarding listen that managed to transport the listener elsewhere and leave a lasting impression. The textures and motifs the band so effortlessly…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://electrichigh.bandcamp.com/album/colorful-white-lies Apollon Records were kind enough to hand me a copy of this raw and raunchy debut offering by the Bergen-based hard rockers known as Electric High, and I am eternally grateful to them for that as this groove-laden, catchy, and energetic record ticks a lot of the boxes for me…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://utflod.bandcamp.com/album/efterd-nn I absolutely love and cherish pretty much everything about this band and their latest pummeling effort. Not only is Utflod one (if not the) hardest hitting thing since the first Rocky movie and as devastatingly fierce as they come; they have also shaped and perfected a unique sound and a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://theflyingnorsemen.bandcamp.com/album/the-flying-norsemen With a few original members of renowned prog rockers Arabs in Aspic in tow and a brilliantly designed album artwork, this is exactly the kind of thing that immediately caught my attention and let me tell you straight off the bat that I was not disappointed in the slightest by…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://trojkabergen.bandcamp.com/album/strobem-rke Norwegian prog-pop rockers Trojka is a rather engaging and entertaining musical experience and an entity that brings a certain warmth and humor to its eclectic brand of music. Quirky is certainly one word that comes into play here, and the great thing about this Bergen-based outfit is that these chaps…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/arild-br%C3%B8ter-a-spectre-of-sounds-james-bond-music-reimagined This staggeringly creative and hugely enjoyable album by Arild Brøter (who is primarily known for his work with Norwegian prog rockers Pymlico) totally swept me off my feet and instantly made me pay close attention. Arild is apparently a humongous James Bond fan, and rightly so, if you ask me.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://x-pleasure.bandcamp.com/album/his-masters-voice The melancholy His Master’s Voice is something quite different and interesting in that it sees the talented Dan Heide (ex-Zeromancer, Ljungblut) spearheading a great ensemble of more than capable musicians and essentially churning out some exquisitely crafted compositions that hover and float somewhere between gloomy rock, post-punk, and subtle slivers…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://gjenferdbergen.bandcamp.com/album/gjenferd This stunning and ridiculously well-written not to mention infectiously catchy debut effort by the Norwegian outfit named Gjenferd is one of the best things that has happened to me this year. By Odin, this is so fucking awesome and inspired that I lack words, and that rarely happens, mind you.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/sunfaceband/ It has been way too long since we last heard from the Oslo-based rockers known as Sunface, but the eight-year gap between their stunning debut album and this, their highly potent sophomore effort, has been worth the wait, which is testament to just how delightfully enthralling Cloud Castles well and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://thedredge1.bandcamp.com/album/torches The Norwegian indie rock collective sporting the moniker The Dredge has been around for ages, but it was not until quite recently that this skilled trio finally released its debut offering. Entitled Torches and consisting of eight tunes that are loaded with atmosphere and a subtle sense of melancholy, this…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/ Norwegian art rockers Yobrepus have a knack for crafting richly nuanced songs and albums that are both musically and lyrically absorbing, a prime example being their latest LP entitled A Rhizome Revolution Part 1. Weaving traces and elements of prog, alt. rock, psychedelic folk, and brooding electronica together to stunning…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://mesaverde.bandcamp.com/album/all-is-well I thoroughly enjoyed the debut offering by the eclectic Oslo-based ensemble known as MesaVerde, namely the engrossing KY album that came out in October 2022, and I was very much looking forward to this sophomore effort of theirs. In simple terms, All is Well surpasses its predecessor in every conceivable…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.datarockmusic.com/ Norwegian synthpop/new wave/indie rock eccentrics Datarock are back with a lovely new slice of memorable music that is bound to make you dance and think at the same time. With its infectious sense of enthusiasm and energy not to mention its quirky lyrics and pristine-sounding production, Media Consumption Pyramid shows…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/oceanoflotion/ Saucy, entertaining, eclectic, and above all highly uplifting, the sparkling new opus by Ocean of Lotion is the kind of thing that is impossible not to dance to unless you are a sourpuss or completely dead inside. What you get is synth-driven pop containing catchy melodies, an endless supply of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://andersbuaas.bandcamp.com/music Anders Buaas is without doubt a musical genius and a bit of a visionary, which is perfectly illustrated by this much-needed reissue of his renowned The Witches of Finnmark opus, or rather the first part of the trilogy. What we have here is atmospheric instrumental prog rock with bucketloads of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://pixieninja.bandcamp.com/album/hypnagogia Fresh, clever, and inventive are words that immediately spring to mind when trying to sum up this highly engaging offering by instrumental prog rockers Pixie Ninja, and there can be no doubt that these Scandinavians are flying the flag of musical innovation high. Darkly atmospheric yet playful and eclectic, the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://heatwavesbergen.bandcamp.com/album/kappa Released in late June by the ever-reliable Apollon Records and containing some of the coolest vibes and most inviting atmospheres that I have come across lately, this eclectic disc is a strangely beguiling affair that weaves indie pop, psychedelic rock, and jazz-like elements together to great effect. Actually, that description…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://thewakingdreams.bandcamp.com/album/sliding-lines My good friend Otto-Egil (Apollon Records) recently handed me a copy of this deeply evocative, emotionally charged, and beautifully written album by the duo known as Waking Dreams, which features the amazing and utterly haunting vocals of Angela Chambers, and I am forever grateful to him for doing so. …
