The Violent Years
s/t
Playground

Mandal may be the southernmost town in Norway, but if this debut EP from The Violent Years is any indication, it still gets plenty dark there. The band has been compared to acts such as Willard Grant Conspiracy, 16 Horsepower and the obligatory Nick Cave, and with good reason. The five songs revel in a southern gothic atmosphere that would have made Flannery O'Connor proud. Songs start off with lines like: "Caroline was the oldest of three/she ruled the world/and then she blew her head off." Even when the guitars get boisterous, the mood is unflinchingly solemn. It's hard not to think of small towns, hot sticky nights, deranged characters, and overgrown vegetation.

All that can get a little heavy, and at times it does. For the most part, though, The Violent Years usually find a middle ground between over-the-top melodrama and dull gloom. They're particularly effective in their use of piano to add both lighthearted moments and drama. There are passages on here that are truly beautiful. All in all, it's a remarkably mature, confident and very impressive debut.
- Nancy Baym

MP3: The Violent Years - Embrace

I'm on the road this week for my dayjob, so contributor Nancy Baym has been kind enough to take on today's mp3 post:

The Violent Years are an Oslo band who play a dark, melancholic, alt-country influenced Americana flavored rock in somewhat of the same tradition of Midnight Choir or, at times, Madrugada. They were one of the better bands I saw at by:Larm last February. This song is rich in atmosphere, and laden with haunting melodies that are never too oppressive or heavy. The guitar is nicely twangy, the singing straightforward and expressive, the rhythm section spacious and solid, and the feel simultaneously gritty and pretty. It makes me optimistic about their debut ep due to be released this spring.

The Violent Years - Embrace

Festival report: by:Larm 2008