IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Superfamily - Pay the price (video)

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:52:08 -0700

At long last, something new from Superfamily! Recommended! Expect more singles this fall and then a new album in 2013?

Far From Tellus s/t Impeller Recordings

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:30:04 -0700

Far from Tellus' self-titled album is a swirling, cohesive, and, most importantly, damned entertaining effort, combining elements of folk and blues, 70s rock and 80s pop, all on their own terms. Like some strange marriage between The Kinks and fellow Norwegians Superfamily, Far from Tellus ramble through decades of inspiration, tying these echoes together into seamless, layered, and often anthemic compositions. Also, like the aforementioned Kinks, Far from Tellus have a fine relationship with the poignant and the playful, never allowing the latter to overpower or besmirch the former: "Norwegian fairytale mix" blossoms to life with such swagger upon layers of guitar, piano, and banjo, only to transition into a gloriously simple and memorable chorus; "Mogens" opens with a strummed banjo and closes with enough rock organ to make any Zeppelin fan happy, its middle section reminiscent of the clever, driving compositions of Herr Nilsson, yet another Norwegian outfit (I'm sensing a theme here); and seven-minute closer "Bless our souls" builds beautifully to its wonderfully raucous ending, reminding me of Britpop acts like James throughout. "Far from Tellus" is an impressive display of talent and songwriting. I wouldn't be surprised to find it on my Best of 2010 list, even with almost half a year left to go.

MP3: Donkeyboy - Ambitions

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:16:20 -0800

Here's another song I'm semi-obsessed with right now, though not nearly as deep as Susanne Sundfør's latest. I typically make a point of being at least vaguely familiar with most chart-topping bands because you never know -- sometimes the cream really does rise to the top -- but I had always ignored Donkeyboy because their name sucks and also because, for some reason, I thought they were a hip-hop act and Norwegian hip-hop is almost always awful. I'm late to the game, but I stand corrected! Now I know: Donkeyboy is a fine mainstream pop/rock act that manages to be successful by employing smart, strong hooks with a touch of 80s pastiche. It's a good formula, it worked out well for Superfamily at home in Norway and The Sounds sure seem to do well by it, though I'd argue they are far less "smart"; now Donkeyboy are attempting to take it to the next level (apparently Sweden is already conquered). Good luck to them, I say. They might be a tad too unassuming to break in territories where bold and brash win and that's a shame because that's yet another reason they're a good band. I see bands like Datarock and I think "trying too hard," yet people still seem to like them. Whatever, it's not as if I didn't already think the music biz was a shitsystem.

Ofag Session one: Oslo Sonet

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:11:06 -0800

Hard to get around it: Ofag is a pure ego. Five friends convene in a recording studio to hang out, play a little improv music; someone hits record and then they release it on their own label. It's not as if the end result is unlistenable (it's not), it's more a question of why. Why waste the plastic? I'm sure it was tremendous fun for everyone involved and there's no reason they shouldn't be proud of their work, but why not make it digital-only? Or better yet, offer it as a free download? Do they honestly think that fans of their other bands (Heroes & Zeros, Superfamily, Balkansemblet) will be stoked on it? Or that they'll cross over into the already over-saturated experiment/freejazz scene? Doubtful. This is for friends and family, perhaps even the curious superfan, but most of all, it's for themselves. That's fine, but I can't recommend it for anyone else.

Sirius playlist week #47

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:18:00 -0800

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

01. Bastard Priest - Under the hammer of destruction
02. TALK 1
03. Monty - En till himmel
04. Superfamily - Songs of the weak will die
05. Agent Side Grinder - Black vein
06. TALK 2
07. Murmansk - Silver heel
08. Cleaning Women - Across the void
09. Pintandwefall - Jail
10. TALK 3
11. Tobias Hellkvist - Scars and stripes
12. Truckfighters - Traffic
13. Rockettothesky - Barrie for Billy MacKenzie
14. TALK 4
15. Peter Bjorn and John - I don't know what I want us to do
16. Håkan Hellström - En vån med en bil
17. Barra Head - Common ground
18. TALK 5
19. Makthaverskan - Vi var människor från början

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.

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:43:47 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2009
02. Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons
03. Jan Garbarek - Dresden
04. Thomas Dybdahl - En Samling
05. Paperboys - Oslo Agreement
06. Mari Boine - Sterna Paradisea
07. Ghost Dog - First Book of Samuel
08. Contrazt - Uten Kart og Kompass
09. Stavangerensemblet - Samlekasse
10. a-ha - Foot Of The Mountain
11. Alexander Rybak - Fairytales
12. Superfamily - Guns Tonight
13. Ulf Risnes og Øyvind Holm - Safe and Sorry
14. Röyksopp - Junior
15. Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes og Askil Holm - Halleluja Live Vol. 2
16. Bjørn Berge - Fretwork
17. Valkyrien Allstars - To måner
18. Narum - Samma Hen Du Fær
19. Erik og Kriss - Tabu
20. Lollipop - Lollipop - 50 beste

Sirius playlist week #36

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:29:44 -0700

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

01. NEI - City of gold
02. TALK 1
03. Brothers of End - Why
04. Johndoe - Kvikkleire
05. Viola - Sea curtain
06. TALK 2
07. Marit Bergman - Höstvisa
08. Bad Hands - Bad hands (feat. Nina Kinert)
09. Aerial - I am TV
10. Tape - Brakes
11. TALK 3
12. Tsukimono - Mimilalanono
13. Superfamily - The songs of the weak will die
14. Unter den Linden - Motstånd i läder
15. TALK 4
16. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight
17. Björn Kleinhenz - Show me love
18. Pets - Don't say your heart is broken (we know it's not)
19. TALK 5

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.

Superfamily - Commit self-portrait

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:47:14 -0700

Superfamily's new album "Guns tonight" is now officially released and they've added yet another new song to myspace: http://www.myspace.com/superfamily

Superfamily - The songs of the weak will die

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:56:16 -0700

Superfamily have added a brand new track to myspace called "The songs of the weak will die": http://www.myspace.com/superfamily

Sirius playlist week #31

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:56:06 -0700

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

01. Existensminimum - Mirrors
02. TALK 1
03. Solander - Prayer to God
04. Volcanic Places - Goo
05. Zacke - Spela mig på radion (feat. Movits!)
06. TALK 2
07. Hello Saferide - Arjeplog
08. Kristofer Åström - When her eyes turn blue
09. Superfamily - Let's go dancing
10. Barra Head - Undermine
11. TALK 3
12. Pixie Carnation - Little sister
13. The Bear Quartet - I was a weapon
14. Mangrove - Pieces of our yesterday
15. TALK 4
16. Emmon - Lips on fire
17. Eric Ramsey - Enlightened neurotics
18. Håkan Hellström - För en lång tid
19. TALK 5

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.

Superfamily confirm album title, release date

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:14:14 -0700

Superfamily has revealed that their new album will be called "Guns tonight". The release date is set for August 24.

Superfamily remix contest

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:57:21 -0700

Superfamily is holding a remix contest for their new single "Let's go dancing": http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=55559658&blogId=492554735
The best mix will be included as a bonus track on the download version of their new album, due out in August.

Sirius playlist week #21

Mon, 25 May 2009 16:46:18 -0700

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

01. TALK 1
02. Small - Sunshine lover
03. Samtidigt Som - Constant in motion
04. Ironville - Roses
05. Montt Mardié - Dancing shoes
06. TALK 2
07. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
08. Fronda - Discomusik
09. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - You'd better watch out, 'cause I like you
10. Robert Svensson - I was summer, you were
11. TALK 3
12. Florence Valentin - Spring ricco
13. Lacrosse - We are kids
14. Superfamily - Let's go dancing
15. TALK 4
16. Turboweekend - Trouble is
17. Dyno - Don't speak love
18. Cilihili and DaBook - Orinoco flow
19. TALK 5
20. High Hats - The end
21. Two White Horses - Good times are gone forever
22. Margaret Berger - Robot song
23. TALK 6

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.

Sirius playlist week #20

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:20:20 -0700

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

01. Bruket - Stockholm kallar
02. TALK 1
03. The Skull Defekts - Knives, birds, stones & pyramids
04. Cilihili - Happy without the boy
05. Elenette - Kär (imaginär) pensionär
06. TALK 2
07. Existensminimum - Sound of music
08. Volcanic Places - Goo
09. Sonjagon - Aristocrat
10. TALK 3
11. Superfamily - Let's go dancing
12. The Scrags - TV messed up mind
13. Bastard Priest - Merciless insane death
14. Bacchus Tapes - Hold on Magnolia
15. TALK 4
16. Halph - Cheap points
17. Vadadi - 10 seconds before
18. Wired for Mono - The man behind the wall
19. TALK 5
20. Tomas Halberstad - Travel as I wait

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.

Superfamily - Let's go dancing

Mon, 11 May 2009 11:36:01 -0700

Superfamily's new single "Let's go dancing" is now streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/superfamily

New Superfamily single has a title

Tue, 05 May 2009 18:16:52 -0700

Superfamily's new single, due out later this month, will be called "Let's go dancing".

New Superfamily single in May

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:10:58 -0700

There will be a new Superfamily single in May: http://www.superfamily.no/

New Superfamily album in August

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:11:46 -0800

The new Superfamily album will be out in August: http://www.superfamily.no/

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:12:58 -0800

Drummer Tommy Christensen has parted ways with Norwegian pop act Superfamily: http://superfamilypop.blogspot.com/2008/11/tommy-has-left-building.html

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:59:10 -0700

Superfamily is looking for a new bassist (sort of): http://superfamilypop.blogspot.com/2008/09/b-bass-og-forfttere.html

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:48:25 -0700

Propeller Recordings (Superfamily, Dinosau) will be releasing Norwegian folk/pop act Katzenjammer's debut album "Le pop" on September 29. Listen here: http://www.myspace.com/katzenjammerne

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:32:37 -0700

Superfamily will be going back into the studio with producer Espen Berg in October to begin work on album #3.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:41:57 -0700

Superfamily is now blogging: http://superfamilypop.blogspot.com/

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:40:19 -0700

Superfamily has now posted the previously only-available via Norwegian iTunes track "Swimsuit" on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/superfamily
Said track is a leftover from the Warszawa" sessions that was never 100% completed.

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:47:19 -0700

Norwegian act Superfamily has now added the track "Bitches on the scene" (the next single?) to their myspace player: http://www.myspace.com/superfamily

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:48:04 -0700

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

01. Figurines - The wonder
02. TALK 1
03. CS Nielsen - Happy
04. Superfamily - Teens of the 70s
05. Winter Took His Life - Oh
06. TALK 2
07. Frivolvol - Out come the knives
08. Bogus Blimp - Untitled jazz no. 1
09. Firefox AK - Pushing
10. TALK 3
11. Disfear - Get it off
12. Biker Boy - March song (Kalle J remix)
13. Eskju Divine - Darkness all around
14. TALK 4
15. Dogday - New romance
16. Mew - Am I wry? No
17. Det Är Jag Som Är Döden - Hello!
18. TALK 5
19. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden
20. Darkthrone - Skald av Satans sol
21. Caesars Palace - (I'm gonna) Kick you out
22. TALK 6
23. Lack - Behead
24. Bertine Zetlitz - Fake your beauty
25. Hebosagil - Old prophet
26. TIAC - OTW
27. TALK 7
28. Marybell Katastrophy - Hip
29. Strip Music - Never die
30. The Social Services - Electric brae
31. TALK 8
32. At the Gates - All life ends (live)
33. Fireside - Jupiter
34. Ulver - Funebre
35. Paper - They're gonna keep me
36. TALK 9
37. Convoj - Cultural legacy
38. Maia Hirasawa - Still June
39. Silverbullit - Run
40. TALK 10
41. Massgrav - Vuxenliv

Festival report: by:Larm 2008

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

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

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:59:19 -0800

The new Superfamily single "Teens of the 70s" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/superfamilynorway
Look for a video to appear online soon!

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:14:54 -0800

The winners of this year's Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian equivilent to the Grammy:

Female artist: Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør (Your Favourite Music)
Male artist: Magnet - The Simple Life (Sony BMG)
Pop group: Superfamily - Warszawa (Propeller Rec.)
Electronica: Salvatore - Days Of Rage (Racing Junior)
Rock: My Midnight Creeps - Histamin (MMC Records)
Country: Hellbillies - Spissrotgang (EMI Music Norway)
Metal: Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao (Season Of Mist)
Hip-hop: Madcon - So Dark The Con Of Man (Bonnier Amigo)
Jazz: Petter Wettre - Fountain Of Youth (Household Records)
Open class: Live Maria Roggen - Circuit Songs (Jazzland)
Music video: Dimmu Borgir - The Serpentine Offering (Nuclear Blast) Dir: Patrick Ullaeus
Newcomer: Tine Thing Helseth - Haydn/Hummel/Albinoni/Neruda (Simax Classics)
Hit: Madcon - "Beggin'" (Bonnier Music)
Spellemann: Hellbillies
Hederspris: Dum Dum Boys

For all categories, go here: http://www.spellemann.no/

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:38:11 -0800

Ratatoskonline interviews Norwegian act Superfamily: http://www.ratatoskonline.net/article/interview-superfamily

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:28:35 -0800

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
02. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
03. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
04. Sie Gubba - Sånn er livet
05. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
06. Venke Knutson - Crush
07. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
08. Celine - Bæstevænna
09. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
10. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
11. BigBang - Something Special - The Best
12. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
13. Kurt Nilsen - Push push
14. Henning Kvitnes - Stemmer i gresset
15. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
16. Arne Benoni og Lynn Anderson - I'm Coming Home
17. Ole Ivars - Vi lever i håpet
18. Superfamily - Warszawa
19. Solveig Slettahjell - Domestic songs
20. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:32:15 -0800

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
02. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
03. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
04. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
05. Venke Knutson - Crush
06. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
07. BigBang - Something Special - The Best
08. Celine - Bæstevænna
09. Kurt Nilsen - Push push
10. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
11. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
12. Arne Benoni og Lynn Anderson - I'm Coming Home
13. Diverse artister - Idol 2007
14. Jan Werner - Eg veit i himmelrik ei borg
15. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
16. Anne Grete Preus - Om igjen for første gang
17. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
18. Henning Kvitnes - Stemmer i gresset
19. Superfamily - Warszawa
20. Solveig Slettahjell - Domestic songs

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:51:04 -0800

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

Female artist:
Ane Brun - Live In Scandinavia (Det Er Mine/V2)
Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance (Sony BMG)
Sissy Wish - Beauties Never Die (Sony BMG)
Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør (MBN)

Male artist:
Kenneth Ishak - Silver Lightning From A Black Sky (Division Records As)
Magnet - The Simple Life (Sony BMG)
Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles (Hektor Grammofon)
William Hut - Nightfall (Universal Music AS)

Pop group:
Blind Archery Club - The Union (Sony BMG)
Superfamily - Warszawa (Propeller Rec.)
The Royalties - The Royalties (Blister Music)
Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord Og Ögonblick (Sony BMG)

Electronica:
Alog - Amateur (Rune Grammofon)
Diskjokke - Staying In (Smalltown Supersound)
Salvatore - Days Of Rage (Racing Junior)

Rock:
BigBang - Too Much Yang (Warner Music/Grandsport Records)
Moving Oos - Peace And Love (Kong Tiki Records)
My Midnight Creeps - Histamin (MMC Records)
Raga Rockers - Übermensch (EMI/Pilot/Virgin)
The Lionheart Brothers - Dizzy Kiss (Racing Junior)

Country:
Hellbillies - Spissrotgang (EMI Music Norway)
Hemisfair - Blue Blue Grass Of Home (Wilma Records/Playground Music)
Shit City - God Bless Our Home (Voices of Wonder)
Steinar Albrigtsen - Moment Of Peace (Sony BMG)

Metal:
Audrey Horne - Le Fol (Indie Recordings)
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli (Nuclear Blast)
Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao (Season Of Mist)
Red Harvest - A Greater Darkness (Season Of Mist)

Hip-hop:
El Axel - It Is Wha It Is (Pass It Records)
Madcon - So Dark The Con Of Man (Bonner Amigo)
Tommy Tee - No Studio No Time-The Wait (Tee Productions)

Folk:
Berit Opheim - Den Blide Sol (NorCD AS)
Ragnhild Furebotten - Endelig Vals (Talik Da)
Sigrid Moldestad - Taus (Heilo)
Trio Mediaeval - Folk Songs (ECM/Grappa)

Jazz:
Fossum-Aarum Quartet - F.A.Q. (Schmell)
Jon Balke - Book Of Velocities (ECM/Grappa)
Petter Wettre - Fountain Of Youth (Household Records)
Sharp Nine - Sudoku (The Real Thing Da/Staffan)
The Core - Office Essentials (Jazzland)

Open class:
Frode Haltli - Passing Images (ECM/Grappa)
Live Maria Roggen - Circuit Songs (Jazzland)
Pust - Femkant (Pust Records)
Shining - Grindstone (Rune Grammofon)
The Source - The Source Of Christmas - Live (Grappa Musikkforlag AS)

Best music video:
Dimmu Borgir - The Serpentine Offering (Nuclear Blast)
Heroes & Zeros - A Strange Constellation (Nightliner/Universal)
My Midnight Creeps - Don`t Let’Em Bring You Down (MMC Records)
Turbonegro - Do You Do You Dig Destruction (Scandinavian Leather Recordings)
WE - Hurdy Gurdy (Nun Music)

Best Newcomer:
Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance (Sony BMG)
Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations (Nightliner/Universal)
Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør (MBN)
Tine Thing Helseth - Haydn/Hummel/Albinoni/Neruda (Simax Classics)
Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars (Heilo)

Best song:
Kurt Nilsen - "Push Push" (Sony BMG)
Madcon - "Beggin'" (Bonnier Music)
Postgirobygget - "Tidløs" (EMI Music Norway)
Sichelle - "Fuck Deg" (Eccentric Music)
Venke Knutson - "Holiday" (Universal)

MP3: Superfamily - Warszawa

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:31:32 -0700

October's Record Club selection: Superfamily - Warszawa
No surprise really, especially since I've been touting these guys ever since I first stumbled across their amazing videos. Simply put: this is probably the best Norwegian indierock band around right now and this album is simply fantastic. Listen to the title track and third single (or watch the video) and I think you'll understand what I mean. Richly melodic and maybe a bit affected, but always imbued with a sense of joy. That's actually what I like best about the band - they appear to take immense pleasure in their art and it permeates everything they do. No scowls, just smiles. You might detect a slight Hall & Oates influence, but despite the cheeseball keyboard sound, I don't think it's being played up for irony. Good songs remain good songs despite bad hair and silly moustaches. In fact, I heard a Hall & Oates tune while out shopping yesterday ("You make my dreams") and it gave me that same happy feeling. What's not to like?

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:24:01 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Henning Kvitnes - Stemmer i gresset
02. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
03. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
04. Leieboerne - Følg oss hjem Ole Paus
05. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
06. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
07. Leif Ove Andsnes - Ballad for Edvard Grieg
08. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
09. Kari Bremnes - Live
10. Bjølsen Valsemølle - Over elva
11. Henning Kvitnes - Ut av veggen
12. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
13. Superfamily - Warszawa
14. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
15. Turbonegro - Retox
16. Malin - Malin på månen
17. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
18. Supersilent - 8
19. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
20. Kjartan Salvesen - Then Silence

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:55:07 -0700

The nominees for this year's Alarm Awards have been announced:

Rock:
120 Days - 120 days
Big Bang - Too much yang
My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
King Midas - Sorry
The Lionheart Brothers - Dizzy kiss

Pop:
Marit Larsen - Under the surface
Rockettothesky - To sing you apple trees
Superfamily - Warszawa
Magnet - The simple life
Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør

Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - In sorte diaboli
Satyricon - Now diabolical
Audrey Horne - Le fol
Mayhem - Ordo ad Chaou
Keep of Kalessin - Armada

Jazz:
Supersilent - 8
Shining - Grindstone
Håkon Kornstad - Single engine
Tord Gustafssen Trio - Being there
Hanne Hukkelberg - Rykerstrasse 68

Electronica:
Kim Hiorthøy - My last day
Lindstrøm - It’s a feedelity affair
Pleasure - Pleasure 2
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams
Bjørn Torske - Feil knapp

Hip-hop/Rap:
el Axel - It is what it is
Karpe Diem - Rett fra hjertet
Darkside of the Force - El dia de los puercos
Tungtvann - Siste Skanse
Samvirkelaget - Musikk

Newcomer:
Susanne Sundfør
Moving Oos
Ida Maria
Rockettothesky
Elvira Nicolaisen

Live:
Big Bang
Superfamily
King Midas
The Grand
Samvirkelaget

Go here for more details or to vote for your favorite: http://www.alarmprisen.no/2007/index.php/og-de-nominerte-er/#more-76

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:11:54 -0700

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Isolation Years - Frosted minds
02. TALK 1
03. Hyacinth House - Lucky stranger
04. Immanu El - Kosmonaut
05. Kamera - Fragile
06. TALK 2
07. Pay TV - Fashion report (clubmix)
08. Fun - I've got a truck
09. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
10. TALK 3
11. Superfamily - Warszawa
12. Majessic Dreams - Still inside
13. The Indecision Alarm - Time for the big guns, baby
14. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
15. TALK 4
16. The Fine Arts Showcase - Modern love
17. Karin Ström - Ordlös
18. Meleeh - Malign
19. TALK 5
20. Kongh - Pushed beyond
21. Baby Woodrose - Let yourself go
22. TALK 6
23. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet (Cat Burgler remix)
24. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Rhythm
25. The Bell - I need nothing
26. September - Satellites
27. TALK 7
28. Piroth - Waltz for prima ballerina
29. Sällskapet - Järnstaden
30. Montt Mardié - Birthday boy (drama)
31. TALK 8
32. CS Nielsen - Bottle for the road
33. Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - Love will tear us apart
34. Voices Break the Silence - Mopo3
35. TALK 9
36. Plain Fade - Blue skies ahead

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:01:43 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
02. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
03. Leif Ove Andsnes - Ballad for Edvard Grieg
04. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
05. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
06. Kari Bremnes - Live
07. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
08. Kjartan Salvesen - Then Silence
09. Superfamily - Warszawa
10. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
11. Anne Marie Almedal - The Siren and the Sage
12. deLillos - Festen er ikke over...det er kake igjen!
13. Turbonegro - Retox
14. Cloroform - Clean
15. Vassendgutane - Ungkar med dobbeltseng
16. Audrey Horne - Le fol
17. Malin - Malin på månen
18. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
19. BigBang - Too Much Yang
20. GT-Sara - På farten med full rulle

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:46:09 -0700

Now in stock: Superfamily - Warszawa
I've been talking about how great these guys are for awhile now and I finally managed to get a box of CDs for resale! Check it out!

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:40:12 -0700

The video for Superfamily's latest single "Warszawa" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1HVjuYodyk
These guys are probably Norway's best indierock act right now.

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
02. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
03. Leif Ove Andsnes - Ballad for Edvard Grieg
04. Kari Bremnes - Live
05. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
06. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
07. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
08. Håvard Lothe - Live in Concert
09. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
10. Superfamily - Warszawa
11. Audrey Horne - Le fol
12. deLillos - Festen er ikke over...det er kake igjen!
13. Truls Mørk/Scott Kat - Nocturne: Chopin Cell
14. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
15. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
16. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
17. BigBang - Too Much Yang
18. Turbonegro - Retox
19. Malin - Malin på månen
20. Henning Kvitnes - Ut av veggen

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
02. Minor Majority - Candy store (2CD edition)
03. Kari Bremnes - Live
04. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
05. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
06. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
07. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
08. Audrey Horne - Le fol
09. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
10. Raga Rockers - Ragas beste 1983 - 2000
11. Superfamily - Warszawa
12. Turbonegro - Retox
13. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
14. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
15. BigBang - Too Much Yang
16. Magnet - The Simple Life
17. 120 Days - 120 Days
18. Henning Kvitnes - Ut av veggen
19. Cortina - Been a long time
20. Trang Fødsel - Hammock

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
02. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
03. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
04. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
05. Superfamily - Warszawa
06. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
07. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
08. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
09. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
10. BigBang - Too Much Yang
11. Magnet - The Simple Life
12. Turbonegro - Retox
13. Raga Rockers - Ragas beste 1983 - 2000
14. 120 Days - 120 Days
15. Cortina - Been a long time
16. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
17. Diverse artister - Vi ganger med sanger
18. Susanna - Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos
19. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
20. Vigdis Eidsvåg - Eg undras

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

It looks like the title track of Superfamily's excellent "Warszawa" album will be the next single - listen to it at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/superfamilynorway

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - I want my money back
04. The Bear Quartet - Ask me don't axe me
05. Ståålfågel - Små gröna män
06. TALK 2
07. Printer - Satisfaction (radio edit)
08. NEI - New morning
09. Paper - Out of it into it
10. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
11. TALK 3
12. Sweatmaster - Animal
13. Bloodbath - Buried by the dead
14. Moneybrother - Guess who's gonna get some tonight
15. TALK 4
16. The Perishers - Victorious
17. The Skull Defekts - Unholy drums are singing
18. Hell On Wheels - Alexander
19. TALK 5
20. Karin Ström - Ordlös
21. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skulldrummantra
22. Scraps of Tape - How your heart gets thrown
23. TALK 6
24. Brainbombs - Stinking memory
25. M:40 - Brännmärkt
26. Logh - Bring on the ether
27. TALK 7
28. CS Nielsen - Happy
29. Amorphis - Weaving the incantation
30. Juvelen - Hanna
31. TALK 8
32. Killerchaps - Equally dumb
33. Dinosau - Derr lady
34. Knugen Faller - Inte som ni
35. TALK 9
36. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
37. Pg.Lost - Yes I am
38. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Marry me
39. TALK 10
40. Don Juan Dracula - Take me home

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
02. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
03. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
04. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
05. Superfamily - Warszawa
06. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
07. Turbonegro - Retox
08. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
09. Trang Fødsel - Hammock
10. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
11. Magnet - The Simple Life
12. BigBang - Too Much Yang
13. Ni liv - Telemarkarna
14. Malin - Malin på månen
15. Thomas Dybdahl - Science
16. Heidi Hauge - Some broken hearts
17. Mira Craig - Tribal dreams
18. Rasmus og værdens beste band - Kyssing er heslig
19. Vigdis Eidsvåg - Eg undras
20. El Cuero - El Cuero

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
02. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
03. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
04. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
05. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
06. Trang Fødsel - Hammock
07. Superfamily - Warszawa
08. Turbonegro - Retox
09. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
10. BigBang - Too Much Yang
11. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
12. Magnet - The Simple Life
13. Kim Hiortøy - My last day
14. Thomas Dybdahl - Science
15. Mira Craig - Tribal dreams
16. The Moving Oos - Peace & Love
17. Malin - Malin på månen
18. Heidi Hauge - Some broken hearts
19. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
20. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
02. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
03. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
04. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
05. Trang Fødsel - Hammock
06. Turbonegro - Retox
07. Mira Craig - Tribal dreams
08. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
09. BigBang - Too Much Yang
10. Heidi Hauge - Some broken hearts
11. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
12. Superfamily - Warszawa
13. Malin - Malin på månen
14. Vømlingan - Vømmølminner
15. Torbjørn Egner - Hakkebakkeskogen
16. Jokke & Valentinerne - Prisen for popen
17. Torbjørn Egner - Karius og Baktus
18. Torbjørn Egner - Kardemommeby
19. Terje Formoe - Kaptein Sabeltann
20. Ni liv - Telemarkarna

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The new Superfamily video for their next single "I could be a real winner" is now on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22wn1MqkST0
I have to say that I prefer the videos from the first album ("Taxi dancing" and "It's a lie"), but the music is way better on "Warszawa".

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
02. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
03. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
04. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
05. Trang Fødsel - Hammock
06. Turbonegro - Retox
07. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
08. Heidi Hauge - Some broken hearts
09. Mira Craig - Tribal dreams
10. BigBang - Too Much Yang
11. Superfamily - Warszawa
12. Torbjørn Egner - Kardemommeby
13. Torbjørn Egner - Karius og Baktus + 16 beste viser
14. Torbjørn Egner - Hakkebakkeskogen
15. Samvirkelaget - Musikk
16. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
17. Raga Rockers - Ragas beste 1983 - 2000
18. Magnet - The Simple Life
19. Malin - Malin på månen
20. Vassendgutane - Ungkar med dobbeltseng

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Popblog #1 Hits from Another Planet declares Superfamily to be their favorite new bombastic pop act, comparable to The Ark: http://alienhits.blogspot.com/2007/07/superfamily-teens-of-70s-i-keep-dancing.html
Naturally, I am readily inclined to agree as I've already stated my appreciation of them many, many times. Great band, great album.

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
02. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
03. Turbonegro - Retox
04. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
05. Trang Fødsel - Hammock
06. Mira Craig - Tribal dreams
07. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
08. Heidi Hauge - Some broken hearts
09. Superfamily - Warszawa
10. BigBang - Too Much Yang
11. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
12. Vømlingan - Vømmølminner
13. Magnet - The Simple Life
14. Thomas Dybdahl - Science
15. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
16. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
17. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
18. Malin - Malin på månen
19. Datarock - Datarock
20. 120 Days - 120 Days

MP3: Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Like Denmark's The Alpine, Norwegian act Superfamily is the kind of band that could be huge if promoted correctly. Great modern pop/rock played with a strong sense of humor and a healthy dose of 80s-ness. It's not in a retro/nostalgia trip way either, it's more about maintaining an unselfconscious attitude and an optimistic worldview. Superfamily also one-ups The Alpine by having an amazing visual presence. "The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night" (posted today) was the first single from the band's new album "Warszawa" and it's a fantastic lead track. I always love songs with that sort of epic, yearning quality. That neediness is very inviting and appealing. Current single "I could be a real winner" has a bit more of a Hall & Oates vibe and it's pretty good too, but it's definitely the lesser of the two. "It's on the radio, channels made of tears." Who hasn't been affected by the perfect song coming on at just the right time? Great stuff.

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for this week's radio show on Sirius:

01. TALK 1
02. Fattaru - Stila upp din skit
03. Samuraj Cities - Thxa1000000
04. The Fine Arts Showcase - I don't worry
05. TALK 2
06. Imagine I Had Hands - Captive
07. Scraps of Tape - Pickpockets vow
08. FAP - Jag drar till sjöss en sväng jag
09. TALK 3
10. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times
11. Mainliners - Good storm
12. Breach - Gheeá
13. TALK 4
14. Him Kerosene - Neutrino
15. Familjen - Nu händer det igen
16. Sista Sekunden - D.I.We
17. Nine - Time has come
18. TALK 5
19. Emperor - Towards the pantheon
20. September - Can't get over (Long disco mix)
21. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
22. TALK 6
23. Camouflage - Syster sol
24. Lolita Pop - Salta diamanter
25. Leather Nun - Gimme gimme gimme
26. TALK 7
27. Superfamily - I could be a real winner
28. Juvelen - Hanna
29. The Book of Daniel - Death caps and moonshine
30. Monkeystrikes - Serial faller in lover
31. TALK 8
32. Torpedo - Hang me high
33. Erik Enocksson - The lingering procession
34. Hederos & Hellberg - No fun
35. TALK 9
36. Death By Kite - Himmelfahrtskommando
37. The Tough Alliance - Something special
38. Seance - Controlled bleeding
39. TALK 10
40. Shout Out Louds - Hard rain

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Turbonegro - Retox
02. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
03. BigBang - Too Much Yang
04. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
05. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
06. Superfamily - Warszawa
07. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
08. Vømlingan - Vømmølminner
09. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
10. Magnet - The Simple Life
11. Samvirkelaget - Musikk
12. TNT - The New Territory
13. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
14. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
15. Jokke & Valentinerne - Prisen for popen
16. Gest - I grevens tid
17. Hardingrock - Grimen
18. Geir Børresen/Smurfene - I Smurfeland
19. Tone Damli Aaberge - Sweet Fever
20. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
02. Vømlingan - Vømmølminner
03. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
04. BigBang - Too Much Yang
05. Samvirkelaget - Musikk
06. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
07. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
08. TNT - The New Territory
09. Magnet - The Simple Life
10. Superfamily - Warszawa
11. Tone Damli Aaberge - Sweet Fever
12. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
13. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
14. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
15. D.D.E. - No går det så det suse
16. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
17. Steinar Albrigtsen - Moments of Peace
18. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
19. Vidar Busk and the Voo Doodz - Jookbox Charade
20. Rune Rudberg - Rett fra sofaen

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The Eardrums music blog has a nice feature on the various music videos nominated for the 30th Norwegian Short Film Festival: http://eardrumsmusic.com/2007/06/11/music-on-film-norwegian-music-videos-nominated-for-the-30th-norwegian-short-film-festival/
Featured artists include Lionheart Brothers, 120 Days, Hanne Hukkelberg, Thomas Dybdahl, Draumir, Superfamily and more.

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
02. BigBang - Too Much Yang
03. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
04. Samvirkelaget - Musikk
05. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
06. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
07. TNT - The New Territory
08. Tone Damli Aaberge - Sweet Fever
09. Superfamily - Warszawa
10. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
11. Magnet - The Simple Life
12. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
13. D.D.E. - No går det så det suse
14. Vidar Busk and the Voo Doodz - Jookbox Charade
15. Steinar Albrigtsen - Moments of Peace
16. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
17. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
18. Rune Rudberg - Rett fra sofaen
19. Malin - Malin på månen
20. Finn Kalvik - Komplett Klassisk Kalvik

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show on Sirius this week:

01. Beyond Dawn - Far from showbiz
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
04. The Fine Arts Showcase - Dance with your shadow
05. Pan Sonic - Hinaaja / Tugboat
06. TALK 2
07. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Hold
08. The Bear Quartet - I don't wanna
09. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - When she's GONE
10. TALK 3
11. Laakso - High drama
12. Park Hotell - The guest who stayed forever
13. Fun - Hold it close
14. TALK 4
15. The Book of Daniel - Rabbit boy
16. Watain - Storm of the Antichrist
17. Viktor Sjöberg - w/Nothing
18. Kristofer Åström - Fallen
19. TALK 5
20. Mainliners - Olivia
21. Oddjob - Kings are walking out
22. Lemonator - Heart burns
23. TALK 6
24. Tobias Hellkvist - Slowly but surely
25. Attrap - Just a word away
26. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
27. TALK 7
28. The Leather Nun - No rule
29. Alog - Son of king
30. Thunder Express - Vegas
31. TALK 8
32. Closer - Sensing the wake

Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Samvirkelaget - Musikk
02. Superfamily - Warszawa
03. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
04. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
05. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
06. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
07. Magnet - The Simple Life
08. Tone Damli Aaberge - Sweet Fever
09. BigBang - Too Much Yang
10. TNT - The New Territory
11. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
12. Monomen - Monomen
13. Ulf Risnes - Ingen andre
14. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
15. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
16. Vidar Busk and the Voo Doodz - Jookbox Charade
17. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
18. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
19. Steinar Albrigtsen - Moments of Peace
20. Finn Kalvik - Komplett Klassisk Kalvik

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Superfamily has added two new tracks to their myspace page, including their next single "I could be a real winner": http://www.myspace.com/superfamilynorway

Thu, 03 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

MIC Norway profiles Superfamily: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007050316040418621652
I've got high hopes for their new record.

Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

It has been revealed that the new Superfamily record will be called "Warszawa". As mentioned before, it comes out May 21 via Propeller Recordings.

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Last night's Sirius Blog Radio playlist:

01. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
02. TALK 1
03. Asha Ali - These months
04. Boys of Scandinavia - Why do you love me? (radio edit)
05. Promoe - Headache
06. TALK 2
07. Closer - Sensing the wake
08. The Bear Quartet - Mom and dad
09. TALK 3
10. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
11. Familjen - Kom säger dom
12. Pavan - The bird
13. TALK 4
14. Kazakstan - Song to the past
15. Universal Poplab - Vampire in you
16. TALK 5
17. Scraps of Tape - Death as it should be
18. ARM - Drving by accident
19. The Idealist - The knives are my eyes
20. TALK 6
21. Tsukimono - Gathering heavy breathing
22. Pimentola - Wish upon a fallen star
23. Plain Fade - Uliaan leski
24. TALK 7
25. The Skull Defekts - Six six for eyes
26. Logh - Into the night
27. TALK 8
28. Aerial - You will all die, all things will
29. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
30. Audrey - Views
31. TALK 9
32. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Ashen like the sky

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Norwegian act Superfamily has revamped their website: http://www.superfamily.no/
The new (as yet untitled?) album will be out May 21.

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Superfamily's video for the single "The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night" is now up on myspace: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2011745849
It's not quite as clever as the band's two previous clips, but the song is still great so it's recommended viewing.

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Superfamily will do a few shows in Germany in May: http://www.superfamily.no/

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Superfamily's new single with the fantastic title "The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night" just went into rotation on NRK P3 and can be heard on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/superfamilynorway
If the video is anything like what they've done before, I can't wait to see it.

Video mix: Superfamily, Bobby Baby, Slagsmålsklubben, Robyn, Turbonegro, more...

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Superfamily - It's a lie
If there's any justice in the world, this band should be HUGE on the basis of this video. I swear I've watched it at least a dozen times this past week, barely able to contain my enthusiasm. Thursday's video post seemed so far away when I first saw it late last week and it took every fiber of my being to hold off on posting it until now. Be sure to check out their equally great song and video "Taxi dancing" as well. (AR)

Bobby Baby - Goodbye love
So sweet, so sad, so lovely! I never thought a cartoon dog would make me weepy. Definitely adds another dimension to an already beautiful song. (SS)

David & the Citizens - Something, not sunlight (Live Malmö)
A masterpiece song transferred to guitar and played live one week ago. The power of the digital media – I feel old. This song feels fresher than ever. (JC)

Slagsmålsklubben - Övningsköra
A disco dance demonstration by two hott middle-aged scenesters. Need I say more? (SS)

Goodnight Monsters - 20 fingers, 20 toes
Not the offical video, but quite fantastic nevertheless. A bit like "South Park" but not as "refined". This is what Youtube should be for! Marvellous song too. (ST)

Robyn - Handle me
Who knew Robyn was so ghetto? Wow! (SS)

Turbonegro - Are you ready (for some darkness)
I've heard rumours that Turbonegro with their new album will get back to old form, which I guess is something like this. Less talk, more rock. (ST)

Enslaved - Path to Vanir
Yeah, it pretty much fulfills every black-metal stereotype - the corpsepaint, the band playing in the snow, the torches, uh... the bald Norwegian caveman weilding a club - but Enslaved still rules. They play up the imagery, but you can tell underneath it all that they are actually having fun. Believe it or not, the band actually smiles onstage. I swear to you I've seen it with my own eyes! (AR)

.:Who's who?

JC: Jason Christie
AR: Avi Roig
SS: Stacey Shackford
ST: Simon Tagestam

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Norwegian band Superfamily will have their debut album "Back in Paris" released in Scandinavia beyond the borders of Norway on August 21.

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/

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Check out a preview of the video for "It's a lie" from Norway's Superfamily: http://www.propellerrecordings.no/audio/Superfamily-ItsALie-PREVIEW.mov

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Norway's Superfamily has posted 29-second clips for every song from their debut full-length album "Back in Paris": http://www.superfamily.no/

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Superfamily has confirmed that "Back in Paris" will be the title of their new album. I'm not sure of a release date, but they'll have a record release party at Parkteatret in Olso on September 16.

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Superfamily's still-untitled upcoming full-length album has been confirmed for a September 12 release via Propeller Recordings.

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Norway's Superfamily has uploaded a couple new tunes to their website: http://www.superfamily.no/