It is not often that instrumental music has a lasting appeal for me. This has something to do with how I see vocals as an integral part of music. I admit though that good instrumentation can cover up for bad vocals more so than the opposite. However I would like to say that the music benefits from having both sides integrated. Unfortunately a lot of instrumental songs I have come across tend to last eons, unable to find a fitting ending, continuing this uninspiring endless journey in one sitting. The melodies don’t seem to have many exciting layers and easily fall into repetition without the aid of a vocal range.
The instrumental composers that I find interesting have been film/video-game related which isn’t something I usually listen to outside the visual/engaging experiences. However, now I have finally found an independent artist that is instrumental, and seems to hit the right notes with me – while keeping the music interesting until the end.
The year goes by fast and we’re already in the middle of February, which means it’s time for By:Larm again. By:Larm is an annual festival and conference in Norway with the purpose of promoting new norwegian bands. I guess it’s quite similar to SXSW. Anyway, I thought I’d give you some tips on who I think is worth seeing.
Jones Nielsen (or Jonas as his real name is) was a pleasant suprise amidst mediocre music at urørt. Apparently he was the first to secure himself a place in the urørt finale this year by seducing the jury with the song “TT”, which I’ve also shared here. He has also previously been featured at urørt with his band Kakkmaddafakka.
Throughout your life there are certain albums and musicians that really strike you as different, special, otherworldly even. They mold and shape you and at the most extreme they might make you reconsider your whole way of life. The albums I’m featuring in this series of articles are the ones that did something like that to me, or at least the most prominent ones.
Being a non-religious person, these albums are probably the closest thing to a religion in my life. Some believe in God, some believe in Buddha, some even believe L. Ron Hubbard. I Believe in Magnus Moriarty™.
Yoyoyo Acapulco are an indie pop band playing cute, quirky ukulele-based pop music with kind of naive and catchy lyrics. You’d think that “Heey, they’re probably from Oslo or Bergen, right?”, but no. These guys are from no other place than Vestre Gausdal. Not your first guess, huh? I can’t help but love their simple, yet extremely catchy tunes.
I play the ukulele a bit myself actually, and these guys are really my main inspiration and the true reason why I started playing. Thanks!
They played at the Øya Festival in 2008, I was there and, despite the fact that the bubble-machine sprayed bubbles in my face the whole time, it was definitely one of the best shows at Øya that year. They played in a tiny tent, without that stopping them from making it a big show. Rather, it was the fact that it was a small, crowded tent that really made the mood.
The say that My Little Pony is the coziest band in Norway, but the coziest Singer-songwriter is definitely our very own superstar, Egil Olsen (not to be confused with the football coach with the same name). Egil writes dreamy and catchy pop songs about love and his hard life as a wannabe superstar.
He first started a band called Uncle’s Institution and released several albums (you can download them for free on his website), but after a trip to the states to find himself, he found the solo artist within. After releasing his beautiful debut album, I am a singer/songwriter in 2007, as well as a hip hop cover-album (freely available for download here), he’s releasing the album Nothing like the love I have for you, which will be out on CD, vinyl and mp3 download on 5. October.
No, this is not Pippi Longstocking’s monkey, but a band with the same name.
It all started a few years ago when I went in to a store that sells used CD’s. Flipping through shelf after shelf filled with CDs, I had no idea what I was looking for, but that’s when I saw it; an album called Downhill Thrill by some band named Herr Nilsson (or Mister Nilsson, if you will). I had barely heard about them, All I knew was that they’re from Bergen. Despite not knowing remotely what they sounded like, I just knew that I had to buy this album. That’s not something I would live to regret.
I want to recomend Kråkesølv, a fantastic band from a place far beyond the polar circle. Bodø to be precise. The first time I saw them was in the small Camp Indie-tent at the Øya festival in Oslo. It rained a bit that day and I wasn’t sure of what I should expect. They have been hyped a lot, and both Simen Herning (My Little Pony) and Øystein Greni (Bigbang) have endorsed them. As always, I’m a bit sceptical when it comes to hypes, but when they first started playing, I was sold. It was fantastic, and when they played the song “Skredder,” I understood that they were something special and something new.