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Monzano with new ep, “Bonus Trucks”

Posted on by Knut in Other | Comments Off

Norway’s Monzano released their fine debut album “high horses and one-trick ponies” late last year, and now it is re-released in a new version for the Japanese market. The band has signed with the Japanese label Friend of Mine records, and the label wanted some extra tracks for the new version. Some old Monzano classics were recorded in new versions, and the band felt so good doing it that they decided to release the bonustracks as an ep for their home-market.

One of the songs on the ep is brand new, the catchy “Happiness”, where the band’s Eivind Bøe debuts on main vocals. He has done a lot of background vocals in monzano and has done some wonderful main vocals in his own soloproject Beneath Her Parachute, but never done the lead vocs in Monzano.
Speaking of solo projects: Sjur Lyseid, the original main vocalist, has started the recording of his own soloalbum these days, under the name “The Little Hands of Asphalt“. Kenneth Ishaak will produce, and we are waiting in excitement!

Here’s Monzano with “Happiness”:

Monzano – happiness

Je Suis Animal – Eardrums Interview with Anthony and Elin

Posted on by Knut in Interviews, Nordic music | 2 Comments

Je Suis Animal

"Self-taught magic from a book" is the debut album from two Norwegian girls and two English boys in a band with a French name, Je Suis Animal. The album is released today, and I must say I’ve waited a long time for this record. in fact, I’ve waited for it for about as long as I’ve run this blog.

I think I heard Je Suis Animal for the first time in 2005, and their sound was so different from everything other Norwegian bands did at the time. Their sound is still different, and the album has become a wonderful collection of dreamy, sharp-edged pop songs with influences from several decades of alternative music.

Before we let the band tell us more about the album, and how it was to record in the middle of the woods with a bear lurking around, we just have to look at their new video for one of the songs on the new album. "The Mystery of Marie Roget" is directed by Amund Hesbøl, and obviously inspired by the Bunuel/Dali classic "Un Chien Andalou" from 1929.

[youtube -MELudipdt4]

Before you start reading our interview with the band, I advice you to open their myspace in a separate window and press play on the music player. Then come back here and read the rest while listening!

Read more

“Drive Away My Heart”, new video from Ida Maria

Posted on by Knut in Songs | Comments Off

New video from Our Norwegian Hope, Ida Maria: "Drive away my heart". You can also download the song (and more) here:

Ida Maria – Drive away my heart (from NRK Urört)

[youtube 1hokjw86Dk8]

Also, check out this video introduction to this artist:

[youtube b5zboWPDR4M&NR=1]]

Cold Mailman – The Great Escape

Posted on by Ivar in Nordic music | 3 Comments

Cold Mailman

The Great Escape by Cold Mailman is a sweet and fragile popsong by a young unsigned artist from Norway. I could compare the song to some familiar music that we have presented here at Eardrums, but I’ll leave it to your own imagination :) Cold Mailman is Ivar Bowitz togheter with some friends and they start to record a album early next year.

Cold Mailman – The Great Escape 

(from NRK)

New Dylan Mondegreen video: “Girl in Grass”

Posted on by Knut in Nordic music | Comments Off

One of our favourite Norwegian newcomers, Dylan Mondegreen, has made a  video for "Girl in Grass" from his fresh (and brilliant) debut-album. Enjoy!

[youtube O1tEC6WVwtY]

Fresh sounds from Trondheim: Magnus Sinnes

Posted on by Ivar in Bandprofile, Nordic music | Comments Off

Magnus Sinnes

Listening to Magnus Sinnes´ "My Scarlet, my Violet" you can sense his talent for making beautiful pop songs with dramatic arrangements. This young artist is based in Trondheim, Norway, and he is inspired by artists like George Harrison and King Crimson. He hopes to be able to record a debut album soon. Listening to "My Scarlet, my Violet" I would say that he is more than ready to enter the recording studio. It is truley a beautiful song.

Play it loud!

Magnus Sinnes – My Scarlet, My Violet

…and here are two more songs:

Magnus Sinnes – Nights They are Wishful

Magnus Sinnes – With One Eye

(from NRK)

Lukestar – White Shade

Posted on by Ivar in Bandprofile, Nordic music | 1 Comment

Lukestar

The first time I listened to Lukestar‘s fantastic new single "White Shade" it got instantly inside my head, and stayed there! This is so fresh and so catchy and I am extremely optimistic on behalf of this alternative/powerpop band from Oslo, Norway. I wonder if I can detect a slight change in the bands style of music? This is more alternative/indie than the bands powerpop sound on the 2004 album "Alpine Unit".

"White Shade", the first single from the bands new album is out now on 7" vinyl, also featuring the b-side "Peregrin". The song is listed on NRK Petre this week. And that is good news for the five guys in Lukestar, because this is the most important radio station for broadcasting indiependent-, alternative- and pop music to a broad range of radio listernes between the age of 15 to 45 in Norway.

The album will be released on CD and 12" vinyl on the indielabel Underhill in January 2008, featuring 11 tracks.

Enjoy!

Lukestar – White Shade

(from NRK)

New animated video from Egil Olsen – “Wannabe”

Posted on by Knut in Nordic music | Comments Off

egil olsen

As some of you may remember, the Norwegian artist Egil Olsen won first prize the Norwegian short film festival for his music video to the song "Singer-songwriter" earlier this year. Now he’s back with a new song and a new video, and this time he has made the video all by himself.

This is not his first video-production, but it is the first time he has made an animated one. Egil Olsen is an excellent musician, but he’s very good at drawing, and he does it all with his own special style. This video was recently shown on the filmfestival in Volda, and it is now nominated for the best animated film for the animation film-festival in Fredrikstad. Egil Olsen’s new album will be released Oct. 15.

Egil is a kind man, so he always gives us some goodies for free.
Here’s the song:

Egil Olsen – Wannabe

…and here’s the nominated video:

[youtube 3Bhv04kOw7A]

New song from Jeremy, – Norway’s Simon and Garfunkel… or Norway’s new Kings of Convenience … or something like that… Great song anyhow.

Posted on by Knut in Bandprofile, Nordic music, Songs | Comments Off

jeremy

Jeremy, a Norwegian duo with smily harmonies and shiny voices, has sent us a new song. This time it is a remix made by Allen André Anjos from RAC who has remixed artists like bloc party, CSS, the Shins and Tegan and Sara earlier. Jeremy will play live at In The City in Manchester on October 22.

More about Jeremy here and there and hopefully soon everywhere: http://www.jeremymusic.net/ | http://www.myspace.com/jeremy

Jeremy – You’re alright (RAC remix)

…and here is the original-version on video:

[youtube BMgr7Di3yzw]

…and if that wasn’t enough, – here is the track we posted some months ago, – a song which still is among 2007 finest songs in my book:

Jeremy – Make Love Not War

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