Birds sometimes dance

COU is the solo project of Jørgen “Sissyfus” Skjulstad, the.. boss? Guru? I think I’ll go with spiritual leader, of the Oslo-based underground music collective Metronomicon Audio. After finishing an album trilogy about time and space last year, he has now released something you and I both have always wanted, a Levitating Disk!

The Ruby Suns have found their place in the music scene with their masterful pop melodies and has been with us for almost half a decade now. However, this third album is a departure from the sound we know them for. It will be interesting to see if this departure is an evolution into pop gods or demons.

Sometimes, an album can be really hard to review. Moddi’s Floriography is an album that really overwhelmed me. Usually it takes me a few days, at most a week to make up my mind and get my thoughts down in words. It’s been a few weeks now, but I think this is the kind of album that needed those weeks.

Lawrence Arabia is a one-man-show and behind the name there’s a New Zealander by the name of James Milne. And no, believe it or not, he didn’t have anything to do with The Lord of the Rings. I think? I’ll have to check that up.

Mumford & Sons is a quartet from london playing their own blend of gospel, bluegrass, british folk music and the modern folk rock. It’s anthemic, with a lot of sound, filled with big drums, acoustic guitar and dramatic volume changes. It often goes from complete silence to an explosion of sound, with banjo, brass, drums and vocal harmonies almost big as a choir. Marcus Mumford’s singing is both warm, calm, soaring and screaming.

I’ve just had, or actually I’m still having this amazing feeling. It’s the feeling I get when I know I’ve just discovered music that will stay with me the rest of my life. I was listening to Björn Kleinhenz’s new single “Black Water” (free download here) and the first time I heard it, I instantly got goosebumps all over. That’s no bad sign.

Fleet Foxes made one of the best albums of 2008. In my opinion, the very best. There are many reasons for that. The lyrics, the melodies, and their beautiful harmonies all merge together to form an incredible sound. Still, the most important reason is what all of it creates together. It can be described with a single word; durability.

The first time I saw Jens Carelius was at a small festival hidden in the woods of Odalen, in the southeast of Hedmark, and what an experience it was. It was electrifying. The sun was going down, his music was great as always, the tones were floating, and it was like the music came from the spruces and pine trees themself.

What’s better than to start off with reviewing a band with a bird’s name? From their last record, these extinct birds have gone from being a duo to a trio, adding Vibraphonist Keaton Snyder to the band. Is this the only difference from their debut or have The Dodos grown a bit in other ways too?