IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Listen to Norway talks to Tord Gustavsen

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:14:33 -0800

Listen to Norway interviews pianist/bandleader Tord Gustavsen about his latest album "The well", his 5th for the esteemed German label ECM: http://listento.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2012022013514671528496

New Sinikka Langeland album in late September

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:19:35 -0700

Norwegian vocalist and kantele player Sinikka Langeland will release her new album "The land that is not" on September 23 via ECM.

Trio Mediaeval confirm new album

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:16:44 -0800

The superb Norwegian Early Music vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval have announced that their new album "A Worcester Ladymass", their fifth for ECM's New Series imprint, will be released on March 15. The music on the album is "a reconstruction of a 13th century votive Mass to the Virgin Mary, based on surviving manuscripts from a Benedectine Abbey in the English Midlands" and can be previewed at this e-card: http://player.ecmrecords.com/trio-mediaeval
Very highly recommended!

PopMatters reviews Food

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:28:40 -0700

PopMatters reviews the new record on ECM from international jazz act Food: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/128356-food-quiet-inlet/

Spellemann winners announced

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:13:00 -0800

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

Female Artist: Noora Noor - Soul Deep (Blue Mood)
Male Artist: Sivert Höyem - Moon Landing (Hektor Grammofon)
Pop Group: Montée - Isle Of Now (VME)
Electronica: Röyksopp - Junior (Virgin/EMI Music Norway)
Rock: John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt (VME)
Metal: The Cumshots - A Life Less Necessary (Rodeostar)
Hip-hop: Tommy Tee - Studio Time (Bonnier Amigo Music)
Jazz: Tord Gustavsen Ensemble - Restored, Returned (ECM)
Open Class: Kristin Asbjørnsen - The Night Shines Like The Day (Emarcy/Universal Music)
Lyrics: Kjartan Kristiansen/Aslak Dørum - DumDum Boys; Tidsmaskin (EMI Music Norway)
Best Newcomer: Donkeyboy - Caught in a life (Warner Norway
Music Video: Donkeyboy - "Ambitions"
Hit of the Year: Donkeyboy - "Ambitions"
Spellemann of the Year: Alexander Rybak

More here: http://spellemann.no/

MP3: Valkyrien Allstars - Å gjev du batt meg

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:21:07 -0800

The good folks at MIC Norway sent me a big box of CDs earlier this week as part of their "Listen to Norway" music promotion program, so to oblige them I will attempt to do some sort of weekly feature on one of the contents therein. I'm planning on listening to most of it anyway, so why not give it focus? Now as for the types of discs they sent me, there's a good selection of pop, rock, indie and metal stuff that I've either heard before or at least somewhat familiar with, so I decided to jump into the other stuff first. I know some Norwegian jazz, mostly through artists affiliated with Rune Grammofon or ECM, and we'll get to those in coming weeks, but it's definitely the folk music that intrigued me the most. As regular readers should know by now, I love traditional Scandinavian folk, especially when it's done in contemporary fashion ala Detektivbyrån, but I'm also quite fond of the trad stuff, it's just that I barely know where to start with it so let us consider this to be a mutual exploration. There's a lot of folk music out there and I've listened to a damn lot of Hardanger fiddle this week and while I couldn't begin to tell you the history of the style or anything about the various regional variations, I know what I like and Valkyrien Allstars are a group I definitely can get into. According to the liner notes of their self-titled debut (2007), the trio got their start as the house band at The Valkyrien Restaurant in Oslo though they definitely seemed to have moved beyond that now, having been nominated for a Norwegian Grammy and toured Japan (and released a new album "To måner", which I do not have yet). Musically speaking, they are at their essence, a Hardanger fiddle trio, though they do mix it up by adding a few extra instruments and vocals. But what I like best about them is their energy and enthusiasm, a similar trait I heard in Swedish act Hedningarna, the band that first got me interested in Nordic folk. "Å gjev du batt meg" is one of the group's mellower tracks, but I just love the vocal on it, especially frontwoman Tuva Livsdatter Syvertsen's rough-edged tone. It reminds me of Hajen/Jaw Lesson a bit, in fact they even kinda look similar as far as hairstyle is concerned. Anyhow, it's those little cracks at the edges that make it, and that's why I'm sharing this song today.

Expect more folk discoveries and other new (to me) tunage in weeks to come.

Tord Gustavsen Ensemble coming to the US

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:23:15 -0800

The Tord Gustavsen Ensemble album "Restored, returned", recently nominated for a Spellemannprisen, will get a North American release on February 9 via ECM. The entire group will also be coming over for a couple shows in March:

03/28 - San Francisco Jazz Festival
03/31 - Merkin Concert Hall, NYC

More info here: http://player.ecmrecords.com/gustavsen

2009 Spellemannprisen nominees

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:53:16 -0800

The nominees for the 2009 Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian Grammy) have been announced:

Female Artist:
Ane Brun - Live At Stockholm Concert Hall (Det Er Mine, Balloon Ranger Recordings)
Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone (Propeller Recordings)
Julie Dahle Aagård - Stompin' Feet (Sweet Morning Records)
Noora Noor - Soul Deep (Blue Mood)

Male Artist:
Alexander Rybak - Fairytales (EMI Music Norway)
Martin Hagfors - Men and flies (ME Records)
Sivert Höyem - Moon Landing (Hektor Grammofon)
Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio (Rounder Records/Decca Records/Universal Music)

Pop Group:
Datarock - Red (VME/Yap Records)
Donkeyboy - Caught In A Life (Warner Music Norway)
Kings Of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence (Virgin/EMI Music Norway)
Kråkesølv - Trådnøsting (Diger)
Montée - Isle Of Now (VME)

Electronica:
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - 2 (Eskimo Recordings/VME)
Mungolian Jetset - We Gave It All Away (Smalltown Supersound/VME)
Röyksopp - Junior (Virgin/EMI Music Norway)
Vinter In Hollywood - Outbreak (MTG/Vulcano Records)

Rock:
DumDum Boys - Tidsmaskin (oh Yeah!/EMI Music Norway)
Heroes & Zeros - Simian Vices Modern Devices (Nightliner/Sonet/Universal Music)
John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt (VME)
Motorpsycho - Child Of The Future (Rune Grammofon)
Skambankt - Hardt Regn (Tuba Records)

Metal:
Code - Resplendent Grotesque (Tabu Recordings)
Immortal - All Shall Fall (Dunder Records)
The Cumshots - A Life Less Necessary (Rodeostar)
Årabrot - The Brother Seed (Norway Rat Recordings)

Hip-hop:
Chris Lee - Love Ghost (Oslo Records/Bonnier Amigo Music)
Lars Vaular - D'e Glede (VME)
Tommy Tee - Studio Time (Bonnier Amigo Music)

Jazz:
Håvard Stubø Quartet - Way Up (Bolage)
Kim Johannesen/Svein Magnus Furu/Tore Sandbakken - Kayak (Aimsoundcity)
Nils-Petter Molvær - Hamada (Emarcy/Universal Music)
Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons (SloMO/Universal Music)
Tord Gustavsen Ensemble - Restored, Returned (ECM)

Open Class:
Crimetime Orchestra - Atomic Symphony (Jazzaway Records)
Kristin Asbjørnsen - The Night Shines Like The Day (Emarcy/Universal Music)
Knut Reiersrud - Gitar (Jazzland Recordings/Universal Music)
Mari Boine - Sterna Paradisea (Lean/Universal Music/Emarcy)
When - Homage Series Vol.1: Sun Ra (Jester)

Lyrics:
Anne Grete Preus - Nesten Alene (Warner Music Norway)
Kjartan Kristiansen/Aslak Dørum - DumDum Boys; Tidsmaskin (EMI Music Norway)
Stein Torleif Bjella - Heidersmenn (EMI Music Norway)
Sverre Knudsen - La Det Brenne (Ohyeah!)
Tønes - Sobihob (VME)

Best Newcomer:
Alexander Rybak
Donkeyboy
John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen
Kråkesølv
Vilde Frang

More here: http://spellemann.no/

Frode Haltli Passing images ECM

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It is not often that you hear the accordion taking front and centre on an avant-garde, or any record for that matter, except if you are into traditional European folk music of some kind. Frode Haltli, a classically trained accordionist, takes the instrument out of its usual, to me at least, usage and brings the instrument to a place I can appreciate. The disc borders on New Age in several instances, which is bothersome, but also has a definite spacial quality that is very difficult to knock. While the accordion takes a lot of sonic space, the viola is the star, bringing melody and most of the high points of the album. The accordion definitely provides the glue, with its ability to play single notes and chords at the same time, that makes this record go forward and because the record is so musically sparse, it provides most of the substance too. This is a record that wouldn't be so out of place on Tzadik's composer series. Only if it could lose some of the New Age sonorities...