Spellemann 2008

The nominees for the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) have been announced: http://www.spellemann.no/
Here's a few of the categories:

Female artist:
Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons (Det Er Mine)
Ingrid Olava - Juliet's Wishes (EMI Music Norway)
Maria Mena - Cause And Effect (Sony Music)
Marit Larsen - The Chase (EMI/Virgin)
Male artist:
Bjørn Eidsvåg - Pust (Petroleum/Sony Music)
Julian Berntzen - Rocket Ship Love (Universal Music)
Thom Hell - God If I Saw Her Now (Voices Of Wonder)
Åge Aleksandersen og Sambandet - Katalysator (EMI Music Norway/Solregn)
Pop group:
Lester - This Village (Deaf Ear Records)
Real Ones - All For The Neighbourhood (Warner Music)
The Margarets - Twenty Years Erased (Division Records as)
Electronica:
Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too (Smalltown Supersound)
Mental Overdrive - You Are Being Manipulated (Smalltown Supersound)
Skatebård - Cosmos (Digitalo Enterprises)
Rock:
Grand Island - Boys & Brutes (Racing Junior)
Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me)
Motorpsycho - Little Lucid Moments (Rune Grammofon)
Tommy Tokyo & Starving For My Gravy - Smear Your Smiles Back On (Warner Music)
Metal:
Benea Reach - Alleviat (Tabu Recordings)
Enslaved - Vertebrae (Indie Recordings)
Keep of Kalessin - Kolossus (Indie Recordings)
Jazz:
Helge Lien Trio - Hello Troll (Ozella/Musikklosen)
Mathias Eick - The Door (ECM/Grappa)
Moment - Paradiso (Schmell)
Radka Toneff - Butterfly (Curling Legs as)
Open class:
Annbjørg Lien - Waltz With Me (Heilo)
Farmers Market - Surfin' USSR (Ipecac)
H.K.H. Kronprinsesse Mette-Marits Utvalgte Salmer - Sorgen og Gleden (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
Lars Horntveth - Kaleidoscopic (Smalltown Supersound)
Best newcomer:
Erlend Bratland - True Colors (Sony Music)
Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart (Nightliner/Universal)
Ingrid Olava - Juliet's Wishes (EMI Music Norway)
Katzenjammer - Le Pop (Propeller Recordings)
Best video:
Beady Belle - Self-Fulfilling (Jazzland Records/Sonet/Universal)
Madcon - Liar (Bonnier Amigo Music)
Madrugada - Look Away Lucifer (Malabar Recording Company)
Maria Mena - All This Time (Sony Music)
Thom Hell - My Heart Is Longing For A Soul (Voices Of Wonder)

Check out Enslaved's new video for "The watcher": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=47211690

PopMatters talks to Ivar Bjørnson of Norwegian progressive/extreme-metal act Enslaved: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/65526-tearing-down-the-pillars/

Scandinavian metallers making the Pitchfork "Show No Mercy" top albums of 2008 list include Enslaved, Disfear, Darkthrone and The Haunted. Read more, including guest lists from two of the dudes in Enslaved: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/147495-column-show-no-mercy

Avant-garde Metal talks to Enslaved: http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=86

Audrey Horne has replaced the recently broken up Stonegard as support for Enslaved's upcoming European tour.

Enslaved will tour the US in May with support from fellow Norwegians Keep of Kalessin and Finns Swallow the Sun: http://www.lambgoat.com/news/view.aspx?id=11689

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Odd Nordstoga - Pilegrim
02. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Mål & Mening
03. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
04. Diverse artister - Mgp Jr 2008
05. St. Thomas - St. Thomas Box
06. Halvdan Sivertsen - Mellom oss
07. Rita Eriksen - Hjerteslag
08. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
09. Herborg Kråkevik - Annleis enn i går
10. Øystein Sunde - Meget i Sløyd
11. Smurfene - Smurfeparty
12. Thomas Brøndbo - Du sa æ va en drøm
13. Katzenjammer - Le Pop
14. Tommy Tokyo feat starving For My Gravy - Smear Your Smiles Back On
15. Maria Arredondo - Sound of Musicals
16. Malin - Pang
17. Ann Tayler - Let Your Momma Go
18. Enslaved - Vertebrae
19. Finn Coren - I Draumar Fær Du
20. OnklP & Jaa9 - Bondedramatikk

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
02. Odd Nordstoga - Pilegrim
03. Diverse artister - Mgp Jr 2008
04. Rita Eriksen - Hjerteslag
05. Katzenjammer - Le Pop
06. Øystein Sunde - Meget i Sløyd
07. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
08. Smurfene - Smurfeparty
09. Herborg Kråkevik - Annleis enn i går
10. Thomas Brøndbo - Du sa æ va en drøm
11. Tommy Tokyo feat starving For My Gravy - Smear Your Smiles Back On
12. Enslaved - Vertebrae
13. Finn Coren - I Draumar Fær Du
14. TNT - Atlantis
15. Malin - Pang
16. Kurt Nilsen - Rise To The Occasion
17. Maria Arredondo - Sound of Musicals
18. Ann Tayler - Let Your Momma
19. Jarle Bernhoft - Ceramik City Chronicles
20. Espen Lind - Army of one

Norwegian industrial/metal act V:28 is heading out on one last tour this fall:

10/10 - Mukkes, Leeuwarden (NL)
10/11 - De Azijnfabriek, Roermond (NL)
10/12 - The Little Devil, Tilburg (NL)
10/14 - Le Klub, Paris (FRA)
10/15 - La Rumeur, Lille (FRA)
10/16 - Negasonic, Aalst (BEL)
10/17 - Aurora Infernalis Festival, Arnheim (NL)
10/18 - Black Paradise, Wismar (GER)
12/18 - Rockefeller, Oslo (NOR) w/Enslaved
12/19 - Hydranten, Hamar (NOR) w/Enslaved
12/20 - Arendal Kulturhus (last gig ever), Arendal (NOR)

MIC Norway spotlights Enslaved and their new album "Vertebrae": http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2008100315004170322728

The new issue of the Lords of Metal e-zine is out and it features interviews with a ton of bands such as Burst, Enslaved, Benea Reach, The Haunted and much more: http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/interviews.php?lang=en

Terrorizer Magazine is streaming the new Enslaved album "Vertebrae": http://www.terrorizer.com/radio.php

Check out an e-card for the new Enslaved album "Vertebrae": http://www.indierec.no/ecards/enslaved/
I still need to spend more time with it, but I already like it a lot more than "Ruun".

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Small - Sunshine lover
02. TALK 1
03. Prince of Assyria - What ever you want
04. Necrovation - Putrid evocation
05. Division of Laura Lee - LAX
06. TALK 2
07. Tomas Halberstad - Travel as I wait
08. Sophie Zelmani - Yeah, okey
09. Kite - Ways to dance
10. TALK 3
11. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Light of love
12. The Tapirs - My violet you
13. E.S.T. - Leucocyte (Ad initio)
14. TALK 4
15. Enslaved - Vertebrae
16. Imagine I Had Hands - Hellbent on holding out
17. Melpo Mene - Kling klang clock
18. TALK 5
19. Puffin - A dream it seems

Reminder: My show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.