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. …
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://strangehorizon.bandcamp.com/album/skur-14 The previous album titled Beyond the Strange Horizon by this fabulous Norwegian outfit impressed this scribe greatly, and their lively, exciting, and organic mixture of heavy metal, stoner rock, and doom metal worked like a wicked charm and had instant appeal to these ears. This upcoming LP of theirs, Skur…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://meltmotif.bandcamp.com/album/particles-death-objective The brilliant Norwegian/Brazilian purveyors of melancholic textures and soundscapes known as Melt Motif impressed me greatly last year by means of their uniquely crafted A White Horse Will Take You Home. This latest slice of experimental excellence sounds like the logical next step, or the natural successor to the aforementioned…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://hexad.bandcamp.com/ What a marvelous treat this epic new offering by Norwegian hard rock/doom metal masters Hex A.D. is! Huge chords, thunderous drums, earth-shattering riffs, heartfelt vocals, heaps of melancholy atmospheres, and that warm, analogue sound that is simply irresistible – this charismatic and brilliantly conceived opus simply ticks all the boxes…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://spirittombaandegrav.bandcamp.com/releases Layered and utterly introspective, this 2-song EP by the one-man outfit appropriately named Spirit Tomb is one of those emotionally charged and desolate-sounding affairs that is impossible to shake. With its sophisticated use of piano, cello, and fragile vocals, The Lotus of Dahlia is a study and representation of grief…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://dobbeltgjenger.bandcamp.com/ Nobody out there writes eclectic, exciting, and irresistible rock songs quite like Dobbeltgjenger do. Explorative and quirky, adventurous and groovy, charming and perfectly funky, these Norwegian gentlemen do not disappoint on their third album, and the way in which their compositions weave so many different threads together is impressive and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://mesaverde.bandcamp.com/album/ky The musically shape-shifting Norwegian quartet known as MesaVerde released this adventurous and playful opus of theirs via Apollon Records quite recently, and the result is a remarkable listening experience that weaves prog, indie rock, and strong hints of art rock and psychedelia together to great effect. The thing about KY…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/honeyveinmusic/ The talented Bastian Veland (Dobbeltgjenger, Ossicles) released this solo offering of his via the ever-reliable Apollon Records not that long ago, and what we have here is essentially a wildly eclectic and diverse collection of catchy tunes that harbor elements from experimental rock, quirky pop, electronic music, and something akin…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/rotvelt-human-slakt Human Slakt by the Norwegian outfit named Rotvelt is a real treat, and this analogue-sounding fireball contains energy and spark in spades. The output is primarily punk-influenced but there is something akin to harsh and unpolished indie rock that sneaks into the musical framework too, which basically means that this vigorous…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/ The hard-hitting musical collective known as Dang!!! have returned and what a joy it is to have these ugly fuckers tell us that the world blows ass and that absolutely everything is going to hell in a handbasket. Yes, this is some wicked stuff that is anything but pretty, and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/oledevilandthespiritchasers The title of this sophomore offering by the talented Ole Teigen and his band known as the Spirit Chasers is a most fitting one in that the musical content is gritty as fuck. It crackles with restless energy, agony, heartache, loathing, despair, evil, and generally just all the different things…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://howlinsun.bandcamp.com/album/howlin-sun What a lovely surprise it was to see that the self-titled opus from 2018 by the Norwegian rockers Howlin’ Sun is available on vinyl and CD again. This re-issue does not bring anything new to the table in terms of bonus tracks or outtakes or anything like that, but…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://meltmotif.bandcamp.com/album/a-white-horse-will-take-you-home The intriguing musical entity known as Melt Motif, which consists of members from Norway and Brazil, is something quite extraordinary and weaves electronica, synthwave, industrial rock, and some other elusive ingredient that I cannot quite put my finger on to great effect. While chunks of “A White Horse Will Take…
