The final 12 nominees for the 2011 Nordic Music Awards have been decided and they are as follows:
Ane Brun - It all starts with one Lykke Li - Wounded rhymes Rubik - Solar Gus Gus - Arabian horse Malk De Koijn - Toback to the fromtime Siinai - Olympic game Björk - Biophilia Iceage - New brigade Montée - Renditions of you Anna Järvinen - Anna själv tredje Goran Kajfes - X/Y The Field - Looping state of mind
The semi-finalists for the 2011 Nordic Music Prize have been revealed:
Sweden: Anna Ternheim - The night visitor Jonathan Johansson - Klagomuren Loney Dear - Hall music The Field - Looping state of mind Mattias Alkberg - Anarkist Lykke Li - Wounded rhymes Anna Järvinen - Anna själv tredje Deportees - Islands & shores Veronica Maggio - Satan i gatan Goran Kajfes - X/Y
Denmark: Larsen & Furious Jane - Dolly Michael Møller - A Month of Unrequited Love Oh Land - Oh Land Mikael Simpson - Noget Laant, Noget Blaat The Late Great Fitzcarraldos - The Late Great Fitzcarraldos Malk De Koijn - Toback To The Fromtime Iceage - New Brigade Thulebasen - Gate 5 When Saints Go Machine - Konkylie Hymns From Nineveh - Hymns From Nineveh
Finland: Von Hertzen Brothers - Stars Aligned Röyhkä & Mattila - Kaksi lensi tuulen mukaan 22-Pistepirkko - Lime Green Delorean French Films - Imaginary Future Siinai - Olympic Games Rubik - Solar Regina - Soita mulle Michael Monroe - Sensory Overdrive Mirel Wagner - Mirel Wagner Chisu - Kun valaistun
Iceland: Sóley - We Sink Lay Low - Brostinn strengur Ham - Svik, harmur og dauði Sin Fang - Summer Echoes ADHD - ADHD2 FM Belfast - Don’t Want To Sleep Gus Gus - Arabian Horse Mugison - Haglél Björk - Biophilia Apparat Organ Quartet - Pólýfónía
Norway: Razika - Program ’91 Lars Vaular - Du betyr meg Jonas Alaska - Jonas Alaska Team Me - To The Treetops! Ane Brun - It All Starts With One Stein Torleif Bjella - Vonde Visu 120 Days - 120 Days II Montée - Renditions Of You John Olav Nilsen og Gjengen - Det nærmeste du kommer Martin Hagfors - I like you
This list will eventually be culled down to a final 12 on December 1 before the winner is crowned on February 16.
Every year the Swedish electronic music festival Voltfestivalen invites an acoustic ensemble to cover various genre classics and this year the honor of performing goes to The Uppsala Chamber Music Choir who will be playing the following:
Mr Oizo - Flat Eric New Order - Blue Monday Björk - All is full of love
When talking about music, the word "Icelandic" has come to mean a lot more than where the band members hail from. With the consistently brilliant works of Sigur Rós, the talents of Mùm, and Björk's wonderfully bizarre offerings, "Icelandic" has come to simultaneously define an ethereal, arctic expanse and an idiosyncratic and otherworldly landscape, with any deviations to one's conception of the term often being easily reconciled and folded into the wide-reaching designation. While "Í annan heim" may lean more towards a more traditional presentation of melancholy pop than their kinsfolk, Rökkurró will not be heralded as the band who broke the Icelandic mold, though this isn't to disparage their talents or sound. "Í annan heim" is home to quite a bit of quality songwriting, though, as a whole, the despondence is not always paired with intrigue -- the compositions, while beautiful, often pass without having convinced us to follow. The album does open up with repeated listening, and closer "Svamur" makes a strong case for one to start the album over, but I wouldn't be surprised if some never make it to those final moments -- those that find themselves wanting another pass through, however, will be happily rewarded. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Anna von Hausswolff does an admirable job crafting a piano-driven album that takes unexpected turns instead of falling prey to clichéd pop structures, with a number of the tracks "Singing from the grave" giving full voice to the talents of its composer. In this way, von Hausswolff successfully avoids the fate of being pigeonholed as 'just another female singer-songwriter,' but her idiosyncratic style has the unfortunate affect of rendering entire portions of the album difficult to get into. While I applaud the fact she avoids a number of avenues already explored by other artists, tracks like "Pills" and "Lost at sea" feel like bizarre, stripped-down Björk-inspired compositions, and, while it is amazing to listen to the whirlwinds von Hausswolff creates with her voice and fingers, it is not an experience that grows more enjoyable with repeated listening. It is more than obvious that Anna von Hausswolff is a talented musician and vocalist, but instead of finding myself lost in the songs, as I did with the gorgeous and haunting "Track of time" and "Above all", I began to feel outside most of the compositions, often unable to forge any connection between myself as listener and von Hausswolff as artist. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
It's always refreshing to see a label with so much devotion to good music that it'll have a multitude of acts spanning a variety of genres on its roster. It's the mark of a true music fan; someone who's not afraid to take risks and stick two fingers up to the naysayers and proudly state: "This is what I like and I'm releasing it!" Norwegian Nils Bech, is one of the non-metal acts on , his laid back, retro-styled electropop sitting alongside the fist and fury metal battery from the likes of Obliteration, Haust or Okkultokrati. It has to be said that there's a time and a place for "Look back"; It requires a certain frame of mind before someone could take the entire album in one sitting, but that doesn't mean it's a bad release. It's just conducive to pre-planned, late-night, candlelit ambience rather than any summer drive-time fervor. And when it kicks off in that kind of subdued atmosphere, it can be simply wondrous. Vocally, Bech is probably what a Morten Harket and Morrissey hybrid would sound like if they had been releasing stuff in the early '60s. Sure, his music might be classed as electropop but, with its definite retro leanings, it sounds more like the male counterpart of Goldfrapp's "Felt mountain" than the '80s disco companion of "Scoundrel days". The term 'crooner' springs to mind often on this and, if there's one main criticism of Bech, it's that his English pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired. Generally, English sung in a foreign tongue adds a certain mystique to an album and, while that's true on a lot of "Look back", Bech's approach can be slightly off-putting at times. The songs on here are well done and, while there's a good buzz around Nils Bech, the vocals really taint this release in places. Best tracks on here are the upbeat "Medieval times" and the distinctly Björk-y "French affairs". A good album that's definitely original. Unfortunately, it would have been much better if Nils had sung på norsk. - John Norby
Electronic music site Resident Advisor has posted their top 100 albums of the 00s and the various Scandinavian entries on the list include Røyksopp - Melody A.M. (#83), Vladislav Delay - Multila (#70), Studio - West coast (#67), Björk - Vespertine (#54), The Field - From here we go sublime (#29), Trentemøller - The last resort (#28), Fever Ray - s/t (#24), Luomo - Vocalcity (#13) and The Knife - Silent shout (#9). Read more: https://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1144
Björk is contributing a new song called "The comet song" to the soundtrack of the upcoming film "Moomins and the Comet Chase", which of course is all about the little comic book creatures by Tove Jansson that all Scandinavian children should know. Expect a fall 2010 release.
Rökkurró
Anna von Hausswolff
Nils Bech