MP3: Kobert - I have just

Norwegian label is my favorite new label. Not my new favorite label, but you get the idea. Conceived as the sister label to to concentrate on new up-and-coming acts, they've got a surprisingly strong and diverse roster. I told you about Far From Tellus the other day, now here's a track from Kobert, the first act on the label to release an album. The two couldn't be more different -- whereas the former is folksy, upbeat pop, Kobert makes low-key, jazzy electronica. Inorganic sounds with an organic vibe; just listen to the way vocalist/sample-manipulator Ingrid Lode deftly navigates the narrow melody. What sounds simple is anything but. Sometimes the group does veer off towards trip-hop/adult contemporary territory at times, but the more I listen, the more I find them to be on the right side of tasteful/whitewashed. Still, would not be surprised to hear them in a Euro-style elixir bar, all white and metal and right-angles. I'd be okay with that.

Kobert - I have just