Check out Katzenjammer doing the Live at the Office thing for Listen to Norway/NRK at the Norwegian HQ of Spotify. Great band, very recommended!

Female artist:
Ane Brun - "It All Starts With One"
Hilde Marie Kjersem - "Let's Let Go"
Marit Larsen - "Spark"
Siri Nilsen - "Alle Snakker Sant"

Male Artist:
Bernhoft - "Solidarity Breaks"
Jonas Alaska - "Jonas Alaska"
Odd Nordstoga - "Bestevenn"
Sivert Høyem - "Long Slow Distance"

Pop Group:
Eva & The Heartmaker - "Dominoes"
Katzenjammer - "A Kiss Before You Go"
Montée - "Rendition Of You"
Real Ones - "First Night On Earth"
Team Me - "To The Treetops!"

Rock:
Honningbarna - "La Alarmane Gå"
John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - "Det Nærmeste Du Kommer"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Violeta Violeta Vol. 1"
Oslo Ess - "Uleste Bøker Og Utgåtte Sko"
Rumble In Rhodos - "Signs Of Fervent Devotion"

Metal:
Insense - "Burn In Beautiful Fire"
Shining - "Live Blackjazz"
Taake - "Noregs Vaapen"
Vreid - "V"
Årabrot - "Solar Anus"

Electronica:
Biosphere - "N-Plants"
Bugge Wesseltoft & Henrik Schwarz - "Wesseltoft Schwarz Duo"
Casiokids - "Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen"

Hip-hop:
Joddski - "Bensin På Bålet"
Lars Vaular - "Du Betyr Meg"
Son Of Light - "War Of The Worlds"

Folk/Traditional:
Hekla Stålstrenga - "Makramé"
Juusk - "Juusk"
Ragnhild Furebotten - "Never On A Sunday"
Øystein Sandbukt - "Normør"

Jazz:
Helge Lien Trio - "Natsukashii"
Håkon Kornstad - "Symphonies In My Head"
Mats Eilertsen - "Skydive"
Nils Petter Molvær - "Baboon Moon"
Ola Kvernberg - "Liarbird"

Open Class:
Bárut - Inga Juuso - "Balggis"
Biret Ristin Sara - "Áidnen"
Fargespill - "Fargespill"
Skáidi - "Headland - Skáidegeahci"
Susanne Lundeng - "Mot"

Lyrics:
Jonas Alaska - "Jonas Alaska"
Lars Vaular - "Du Betyr Meg"
Maria Mena - "Viktoria"
Martin Hagfors - "I Like You"
Odd Nordstoga - "Bestevenn"

Composer:
Ane Brun - "It All Starts With One"
Hilde Marie Kjersem - "Let's Let Go"
Marit Larsen - "Spark"
Rolf Wallin/Lundeng/Torjesen/Bodø Symfonietta/Eggen - "Wire And String"
Synne Skouen - "Call-Notes"

Newcomer/Gramostipend:
Honningbarna - "La Alarmane Gå"
Jonas Alaska - "Jonas Alaska"
Ragnhild Hemsing - "Yr"
Razika - "Program 91"
Team Me - "To The Treetops!"

Read more: http://www.spellemann.no/index.php?option=com_winner&Itemid=29&year=2011

Watch Katzenjammer perform a fun acoustic version of their latest single "I will dance (when I walk away)".

09/11 - Bestival, Isle Of Wight (UK)
09/13 - Monto Water Rats, London (UK)
09/17 - Essen original, Essen (GER)
09/18 - 3sat festival, Mainz (GER)

Kinda weird to watch a screen capture of this video when Katzenjammer's site is MIA and other locations are locked down, but fans will make do with what they can. Look for their new album "A kiss before you go" to be released on September 9.

01. Randy - Who's side are you on?
02. TALK 1
03. Randy - Freedom song
04. Far From Tellus - Rosemary
05. Chicagojazzen - 18 år i en ruttnande kropp
06. TALK 2
07. Andreas Söderlund - Hawaii
08. Noisebud - Truck driver
09. Montys Loco - Heavy
10. TALK 3
11. Maim - Maimed
12. Turboweekend - Sweet Jezebel (Efterklang remix)
13. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
14. Meleeh - Hells mouth
15. TALK 4
16. Oranssi Pazuzu - Korppi
17. Brutus - Swedish lady
18. Entombed - Something out of nothing
19. Katzenjammer - To the sea
20. TALK 5
21. Robyn - Dancehall queen

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

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)

01. TALK 1
02. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
03. Saft - Marching for no. 1
04. Auton - El Dorado
05. TALK 2
06. The Splendor - Canary Islands
07. Kornstad/Opsvik - Happy house (live)
08. TALK 3
09. Yttling Jazz - Konstant krease
10. Jonas Knutsson - Glaciär
11. Moha! - Teknosangen
12. Oskar Schönning - Faustine
13. TALK 4
14. E.S.T. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) - Leucocyte (ad initio)

And in case you happened to catch it, here also is my Sirius XMU top 10 most important albums of 2008 playlist:

#10 - Fucked Up - Days of last
#09 - Commando M Pigg - Baby doll
BEST COVER SONG - The Kid - Mayhem troopers (Cortex)
#08 - Katzenjammer - Le pop
#07 - Tobias Hellkvist - Wintervarm
#06 - The Goner - Field ceremony
BEST REMIX OF 2008 - Firefox AK vs Laid - Once I was like you
#05 - Haust - Ugly fucking Oslo
#04 - Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Which way to go
#03 - Sort Sol - White shirt
BEST LIVE ACT OF 2008 - Sex Vid - Cleansing
#02 - Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
#01 - Lukestar - White shade

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

So with a rather large grain of salt, let me present to you It's a Trap's 2008 top albums of the year.
- Avi Roig

10. Siena Root - Far from the sun (Transubstans)
Graveyard and Witchcraft get all the acclaim, but Siena Root is the better band.

09. Nitad - Ibland kan man inte hindras sig själv (Kranium/Deranged)
Fucked Up, another band who put out one of 2008's best releases ("The chemistry of commmon life"), have moved far beyond the realms of hardcore. Nitad have stepped up to take their place.

08. Park Hotell - Free for friends (Ultra Radio Records/BD Pop)
I can't stand Morissey, yet somehow some Swedish acts are able to take his influence and turn it into something wonderful. If only more indiepop bands were as good as Park Hotell.

07. Katzenjammer - Le pop (Propeller Recordings)
I fully expected Detektivbyrån to be my favorite folk-crossover act, but these ladies from Norway snuck in ahead of them.

06. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide (Razzia)
Even better than I hoped. The perfect follow-up to the first album.

05. Johan Heltne - Vetenskapliga bevis för att Jesus lever (Raffaella)
A beautiful and beguiling album. So weird and mysterious, so absolutely entrancing.

04. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy (NONS)
Of all the bands on my list, these ladies are the only ones to truly create something new and unique sounding. Sweden's most consistently underrated and underappreciated band.

03. Haust - Ride the relapse (Fysisk Format)
If there's a more pissed-off, evil sounding album in 2008, I haven't heard it.

02. Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
A full year later and I still love this album just as much when it first came out.

01. The Goner - H-Trilogy: Hind hand, Hallartrallar, Haven (Svarta Markaden)
I realize it's pretty lame to put a series of limited cult releases at #1, yet no other artist this year has intrigued me as much as The Goner. "Hind hand" blew me away when I first heard it, the following two were even better.

Jonas Appelqvist

10. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - The Snake (Caprice Records)
This headstrong indie duo got me convinced at a festival gig this summer. And when I heard "The snake" for the first time I was hooked. It's that good.

09. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)
Frida goes from strength to strength and with this album she has established her status as one of the finest songwriters in Sweden right now. Don't believe me? I dare you, listen to "Dirty dancing" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

08. Paper - An object (Novoton)
A homage to Suicide, Joy Division and monotonous kraut rock. The mix between The Bear Quartet and Audionom is a win-win. Literally.

07. Satyricon - The age of Nero (Roadrunner)
With massive walls of sound this Norwegian old school combo decided to continue to piss off black metal fans that claim they're not "true" anymore. Hell, when it sounds this good, I couldn't care less.

06. David Sandström Overdrive - Pigs lose (Razzia)
David Sandström and Oskar Sandlund went into the studio and came out with an astounding album only surpassed by early career move Refused.

05. Lack - Saturate every atom (Play/Rec)
2008 turned out to be the year of resignation for Lack. At least they got to resign at the peak of their career; "Saturate every atom" is proof of that.

04. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me (Amigo)
Britta released this album with a somewhat secluded approach and it was received with open arms by almost everyone. Sounds contradictory? It's not, just pure genius.

03. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom (Earache)
It just goes to show, these guys don't know how to fail. Top notch!

02. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless (I Made This)
Göteborg's finest spent three years in the studio. The result, Fugazi-esque punk rock, shows that it was worth the wait.

01. Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
Indie rock at its best - edgy, melodic and, at the same time, raw and hard hitting as hell! The number one spot was, even in January, Lukestar's spot all along.

Matt Giordano

06. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
Their track record has been making consistently good albums, and this is not an exception.

05. Robert Svensson - Young punk are on the never-never (Nomethod)
A fantastic pop album that has me looking even more forward to the next Mixtapes and Cellmates record.

04. The Kid - Transient blood (Hybris)
On their second album, The Kid has transformed themselves into brooding pop masters.

03. Paavoharju - Laulu laakson kukista (Fonal)
A beautiful, cold, meandering album. Not only does this album sound natural, it sounds symbiotic with nature.

02. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
He's made classic albums with Laakso, and a great Hets album. Now Markus is a bonafide solo artist, and, with this maintains that he's one of the best songwriters around.

01. Juvelen - 1 (Hybris)
One of my most anticipated of the year. Ten songs, ten potential singles, yet one cohesive pop statement. Juvelen is here to stay.

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

10. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless (I Made This)
This is a total gut decision. Part of me is not okay with this result, but enough of me is perfectly alright ousting at least five other contenders to make room for this dirty, energetic album in my top 10. Despite giving this album only an 8, it has survived in far better standing than a few 9s from this year. "LAX" has been on quite a few of the mixtapes I've made for friends over the past few months, and DoLL launched my brother and I across America this summer... I couldn't imagine 2008 without "Violence is timeless".

09. Robert Svensson - Young punks are on the never-never (Nomethod)
Mr. Svensson lost considerable ground on this list, especially compared to the first draft I worked up a few weeks ago. Still, even at number nine, "Young punks are on the never-never" made it. A wonderful debut solo album from Mixtapes & Cellmates' vocalist, marking the beginning of what is sure to be a fine career.

08. Park Hotell - Free for friends (Ultra Radio/BD Pop)
This top 10 list is populated with a lot of debut records. "Free for friends" is definitely one that I had been waiting for, and it didn't let me down. It's a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days.

07. Kiki Pau - Let's rock (Pyramid/Johanna Kustannus)
While I was completely surprised by "Book of Norma", I at least knew who Norma were. Kiki Pau are my favorite surprise this year. Their style of indie rock is confident well beyond their years, harkening back to "Meat is murder"-era Smiths, contemporary NYC garage, The Clash ... and any album with a song titled "Bukowski" (with the lyric: "Steinbeck made me want to get drunk") gets my vote.

06. Convoj - Exceptionnel (Wonderland)
This latecomer also forced me to reconstruct my list. It was all about complete, too. Oh well. Convoj's "Exceptionnel" is a brilliant record, more than deserving of a top 10 spot.

05. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss (Dolores)
If it weren't for all the summer memories I attach to "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", Hellström's effort would be in fourth place. The fact that this album is in fifth place is a testament to the creative forces at work in Northern Europe. When I first heard this record, I was pretty sure it would be in my top three albums of the year. How wonderful it is to be so wrong. "För sent för edelweiss" has become my favorite Håkan Hellström album, just edging out "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg".

04. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (XL Recordings/EMI)
The fact that Sigur Rós took risks on this album when they could have skirted by with "Takk pt. II" impresses me. It may not be their finest album, but it's fun, kinetic, and lush; everything we expect from the Icelanders, and yet something quite different, too.

03. Tiger Lou - A partial print (Startracks)
I struggled a little with "A partial print" at first, but it eventually won out. As I wrote in my review, the album is "a collage, a collection of images, all of them darkly beautiful extensions of the emotional landscape of "The loyal", but the connections between these impressions can take some time to present themselves, but they will, and then "A partial print" comes fully into being."

02. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
While I gave "A partial print" higher marks, "Markusevangeliet" has been a valued companion of mine since April -- and there's something to be said about resilience. I said back then that I thought Laakso frontman Markus Krunegård had possibly crafted the best record of the year... and, although I might have proven myself wrong, his accomplishment is by far one of the best solo records in recent memory.

01. Norma - Book of Norma (Novoton)
In a damned impressive year for Scandinavian music, my top prize goes to "Book of Norma". It's been a while since I have been as taken aback by a record as I was with Norma's latest effort, the first album I have ever given a 10 to here on It's A Trap! Just an absolutely brilliant album.

Arnulf Koehncke

10. Ane Brun - Changing of the seasons (DetErMine)
Someone wrote somewhere how well recorded this album is -- I can't help but agree. The songs are good too and it's actually the first Ane Brun record that I can really relate to.

09. Audrey - The fierce and the longing (Tenderversion)
Honestly, this record sounds a lot like their last one. That's a good thing in Audrey's case -- I think it's really rare that a band is this well defined regarding both songwriting and sound-aesthetics.

08. Fredrik - Na na ni (Jezebel)
It surprises me how much I still like this record. I didn't think it would be such a grower -- guess I was wrong.

07. Snöleoparden - Snöleoparden (Rump)
I just like the whole of-the-cuff playfulness and complexity that this record embodies. I dare anyone to listen to the daycare-singalong second track and not smile.

06. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide (Razzia)
If you'd asked me in the beginning of the year, I'd probably have predicted this album to top my year-end list. Well, it hasn't completely gotten me hooked yet, though I totally agree with all the praise for Annika's development. And "Lund" has already become a personal favorite of mine.

05. Bobby and Blumm - Everybody loves... (Morr Music)
This record is just so playful -- there's so much to discover in F.S. Blumm's guitar work and Ella's charming voice. It makes me wish I could see them live again.

04. V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble - Do nothing 'til you hear from me (iDEAL)
Another great record, though it needs patience and concentration to really enjoy it as a whole. It's just great how it builds up all this tension with its drones and suspense curves only to then release the listener with a soothing return to tonality in the next to last track.

03. The Radio Dept. - Freddie and the Trojan Horse (Labrador)
Too bad their album was delayed until next year. This EP showed such potential with all its Prefab Sprout'ish moments and melodies. And it even delivered some nostalgia to me as a long-time fan when I listen to the hidden track's distortion and overdrive.

02. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
It's amazing: This record is such an instant classic that I almost didn't think of it as a 2008-release. And doesn't that already say all there is to say?

01. Auton - Anywhere out of this world (Structures Sonores)
This record is just so good (which is why my review of it is just so overdue). Incredibly virtuosic yet never overbearing musicians that shift from straight-out jazz to drone to post-rock to Satie-like piano moments with such casualness and grace. My Scandinavian record of the year. Go to the label website now and order copies to give away as christmas presents ;-)

Nancy Baym

10. Don't I wish I could put something here. Like the Caesars. What a bummer that record was.

09. Mikko Singh - Uskotko että siellä on kukkia? (self-released)
An almost-entirely instrumental record that's somewhere between pop and new age, equally well suited to a massage or mellow downtime at home. Very pretty with some nice elements of fun.

08. Violent Years - s/t (Playground)
A fine contribution to the southern gothic alt country genre with many outstanding moments and at least one truly great song.

07. Kusowsky - Något speciellt (self-released)
Kusowsy are so unabashedly singalong guitar pop that I feel a little guilty enjoying them, but everytime a song from this EP showed up on shuffle this year I found myself stopping to smile.

06. The Social Services - It's nothing personal, it's national security (Stereo Test Kit)
Only 1/3 Scandinavian, but she's the singer so she gets extra credit. It's a smart, eclectic, cynical, funny, and loose indie pop album.

05. Tiger Lou - A partial print (Startracks)
I really wanted to love this record, but don't. As background music its dark, hypnotic and self-contradictory sound is stunningly close to perfect, but on close listening its repetitiveness becomes abrasive in ways I don't think were intended.

04. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
On his solo record, Krunegård avoids most of Laakso's glam excesses to deliver a powerful and rich electronically-driven yet organic and seductive sonic environment.

03. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
They don't stray too far from the distinctive, poppy, and borderline corny sound of their previous recordings on this one, but that's a good thing because they are one of the most calming make-you-happy bands going today. I highly recommend this as a soundtrack for either hanging out on a warm beach or cleaning house, cooking, and other mundane chores of daily life.

01. Madrugada - s/t (Virgin/EMI)
Faced with the sudden death of their guitarist and an album 80% completed, Madrugada did the right thing by finishing it up. Even without the tragic back story, it's a powerful and mature rock album that I am still listening to regularly almost a year after its release.

01. Detektivbyrån - Wermland (Danarkia)
In a very disappointing musical year, this instrumental genre-collapsing folk album based on accordion and glockenspiel was the one extraordinary surprise. Everyone I've played it for ran out and got it immediately. You should too.

Simon Tagestam

10. Nordpolen - s/t (Sincerely Yours)

09. Joel Alme - A master of ceremonies (Sincerely Yours)

08. Envelopes - Here comes the wind (Brille)

07. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss (Dolores)

06. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)

05. Love Is All - A hundred things keep me up at night (What's Your Rupture?)

04. Afasi & Filthy - Fläcken (P.O.P.E.)

03. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)

02. Moto Boy - s/t (Songs I Wish I Had Written)

01. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)

01. Hello Saferide - 2008
02. TALK 1
03. The Fine Arts Showcase - Friday on my knees
04. Juvelen - Hanna
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - MD5VSSHA1
06. TALK 2
07. Paper - Out of it into it
08. Katzenjammer - Tea with cinnamon
09. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
10. TALK 3
11. Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?
12. Parken - Vad ska vi göra med Henry?
13. Johan Heltne - Hjärta. Instinkt. Principer.
14. TALK 4
15. Marybell Katastrophy - Hidden agenda
16. The Bear Quartet - What I hate
17. Brainbombs - Stalker
18. TALK 5

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XM U. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

01. Vamp - St. Mandag
02. Erlend Bratland - True Colors
03. Bjørn Eidsvåg - Pust
04. Åge Aleksandersen & Mikael Wiehe - To stemmer - 14 akustiske sanger
05. Marit Larsen - The Chase
06. Satyricon - The Age of Nero 07. Radka Toneff - Butterfly
08. Ingemars - I Finnskogens rike
09. Rita Eriksen - Hjerteslag
10. Odd Børretzen/Lars Martin Myhre - Syv sørgelige sanger og tre triste
11. Herborg Kråkevik - Annleis enn i går
12. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
13. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
14. Odd Nordstoga - Pilegrim
15. Halvdan Sivertsen - Mellom oss
16. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Mål & Mening
17. Diverse artister - Mgp Jr 2008
18. Øystein Sunde - Meget i Sløyd
19. Kurt Nilsen - Rise To The Occasion
20. Katzenjammer - Le Pop

01. TALK 1
02. Anna Maria Espinosa - A little moonlight
03. Marit Bergman - 1985
04. The Goner - Haven
05. TALK 2
06. Park Hotell - Black hole
07. Fredrik - Holm
08. Emmanuel Tegel - Solaris (beat mix)
09. TALK 3
10. The Alien - Extract #3
11. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius (Boeoes Kaelstigen's yea/nay remix)
12. Montt Mardié - Modesty Blaise
13. TALK 4
14. David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten
15. They Live By Night - Endless summer
16. Katzenjammer - Tea with cinnamon
17. TALK 5
18. Nitad - Dag efter dag

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

01. Marit Larsen - The Chase
02. Odd Nordstoga - Pilegrim
03. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
04. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Mål & Mening
05. Rita Eriksen - Hjerteslag
06. Diverse artister - Mgp Jr 2008
07. Herborg Kråkevik - Annleis enn i går
08. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
09. Halvdan Sivertsen - Mellom oss
10. Ida Jenshus - Color of the Sun
11. Rockettothesky - Medea
12. St. Thomas - St. Thomas Box
13. Øystein Sunde - Meget i Sløyd
14. Smurfene - Smurfeparty
15. Malin - Pang
16. Knutsen & Ludvigsen - Dum og Deilig - Knutsen og Ludvigsen
17. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
18. Katzenjammer - Le Pop
19. Thomas Brøndbo - Du sa æ va en drøm
20. Ingrid Olava - Juliets Wishes

01. Firefox AK - Techno tears
02. TALK 1
03. Hello Saferide - Anna
04. Sods - Copenhagen
05. Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
06. TALK 2
07. Miss Li - I'm sorry, he's mine
08. Parker Lewis - Heart rate hill
09. Tiger Lou - Crushed by a crowd
10. Juvelen - Don't mess
11. TALK 3
12. Katzenjammer - Le pop
13. Passiv Dödshjälp - Exorcism i beslagtagen kropp
14. The Goner - Haven
15. The Social Services - Seven dwarfs
16. TALK 4
17. The Skull Defekts - Waving
18. Moto Boy - Ride my wild heart
19. Oskar Schönning - Faustine
20. David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten
21. TALK 5
22. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks

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

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

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

It's very early morning back in January when I get an email out of the blue inviting me to give a keynote talk at by:Larm as part of their seminar. My son, ever the astute observer, rags on me: "I can't believe you get PAID to go to Norway and listen to rock bands!" I can only say "neither can I, I only hope you'll be as lucky one day."

Wednesday

I arrive on a Wednesday morning. Not long thereafter, I'm in the main tent the night before the festival officially launches, overwhelmed by the 170 bands on the program and ready to overindulge.

First up are UK act The Kooks who play a short acoustic surprise set which is great fun, though I have to admit it's already faded into a hazy memory.

The Lionheart Brothers are next. They've got a lot of buzz amongst the Norwegians, who seem quite proud of their perceived UK success and great reviews. Their sound is much harder live than I'd expect and never manages to gel. At points their harmonies are so off-key, it makes me wince.

Tingsek follow doing their pretty whiteboy soul/reggae thing. He is a pretty boy, and he works it, and I have to admit that they play quite well even if it seems a bit too designed to make girls swoon. I didn't.

Last band I catch that night is Familjen, who doesn't disappoint with a super-energetic performance including a shirt that says "Det snurrar i min skalle" in dayglo letters that shine in the light. I'm told by someone who'd seen him a month ago that he's much better tonight, and I leave a little frustrated by the brevity of the half-hour set all acts are limited to, but feeling my faith in him is well-invested.

Thursday

There wasn't anyone I was eager to see this night. I start at the main tent, which seems to be the congregation area. Metal band Harpiks open and are truly awful (even some of the metal fans I talk with think so), though I will give them credit for being the first band I've ever seen use chainsaws on fire as instruments.

Then I wind up following others' recommendations. I see Je Suis Animal, who have pretty good buzz, but whom I find so bad, I walk out and go next door to the church where the tranquil acoustic people are performing. Liev Reed is in the middle of his set. He's got a lovely voice and is a terrific guitar player, but he's kind of boring and I'm getting sleepy.

I head back to DagA where Lukestar side project Truls & The Trees are on stage. You'd think that with 9 people on stage, they could make some noise, but they've got almost no energy and I am seriously unimpressed. I leave again for the church next door where I catch Oslo's Therese Aune who blows me away completely. She's a tiny and incredibly sweet humble looking little girl who pounds the piano and sings like a banshee - beautiful, powerful, moving, and completely original.

Then back to DagA where Benni Hemm Hemm offer up a performance that's very well received, even if I find them boring. Again, you'd think that many people could make more noise and offer more energy, but it's a highly competent if slightly cold and languid orchestral set. The final act of the night is Ungdomskulen who are very nice men, but whose "punk prog" music is definitely not for me and who are so loud that the vibrations make my stomach cramp, sending me home to bed.

Friday

By this point I'm a little concerned, 11 bands and only 2 that really impressed me. But fear not, from here out, it's one slice of heaven after another.

First up is The Fine Arts Showcase at Park Teatret. They're my favorite Swedish band and despite the bad sound quality, they don't disappoint, playing a set that includes a lot of "Radiola", the singles from "Sings Rough Bunnies", and a couple of new songs to boot. Gustaf dedicates my favorite of his songs "Brother in black" to me, and I'm thinking I could head back to Kansas content at that point.

Then I catch a couple of Looptroop Rockers songs at Sentrum Scene, but Swedish whiteboy hip-hop is just not for me and I leave in hopes of catching Katzenjammer, but they've just finished their set, so I head back to Sentrum Scene where I see Salem Al Fakir. He's got a happy energetic performance style, and though it's not my genre, it's well worth seeing and the crowd loves him.

Then it's off to the small club John Dee where Bergen girlband Miss Motor put on a very fun show of 3 minute pop-punk numbers. I'm beginning to suspect that the women are going to rule this conference, a sense that's confirmed when I see Miss Li next. She's amazing - so radiantly joyous that my friend's headache disappears along with my own fatigue, and we leave happy to our very cores.

I tried to see Lykke Li next since she's got so much buzz, even if I'm far less than sold on her, but the line is long so I pop back to Sentrum Scene and catch The Violent Years' last 2 songs which leaves me regretting that I didn't see it all. What I heard sounded a bit like they might be thinking "what worked for Madrugada might work for us," but hey, that's fine with me. I'll be investigating them further.

The night ends with a power performance by what might be the most-buzzed artist, Ida Maria, who is all energy and has the crowd eating out of her hand. She's very fun, but not really very original and most of her songs seem to be one lyric repeated over and over. She's really good but I'm unconvinced.

Oh yeah, during the day I gave my keynote which was very well received. I talked about online fan community - how the internet has transformed fandom and what that means for artists and labels.

Saturday

Now it's the last day and I'm starting to get really sad realizing this is going to end so soon. In the afternoon I'm invited for "a surprise adventure" for international delegates. A dozen of us are taken to Oslo's well-kept secret, Emmanuel Vigeland's mausoleum. He's the little brother of the guy who did the sculpture park and his life's work was to paint the entire inside of this brick inverted-U shaped building with paintings so similar to his brothers' sculptures, I wonder what happened in their childhood to give them such common issues. The building has the unusual acoustic quality that all sounds reverberate for 12 seconds. There are no windows, and by the light of 2 candles, folk singer Unni Løvlid gives us a gorgeous voice-only performance of traditional Norsk folk that gives new meaning to the term "drowned in sound," which is kind of ironic since moments later I find myself talking to the fellow Drowned In Sound has sent to cover by:Larm.

I'm on a panel about digital music later that afternoon that again goes well and I meet several great people and learn several cool things I didn't know before. Fellow panelist, Jone Nuutinen, from super-cool about-to-be-Europe's-biggest street team site Urbanited, easily takes the award for person-who-looks-most-like-a-rock-star even if he's not one.

Madrugada fan that I am, the first act I catch that night, at John Dee, is Charlotte and the Co-Stars, who Madrugada's Frode Jacobson is producing. I can see the connection and am favorably impressed and look forward to hearing the record that results.

Then I race a few blocks to catch I Was A King who I just missed the night before. They're really good and make me feel good about having bought their record on eMusic before coming.

Floored as I was, I then take my friend Marika to see Miss Li, who's now at a much bigger club with a much bigger but equally adoring audience. Once again, she lights up the room with her smile and I leave bouncing and completely enamored.

There's no one really exciting in the next time slot, so we take a chance on the horribly-named All That And A Bag of Chips. Despite the funny name and humorous t-shirts that say things like "The Bass" and "The Guitar" and "The Vocals" their sound has no humor at all, and they're ok, but not that good, so we leave and head to Mono.

There we catch Miss Motor again, who are equally fun the second time. They're followed by another badly-named band, Harry's Gym, which is fronted by the woman who plays guitar for I Was A King. She's a very compelling character with more pedals for guitar effects than I've ever seen except for the Wrens' Charles Bissell, and they're really good, but their songs are very similar to one another and I'm glad the set is only half an hour.

Then we head back to Sentrum Scene for Superfamily who turn out to be expat Americans (who knew?). The place is so crowded and I'm so short that I can't see for the first half. When I finally find a spot where I can see, I realize seeing them without SEEING them is missing the point entirely. They're a fun live act, that's for sure, but the songs are nothing special and I start thinking that it would have been better if the two dancing backup guys could actually dance as well as the people they're spoofing.

Now, alas, it's 1 in the morning and the festival is way too close to being over. I head up to the delegate-only club Stratos which is located on the top floor of the old opera house with a walk-around terrace. Someone offers me a glass of champagne, and I sip it, shivering, looking at the view and thinking that this is just about as good as it gets. Slagsmålsklubben give the final show and, just as Stacey promised when she told me I HAD to see them, they are extremely entertaining and danceable. It's a perfect end to a fantastic weekend.

Final analysis: Well planned, well organized, well run, and wonderful festival. If the best band is to be judged by who leaves you happily humming their songs and ready to buy their complete collection, the festival belongs to Miss Li, someone I'd never given a second thought beforehand and could easily have missed entirely (thank goodness my friend who'd seen her told me otherwise!). Oslo's a great city. 23 bands in 3 nights and only a few of them disappointing. It's one of the best weekends of my life.
- Nancy Baym