IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Emil Nikolaisen signs with Smalltown Supersound

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:25:06 -0700

Smalltown Supersound has signed prolific artist/producer Emil Nikolaisen of Serena-Maneesh: http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/2012/03/12/signing-emil-nikolaisen-serena-maneesh/
Not sure if that means his band or a solo project, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

Smalltown Supersound top 10s

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:12:32 -0800

Eclectic Norwegian label Smalltown Supersound is listing top 10 lists in their blog for a number of employees and artists (Todd Terje, Serena-Maneesh, etc.): http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/category/blog/

New Elvira Nikolaisen album in March

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:58:53 -0800

Norwegian artist Elvira Nikolaisen has announced that her new album"Lighthouse", produced by her brother Emil Nikolaisen (Serena-Maneesh, etc.), will be released on March 11.

Spellemann 2010 nominees

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:23:10 -0800

The nominees for this year's Spellemann awards, the Norwegian Grammy, have been announced:

Female Artist:
Christel Alsos - Tomorrow is (Sony Music)
Ida Maria - Katla (Nightliner/Universal Music)
Ingrid Olava - The guest (Universal Music)
Susanne Sundfør - The brothel (EMI Music Norway)

Male Artist:
Moddi - Floriography (Impeller Recordings)
Odd Nordstoga - November (Sonet/Universal Music)
Thom Hell - All good things (Voices Music and Entertainment)
Thomas Dybdahl - Waiting for that one clear moment (Universal Music)

Pop Group:
deLillos - Hjernen er alene i Operaen (Warner Music Norway)
I was a king - Old friends (Hype City Recordings/Voices Music and Entertainment)
Kråkesølv - Bomtur til jorda (Kråkesølv Plateselskapet/Grand Sport Records)
Madcon - Contraband (Cosmos Music Group)

Electronic:
Bjørn Torske - Kokning (Smalltown Supersound)
Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Real life is no cool (Smalltown Supersound)
Ost & Kjex - Cajun lunch (Voices Music and Entertainment/Dynamic Music)

Rock:
Blood Command - Ghostclocks (Tiger Safari/Fysisk Format)
Kvelertak - Kvelertak (Indie Recordings)
Motorpsycho - Heavy metal fruit (Rune Grammofon)
Serena-Maneesh - No 2: Abyss in b minor (Smalltown Supersound/4AD)
Tommy Tokyo & Starving for My Gravy - Go time, showtime & absolute war (Warner Music Norway)

Metal:
Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini (Indie Recordings)
Ihsahn - After (Tuba Records/Candlelight)
Shining - Blackjazz (Indie Recordings)
Solefald - Norrøn livskunst (Indie Recordings)

Hip-Hop:
Karpe Diem - Aldri solgt en løgn (Cosmos Music Group)
Lars Vaular - Helt om natten, helt om dagen (Cosmos Music Group)
Salvador Sanchez - Happy daze (MTG Productions)

Folk:
Gjermund Larsen trio - Aurum (Heilo/Grappa Musikkforlag)
Ingvill Marit Buen Garnås og Per Anders Buen Garnås - Salme, segn & solbøn (Talik Da)
Sondre Bratland/Annbjørg Lien - Alle vegne (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
Unni Boksasp Ensemble - Keramello (Øra Fonogram)

Jazz:
Elephant9 - Walk the nile (Rune Grammofon)
Ivar Antonsen/Vigleik Storaas - Dialogues (Ponca Jazz Records)
Paolo Vinaccia - Very much alive (Jazzland Recordings)
Supersilent - 10 (Rune Grammofon)
Trondheim Jazz Orchestra - Triads and more (Midtnorsk Jazzsenter)

Open Class:
Beady Belle - At Welding Bridge (Jazzland Recordings)
Jaga Jazzist - One-armed bandit (Universal Music)
Karl Seglem - Ossicles (Nor CD/Ozella Music)
Pelbo - Pelbo (Denstad Rec Play Forward/Rhinoprod)
Petter Wettre/Audun Kleive - The only way to travel 2 (Household Records)

Lyrics:
Bare Egil Band - I fyr og flamme (Grappa/Duplex)
Erik Fosnes Hansen - Neste stasjon Grorud (Daworks Records)
Ingrid Olava - The guest (Universal Music) Odd Nordstoga - November (Sonet/Universal Music)
Susanne Sundfør - The brothel (EMI Music Norway)

Pop Composition:
Gjermund Larsen - Aurum (Heilo/Grappa)
Ingrid Olava - The guest (Universal Music)
Odd Nordstoga - November (Sonet/Universal Music)
Susanne Sundfør - The brothel (EMI Music Norway)
Thom Hell - All good things (Voices Music and Entertainment)

Newcomer:
Bjørn Johan Muri (Universal Music)
Frida Ånnevik (Grappa Musikkforlag)
Kvelertak (Indie Recordings)
Moddi (Impeller Recordings)
Thomas Eriksen (Warner Music Group)

Winners will be announced on March 5. More here: http://www.spellemann.no/

Serena-Maneesh - D.I.W.S.W.T.T.D. (video)

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:48:56 -0700

Stereogum has the premiere of Serena-Maneesh's new video "D.I.W.S.W.T.T.D.": http://stereogum.com/536802/serena-maneesh-d-i-w-s-w-t-t-d-video-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

Serena-Maneesh to tour US with Wovenhand

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:40:09 -0700

Serena-Maneesh will be doing a co-headlining US tour with the excellent Wovenhand. Dates at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/serenamaneesh

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:00:00 -0700

Mono Stereo are a Swedish band mining the same sort of aimlessly rambling psych/garage-rock territory as Norwegians Serena-Maneesh, swapping out the latter's wall-of-noise footswitch overkill for a vaguely 60s retro bent. A-side "On and on" is anchored by a looping pseudo-sitar riff that befits the title, run over deeply buried vocals and a simple 2-chord vamp that neither builds nor excites until the mix mercifully fades out sometime before we hit minute five. The flip places the vocals a bit more up front, but it's still more or less the same sort of endless go-nowhere droning, bereft of hooks or dynamics. At least with S-M, the records sound interesting even if the songs do not, this really isn't anything other than tedious.

PopMatters reviews Serena-Maneesh

Tue, 11 May 2010 14:46:28 -0700

PopMatters isn't all that impressed with the new Serena-Maneesh album "S-M 2: Abyss in B minor": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/124441-serena-maneesh-s-m-2-abyss-in-b-minor

"Abyss in B minor" now streaming

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:47:58 -0800

4AD is streaming Serena-Maneesh's entire new album "S-M 2: Abyss in B minor" at their website: http://4ad.com/news/stream-entire-re/

Serena-Maneesh spring tour

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:44:07 -0800

New US tourdates for Serena-Maneesh:

3/17-20 - SXSW, Austin, TX
03/22 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
03/23 - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
03/25 - Berbati's Pan, Portland, OR
03/26 - Triple Door, Seattle, WA
03/27 - Media Club, Vancouver, BC
03/30 - 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
03/31 - Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
04/01 - Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI
04/02 - Great Hall, Toronto, ON
04/03 - Il Motore, Montreal, QC
04/04 - TT THe Bears, Cambridge, MA
04/05 - Daniel Street, Milford, CT
04/06 - Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
04/07 - DC9, Washington, DC
04/08 - Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY

Serena-Maneesh - I just want to see your face

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:58:15 -0800

MBV has a new track from Serena-Maneesh posted for free download: http://www.mbvmusic.com/2010/01/27/new-serena-maneesh-mp3-i-just-want-to-see-your-face/20895

Pitchfork pans new Serena-Maneesh single

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:04:07 -0800

Pitchfork is not big on the new Serena-Maneesh track "Ayisha abyss": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11716-ayisha-abyss/

Serena-Maneesh - Ayisha abyss

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:38:03 -0800

MBV has a new track from Serena-Maneesh for free download: http://www.mbvmusic.com/2009/12/17/new-serena-maneesh-mp3-ayisha-abyss/19722

Lydia Laska finish album

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:44:17 -0800

Norwegian pop-black-metal-punks Lydia Laska report that their new album is done and mixed and confirmed for a March 2010 release. I'm not sure if it has a title, but they did say that many fellow Oslo-based artists make guest appearances on said album including Nattefrost (Carpathian Forest), Emil Nikolaisen and Eivind Schou (Serena-Maneesh), Kjetil Møster (Datarock), Sissy Wish and quite a few others. Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=20281527&blogId=518825652

Serena-Maneesh adds member, books NYC shows

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:27:48 -0800

Serena-Maneesh has added Ådne Meisfjord from 120 Days to their lineup. They've also booked a couple NYC shows next year:

01/22 - Mercury Lounge
01/23 - Littlefield

4AD signs Serena-Maneesh

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:38:25 -0800

Yawn: Overrated Norwegian act Serena-Maneesh have been picked up by 4AD: http://www.4ad.com/news/revealed-as-new/

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800

The nominees for this year's Spellemann (the Norwegian Grammy) have been announced:

Female artist:
Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive (Det Er Mine/V2)
Lene Marlin - Lost In A Moment (EMI)
Marthe Valle - It's A Bag Of Candy (Grammar Records)
Maria Mena - Apparently Unaffected (Sony BMG)
Simone - Last Days And Nights (Daworks)

Male artist
Alejandro Fuentes - Diamonds Or Pearls (Sony BMG)
Magnet - The Tourniquet (Atlantic)
Robert Post - Robert Post (Universal)
Sofian - This Is Sofian (C+C Records)

Pop group:
Jim Stärk - Jim Stärk (Sweet Recordings)
Ravi & Dj Løv - Den Nye Arbæidsdagn (Sony BMG)
Röyksopp - The Understanding (EMI)

Electronica:
Alog - Miniatures (Rune Grammofon)
Datarock - Datarock Datarock (Yap/VME)
Toy - Toy (Smalltown Supersound)

Rock:
Bigbang - Poetic Terrorism (Gransport Records)
JR Ewing - Maelstrom (Sony BMG)
Madrugada - The Deep End (EMI)
My Midnight Creeps - My Midnight Creeps (MMC Records)
Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh (Honeymilk)

Metal:
Audrey Horne - No Hay Banda (Dog Job/Tuba Records)
El Caco - The Search (Black Balloon Records)
Extol - Blueprint (Century Media)
Stonegard - Arrows (Bonnier)

Hip-hop/Rnb:
Cast - Problembarn (Pass It Records)
Paperboys - When Worlds Collide (Bonnier)
Tommy Tee - Tommy Tycker Om Mej (Tee Productions/C+C Records)

Jazz:
Hans Mathisen - Quiet Songs (Curling Legs AS)
Jimmy Rosenberg/Stian Carstensen - Rose Room (Hot Club Records)
Karin Krog/Bergen Big Band - Seagull (Grappa Musikkforlag AS)
Sigurd Køhn Quartet - This Place (Heidi Køhn)
Solveig Slettahjell - Pixiedust (Curling Legs AS)

Open class:
Arild Andersen Group - Electra (ECM/Grappa)
Beady Belle - Closer (Jazzland)
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must (Smalltown Supersound)
Nils Petter Molvær - Er (Universal)
Shining - In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster (Rune Grammofon)

Best newcomer:
Animal Alpha - Pheromones (Racing Junior)
Audrey Horne - No Hay Banda (Dog Job/Tuba Records)
Draumir - Draumir (Playground/Little Hill)
Marthe Valle - It's A Bag Of Candy (Grammar Records)
Sofian - This Is Sofian (C+C Records)

Best song:
Alejandro Fuentes - Stars (Sony BMG)
Kurt Nilsen - Never Easy (Sony BMG)
Madrugada w/Ane Brun - Lift Me (Det Er Mine/V2/EMI)
Maria Mena - Miss You Love (Sony BMG)
Ravi & Dj Løv - Tsjeriåu Me De Månråus (Sony BMG)

Music video:
Maria Mena - Miss You Love (Sony BMG)
Animal Alpha - Bundy (Racing Junior)
Ravi & Dj Løv - E-Ore (Sony BMG)
Robert Post - Got None (Universal)
Röyksopp - What Else Is There (EMI)

For all categories, go here: http://www.ifpi.no/spellemann/nomlst.html
Winners will be announced on January 28.

Top 10s for 2005: Sellout! Music

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

01. Moneybrother - To Die Alone

02. Nada Surf - The Weight is a gift

03. LCD Soundsystem

04. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise

05. Håkan Hellström - Et kolikbarns bekännelser

06. Common - Be

07. Serena-Maneesh - s/t

08. The Juan Maclean - Less than human

09. Alarma Man - s/t

10. Anthony Hamilton - Ain't Nobody Worryin'

Other good albums:
* Hellacopters - Rock&Roll is Dead
* Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
* Kanye West - Late Registration
* JR Ewing - Maelstrom
* Isolation Years - Cover the distance
* Ben Lee - Awake is the new sleep
* Ben Folds - Songs for silverman
* Trail Of Dead - Worlds apart
* Beezewax - Who to salute (this might have made it to my top 10, but since it's my brother's band I can't really be very objective about it and I chose to not include it. but it's solid!)
* Kenneth Ishak - Everything has soul (same as above!)

It's been a good year with lots of great shows and records, and I've got a feeling that next year will be great as well.

Torkel Ødegård (SellOut! Music mailorder chief)

01. Beezewax - Who To salute (album)
Great pop album, with a more experimental approach than they've had before. And with good results.

02. Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to paralyze (album)
Not as good as "Songs for the deaf", but a pretty good rock record nonetheless. A worthy sequel.

03. The Posies - Every Kind Of Light (album)
Cool album, although some songs are a litte weak.

04. Coheed And Cambria - Welcome Home (song)
Heavy, raw and big! Great rock song!

05. Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart (album)
In my opinion one of the best rock bands today. Although a bit too long, it has a great deal of cathcy rock songs. The good songs far outweigh the not so good ones.

06. Hellacopters - Rock'n'roll is dead (album)
Catchy poppy rock from sweden. cool sound.

07. El Caco - The search (album)
Cool heavy rock from norway. One of the best Norwegian rock records of the year.

08. YMCK - Family Music (album)
Nice jazzy nintendo pop

09. J-Kwon - Tipsy (song)
Cathcy hip-hop

10. Kanye West - Gold Digger (song)
Good beats, with a good production

---------------------------

Sellout! Music is a Norwegian label that's home to many bands such as Moonbabies, Delorean, Anna Leong, Kenneth Ishak and more.
www.sellout-music.net

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

The nominees for this year's Alarm awards, the alternative to the Spellemansprisen (Norway's version of the Grammy):

Rock:
Richochets - Isolation
Madrugada - The Deep End
Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh
JR Ewing - Maelstrom
My Midnight Creeps - My Midnight Creeps

Pop:
Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
Loch Ness Mouse - 11-22
Maria Mena - Apparently Unaffected
Anja Garbarek - Briefly Shaking
Sofian - This Is Sofian

Metal:
Stonegard - Arrows
Grimfist - 10 Steps To Hell
El Caco - The Search
Scum - Gospel For The Sick
Solefald - Red For Fire

Hip-hop:
Paperboys - When Worlds Collide
Cast - Problembarn
Onkl P - Det kunne vært deg
Warlocks - The Never Ending Story
Tommy Tee - Tommy Tycker Om Mej

Free music/electronica:
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must
Cloroform - Cracked Wide Open
Toy - Toy
Supersilent - 7
Alog - Miniatures

Club:
Røyksopp - The Understanding
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - Lindtrøm & Prins Thomas
Datarock - Datarock Datarock
Annie - DJ Kicks
Future Prophecies - Warlords Rising

Jazz:
Kornstad/Wiik - Eight Tunes We Like
Shining - In The Kingdom Of Kitch
The Thing - Live At Blå
Tord Gustavsen Trio - The Ground
Atomic - Bikini Tapes

Song:
Madrugada - The Kids Are On High Street
Röyksopp - What Else Is There
Ane Brun - My Lover Will Go
Superfamily - Taxi Dancing
Mira Craig - Boogieman

Live:
Madrugada
Turbonegro
Purified in Blood
Richochets
Kaizers Orchestra

Newcomer of the year:
My Midnight Creeps
Mira Craig
Sofian
Superfamily
Animal Alpha

Vote for your favorites here: http://www.alarmprisen.no/