Something Completely Different

Velkommen, Guest!

You probably think I know lots about Norwegian music as I am from that country and am generally interested in music.

Well, you're going to be feeling more than a bit silly, because that's exactly wrong. When it comes to art and culture, I am like a traitor, always having focused my attention outside and elsewhere.

Still, I'm not completely ignorant - just mostly and vastly - so I thought it might be fun to do a thread.

I can post some Norwegian bands and artists. If you want, you can do the same. We can all explore this topic together and I'll occasionally try to keep it from becoming dreadfully boring.

To kick things off and welcome everyone, I give you Black Debbath's Mongo Norway, a song guide to night life in Oslo from their tourist information album Welcome To Norway.

My favorite Norwegian artist has to be Biosphere. From his early ambient techno work to the chilly atmospheric landscapes of his masterpiece album Substrata, his music has been a staple in my listening rotation since I first heard him in 2013.

Ladies and gentlemen, feast your ears.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. I believe I've heard about Biosphere.. probably? But I've never listened to it.

Thanks for sharing! I'll give it a listen 🙂

Here's a band I should listen to more, Hot Club De Norvege. Their take on the standard Time on my Hands is probably my favorite recording by them.


My parents generation in Norway have a decent awareness of Django Reinhardt, partly because of Hot Club De Norvege. They were part of the Django revival that happened in the 80s and onwards, started a Django festival in Norway and were also involved with running Hot Club records which has been producing jazz records for artists like Jimmy Rosenberg (❤️), Angelo Debarre and Ola Kvernberg whom they also have musical collaborations with.

Here they are playing with my favorite Gypsy jazz guitarist, Jimmy Rosenberg:

Oh boy, I could spam this thread for quite a long time. But lets start with just a few artists.

Stian Westerhus - experimental guitar

Shamblemaths - AvantProg

Terje Rypdal - fusion

Pixie Ninja - atmospheric electronic rock or something

I came in here to post Biosphere, but @Mrs. Waffles beat me to it  :)

So I'll just have to post Madrugada instead. A great late-night alt-rock band.

Here's a couple of my other Norwegian favorites.

Mortiis, legendary dungeon synth/dark ambient/black metal/industrial artist and formerly the bassist in Emperor. His 90s works are staples of the dungeon synth movement.

Agnes Buen Garnås, vocalist who performs ancient Norwegian folk ballads, very cool stuff and highly recommended if you like a sort of folk/classical hybrid.

And for those of you who enjoy a bit of new age, Amethystium is a cool project. Peep if you like Enigma or Deep Forest kind of stuff.

Supersilent is a Norwegian free improvising group. A bit jazzy, a bit electronic, but overall very much doing their own thing.
Their album "6" is considered one of their best and a good entry point.

I love their DVD "7", it's one of my favourite concert videos ever but it looks like it was removed from youtube.

Haha.

@Gandalf I know Madrugada quite well. Their debut album (which you posted a song from) was a small sensation in Norway. They were very popular for a while. Singer Sivert Høyem has done various collabs as well.

@Mrs. Waffles I only have brief knowledge of Emperor and even less of Mortiis, but at least it's something. Agnes Garnås I know nothing about 😅

Btw, Født til å Herske means Born to Rule.. just in case you were interested and didn't know 🙂

Draumkvedet means something like the dream poem.


I'll post something the whole of Norway knows about, one of our most well known rock bands that sings in Norwegian (which means they probably aren't known outside of Norway).

So this is Dumdum Boys, named after the expanding dumdum bullets (not because they're so stupid).

Having only superficial knowledge of Norwegian popular music, I mostly only know the hits. These are a couple of my faves.

The song from the late 80s that made them a staple:


Here's what they were like back in the day:


And here's the song I probably listened to the most during the late 90s.


They kept going well into the 00s and might be going strong still? I don't know 🙃

@Mrs. Waffles's Biosphere offering is a classic favorite of mine as well.

I'll share a few interrelated selections from Norway...

Kings of Convenience - "Homesick"

I adore everything KoC has released. Quiet, reflective folk at its finest.

Then half of the duo collaborated with Röyksopp, most popularly with their hit, Röyksopp (feat. Erlend Øye) - "Remind Me" (infamously known as, "that awesome instrumental track from that GEICO commercial.")


The two collaborated on one additional track from that same LP -

Röyksopp feat. Erlend Øye of Kings of Convenience - "Poor Leno"

And Erlend released some solo work worth exploring.

Needlepoint are a modern band sounding a bit like some 70s Canterbury. They manage very well to be chill and melodic, yet complex and often busy.
I love this album:

Röyksopp and Kings of Convenience are relatively popular and well known, especially Röyksopp. I've never really taken the plunge with either, but generally recognize their most well known songs.

My favorite from Röyksopp is the collab they did with Fever Ray from Swedish The Knife.

Quote from: grindy on Oct 19, 2023, 10:24 PMNeedlepoint are a modern band sounding a bit like some 70s Canterbury. They manage very well to be chill and melodic, yet complex and often busy.
I love this album:

That's really cool, grindy 🙂 my ears are sure to perk up whenever Canterbury is mentioned.

I'll give this a listen!

So I've kinda rediscovered what may be the most important album of my teenage years, Gartnerlosjen's Due from 1995 I believe it is.

Losje means lodge and gartner means gardener, so it's the Gardener's Lodge. Their most excellent album is Due, or Pigeon in english.

Gartnerlosjen is one of many bands that sprung out of an expansive group of friends who, for some reason, had access to a studio. They would make up myriad of bands and artists, sometimes only with a single song attached, and release compilation cassettes through their record company with horribly produced drivel, all in the realm of comedy. It was great. Some examples:

Reidar Roses Orkester's Bella Marie where they're parody of Norwegian old timey music.


Or from the time they made German versions of their bands and made a German various artists album, despite having limited grasp of the language:


A thing about Norwegian humour in the 90s - it was the golden age of the irony generation. Young peeps would seemingly do things that previously had been done in seriousness, but just do it badly or obviously stupid. The Bella Marie song is a good example. It's got the right lyrics (nothing's wrong with them), the right instruments, the right feel. It's just stupidly executed. Everything was being made fun of and it was a humour that the parent generation didn't get.

Here's an example from television, a mockery of the rivalry between two Norwegian 19th century poets where the young Wergeland is being played by a very old, strange person.


Anyways! At some point, these guys with all the bands eventually learned how to produce something that sounded good. This shift was arguably around 1994 with a nonsensically named Gartnerlosjen EP released on CD with 4 songs split into 99 tracks. But for most, the shift was noticeable with the release of Due from 1995.

It opened with the Cinema song, a duet by two slightly homophobic friends who went to the cinema together to watch a romantic movie and they both wish the other was a girl so they could smooch.



It has Hammer av Saft where the singer, who takes his own life by slitting his wrists, realizes that everything in his life including life itself is a hammer made of lemonade.



It has Huset, a short song about things in a house going missing and replaced with other things due to the activity of invisible guests.



And the most famous, a kind of ballad about a guy walking in a park and being envious of all the couples being romantic and smooching (heldiggrisene = the lucky bastards).



And other great songs too. I know all these by heart and can play them on guitar. We used to drunkenly sing these songs together around the turn of the century.

A couple of years ago, they released a limited run of LPs and I now have Gartnerlosjen's Due framed on a wall in the house.

Gartnerlosjen wouldn't make another album, but this group of friends (or parts of them) continued with other bands with the most famous being Black Debbath, The Cumshots, The Dogs and Thulsa Doom.

Here's someone I do think is brilliant, Susanne Sundfør.

She released an album back in 2007 I believe and also played some festivals. She'd be quite shy on stage, playing a piano and just singing her songs, but her talent was undeniable.

Here's a song, Walls, from back then.



Her sound quickly matured, here with the title track from her second album from 2010:



A bit more upbeat, she found international fame with 2015's Ten Love Songs. This is a great track:



After that, she had a tough breakup and, I suspect, a bit of a depression. She has transformed into a more introverted artist and her music has become a little more acoustic and abstract. This change was evident on Music For People in Trouble from 2017.


A few songs here, but they're well worth a listen, especially the last 3 🙂

Here's a band I DON'T know, but probably should at least familiarize myself with, Highasakite.

They're big in Norway, possibly also internationally? Have you guys heard? They get played regularly on radio here so I vaguely know what they sound like.

These are their two most played songs that are not collabs with other artists. I recognize the top one from radio.


And this one is their most famous - and I'm posting this live performance from the 2016 Nobel Peace Price event as I kinda liked it 🙂 can't remember hearing this before.


First time I heard them, I kinda thought she has a thick accent and having worked on eliminating my own for most of my life, I just didn't quite gel with the vocals. But I wonder if it hasn't become kinda cool or endearing. It seems more artists are doing this to some extent.. might be their influence on other artists for all I know.

Ulver should be definitely mentioned here. They've done black metal, folk, progessive metal, art pop, synth pop, modern classical, ambient and whatever else.
I don't love everything they did but there's definitely some cool stuff to explore.

Some cool albums:

Black Metal

Trip Hop

Progressive Metal

Synth Pop

Neuclassical ambient pop(?)

I haven't quite taken to any of Ulver's stuff myself, but they're certainly interesting for taking their sound to so many different places. I'm mostly familiar with their early stuff and their black metal back then is so horribly produced (as was the style) and their folky stuff is kinda cool, but hasn't quite grabbed me.

I've yet to dig into their more recent art poppy stuff.

Quote from: Guybrush on Oct 28, 2023, 10:36 AMI haven't quite taken to any of Ulver's stuff myself, but they're certainly interesting for taking their sound to so many different places. I'm mostly familiar with their early stuff and their black metal back then is so horribly produced (as was the style) and their folky stuff is kinda cool, but hasn't quite grabbed me.

I've yet to dig into their more recent art poppy stuff.

I've really enjoyed the synth pop album I posted since it came out.
I also love Blood Inside. I've labelled it as prog metal but honestly it doesn't sound like the usual suspects from that genre. Totally unique take. And of course I always dig some raw-ass BM but that's just me.

Xploding Plastix

Their stuff seems to range from jazzy stuff to lounge, trip hop and a load of Aphex Twin type electronic weirdness.
And they just put out new material after a 15 year hiatus.

Quote from: Suburban Placeholder? on Oct 28, 2023, 10:38 PM

Xploding Plastix

Their stuff seems to range from jazzy stuff to lounge, trip hop and a load of Aphex Twin type electronic weirdness.
And they just put out new material after a 15 year hiatus.

They seem to not be that well known but I love those guys! Gotta check out the new stuff.

Quote from: Guybrush on Oct 17, 2023, 12:10 AMWhen it comes to art and culture, I am like a traitor, always having focused my attention outside and elsewhere.

Still, I'm not completely ignorant - just mostly and vastly - so I thought it might be fun to do a thread.

:laughing: - although in fact, of course, you turn out to be pretty knowledgeable, Guybrush.

All the artist names in this thread are new to me, so rather randomly, based on the descriptions kindly provided, I listened to:-

Quote from: grindy on Oct 18, 2023, 07:06 PMPixie Ninja - atmospheric electronic rock or something

Verdict: good, solid rock with various more experimental sections that still keep up the momentum. :thumb:

Quote from: innerspaceboy on Oct 19, 2023, 10:04 PMKings of Convenience - "Homesick"

I adore everything KoC has released. Quiet, reflective folk at its finest.

Verdict: completely unfair to both the artists and ISB, I was a little disappointed that this didn't sound more exotic, evoking some windswept icy landscape. Instead, this track made me think of the early Simon & Garfunkel albums - so actually, it is good after all.

One Norwegian band I like are Kaisers Orchestra *, who have a kind of theatrical rock sound and (what I expect from Norway), lyrics I can't understand:-


This track of theirs has a great video, showing what I'm going to assume are scenes of everyday life in Norway ;) :-


* Quite possibly I was introduced to KO by grindy- in which case, thanks.

Quote from: Lisnaholic on Nov 05, 2023, 03:31 PM:laughing: - although in fact, of course, you turn out to be pretty knowledgeable, Guybrush.

One Norwegian band I like are Kaisers Orchestra *, who have a kind of theatrical rock sound and (what I expect from Norway), lyrics I can't understand:-

Not particularly knowledgeable for a music interested Norwegian, I think 😄

Kaiser's Orchestra is a good example. They are inescapable in Norway, yet I know precious little about them except the town they came from and I half-heartedly started listening to their debut once.

Sad thing is I'm pretty sure they're actually great and well worth the plunge. As it is, I only know their hits and my favorite out of those is this (as I'm a sucker for ballads):


I posted a Turboneger song in the Workout thread and of course they deserve a bigger mention here, but while we wait for that to happen..

Knut Schreiner, Turboneger's guitarist, had Kåre & The Cavemen as one of his side projects and for a while, they made deliciously funky, instrumental 70s west coast music. My favorite is their album Long Day's Flight Till Tomorrow which has this awesome banger on it:


How funky is that?

The band name was so unsellable to foreigners, so when they tried marketing themselves abroad, they changed name to Euroboys.. as an attempt to tail Turboneger's success by using Knut's Turboneger stage name (Euroboy). I don't know if the Cavemen, now boys, made anything as great as this again, but then.. I should probably check.

Bel Canto, if you want something on the dream pop and ethereal spectrum.

Quote from: Gandalf on Nov 07, 2023, 09:47 PMBel Canto, if you want something on the dream pop and ethereal spectrum.

That album was quite a hit in Norway in the 90s and Anneli Drecker is still a known figure here.

The title track was the big hit, but my own favorite track from that was Le Temps Degage which, in the refrains, sounds big and atmospheric

I only know Karin Krog and a handful of metal bands from Norway.  Of course i know Abba but they're far from favourites.  Out of all the metal bands Dimmu Borger is probably the most popular in the states.

^ My tip to a new-comer to SCD: mentioning Abba probably won't do much for your credibility as a music nerd around here, lars ;) :laughing:
On the other hand, you also mention two bands I've never heard of - so credibility restored :thumb:

Quote from: Guybrush on Nov 05, 2023, 10:57 PMNot particularly knowledgeable for a music interested Norwegian, I think 😄

Kaiser's Orchestra is a good example. They are inescapable in Norway, yet I know precious little about them except the town they came from and I half-heartedly started listening to their debut once.

Sad thing is I'm pretty sure they're actually great and well worth the plunge. As it is, I only know their hits and my favorite out of those is this (as I'm a sucker for ballads):

I posted a Turboneger song in the Workout thread and of course they deserve a bigger mention here, but while we wait for that to happen..

Knut Schreiner, Turboneger's guitarist, had Kåre & The Cavemen as one of his side projects and for a while, they made deliciously funky, instrumental 70s west coast music. My favorite is their album Long Day's Flight Till Tomorrow which has this awesome banger on it:

How funky is that?

The band name was so unsellable to foreigners, so when they tried marketing themselves abroad, they changed name to Euroboys.. as an attempt to tail Turboneger's success by using Knut's Turboneger stage name (Euroboy). I don't know if the Cavemen, now boys, made anything as great as this again, but then.. I should probably check.

Thanks for letting us know the status of some of these bands in their home country. You are definitely our expert on that, Guybrush.
Yep, that Down The Road Of Golden Dust track is a real belter !

I also consider Abba Swedish, even if they had a Norwegian born member 🙂

I associate Abba with Eurovision (due to Waterloo). Although I like Abba just fine, I typically don't care for Eurovision music.. But here's a Norwegian exception, Åse Kleveland's Intet Er Nytt Under Solen (Nothing Is New Under the Sun) from 1966.


I've wondered if the odd meter was inspired by Brubeck's Take Five.

She also served as Norway's minister of culture from 1990 to 96 and as director for the Swedish film Institute from 1999 to 2005, among other things.

A patron of the arts and all around impressive person.

Sven Libaek, film/soundtrack composer born in Oslo in 1938 and moved to Australia in the 60s. Solar Flares is a great album and this title track is sublime.

Sven Libaek - Solar Flares - 1974

..as is his soundtrack to Ron & Val Taylor's Inner Space.

Sven Libaek - Inner Space - 1973

^Hey @Saulaac ! Very cool 🙂 Sven Libaek is new to me, but I love these very 70s soundtracks. Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely check him out 🙂

Since we're now talking soundtracks, I thought I'd post something every Norwegian knows, but which surely must be obscure abroad. There's a nationally very famous stop motion animation movie from 1975 called The Pinchcliffe (or Flåklypa) Grand Prix. It's about an old inventor, Reodor, who makes his own race car to compete in a Grand Prix. He has some help from his two weird animal mates. Everyone from my generation knows it well and it's still popular, if a little dated.

The guy who made music for it was a Danish guy, Bent Fabricius-Bjerre. The most popular song is Reodor's ballad played when Reodor is sad and can't sleep, so he goes out to play his harmonica under the moon.

To play the harmonica on the soundtrack, they had a Canadian player, Tommy Reilly, perform. But Tommy had a Norwegian student, Sigmund Groven, who would become a popular harmonica virtuoso in Norway. He did his own version of Reodor's ballad which is the one people appreciate the most today, I believe.

So here's a slice of Danish-Norwegian movie soundtrack sentimentality.


Sorry about all the yadda-yadda 🙂

Quote from: Guybrush on Nov 14, 2023, 04:29 PM

I've wondered if the odd meter was inspired by Brubeck's Take Five.

^ Yep ! Totally, just from those opening bars ! Good one !

So Kvelertak is a band I expect others might know, maybe more so than I do as I've only really checked out their debut. It made quite a splash when it came.

I don't dabble too much in metal and especially not the black sort (our biggest cultural export), but Kvelertak's fusion of hard rock mixed with elements from black metal makes for a potent mix and one I quite like 🙂


By the way, Kvelertak means Stranglehold and Fossegrim is a river faerie that looks like a young man, lives in a waterfall ("foss") and that can be persuaded to give violin lessons.

I do like the band De Lillos who were, at times, just slightly like early Talking Heads. I don't mean the music so much, but the characters in early De Lillos songs sound kinda naive and innocent or possibly autistic, a bit like the character in Don't Worry About the Government.

Unfortunately for you, De Lillos sing and play in Norwegian, but I'll post a few favorites anyways (which are all very old, of course).

The song that I believe made them famous is this, a song about wearing cool clothes, stupid clothes or no clothes at all on the buss


This one's also famous, about a guy whose girlfriend leaves him by driving off with a bunch of punkers while he's left to play table tennis with his dad.

I'll post a version from a TV performance so you can get a glimpse of the awkwardness that was Norwegian TV in the 80s.


I also really like this one about what it might be like to be a young guy caught in a conversation with an old alcoholic who's loving one minute and threatens with violence the next. I know what that's like.

A relatively popular Norwegian band is Jaga Jazzist, a band that mixes jazz and acoustic instruments with electronica.

I did listen to them for a short period of time and have been to a concert or two, but haven't really paid attention to them the last 15-20 years or so.

So this song was new to me (despite being 14 years old), but I like it a lot:


Their most popular is still the song Animal Chin from 2001's A Livingroom Hush, at least according to YouTube Music. This is the album that got me interested back in the day.

It sounds a bit like jungle / Aphex Twin inspired jazz which is kinda cool.

Anybody talk about Kim Hiorthøy yet? I like Kim Hiorthøy.

I forgot about Jaga Jazzist and didn't realise they were Norwegian! I remember their track 'Lithuania' which was really good and had some strings in there. Would have never have heard of them were it not for YT algorithms. 

I remember the title Lithuania, but not what the song sounded like. I'll take a listen 🙂 In Norway, they were quite popular, though never huge.

Quote from: robhr on Feb 09, 2024, 01:56 AMAnybody talk about Kim Hiorthøy yet? I like Kim Hiorthøy.

Who? I don't know this guy at all 🤔

Quote from: Guybrush on Feb 09, 2024, 07:31 AMI remember the title Lithuania, but not what the song sounded like. I'll take a listen 🙂 In Norway, they were quite popular, though never huge.

Who? I don't know this guy at all 🤔

Electronic music. IDM to be specific. If you're interested "Hei" is a good album.

Quote from: Guybrush on Dec 03, 2023, 02:06 AMSo Kvelertak is a band I expect others might know, maybe more so than I do as I've only really checked out their debut. It made quite a splash when it came.

I don't dabble too much in metal and especially not the black sort (our biggest cultural export), but Kvelertak's fusion of hard rock mixed with elements from black metal makes for a potent mix and one I quite like 🙂

...

By the way, Kvelertak means Stranglehold and Fossegrim is a river faerie that looks like a young man, lives in a waterfall ("foss") and that can be persuaded to give violin lessons.

I could never really get into their debut, but I love their third album Nattesferd, especially the awesome 80s tribute of this track:

Quote from: Janszoon on Feb 10, 2024, 07:26 AMI could never really get into their debut, but I love their third album Nattesferd, especially the awesome 80s tribute of this track:

Hey, thanks for the tip. And good to see you back again! 😊 I like that song too, rather more upbeat than what I've heard before.

By the way, weird music video 😄 man gets back together with his old criminal cultist friends?

This week's Hearts of Space transmission (Pgm 1365, Feed Date: 2-16-24) showcases lyrical, atmospheric space jazz from Europe, with a focus on Norwegian composers on the ECM label.

I've had the set on repeat all weekend as I'm really enjoying the atmospheric ambient quality of the music.

From their official website:

INTRO : The British jazz saxophonist and clarinetist JOHN SURMAN has a style that's described as "intensely lyrical," a quality he attributes to his time as a choirboy and his upbringing in the verdant landscapes of rural west England. Surman sees the 20th century origins of jazz by black musicians in the U.S. as a melting pot of world music, with African, Creole, Spanish and other influences. These were eventually transformed into the speed and virtuosity of Bebop, which dominated jazz at mid-century.

Between the world wars, Europe had become a major venue for American jazz musicians. The genre took on influences from European folk and classical music, as  well as a wider range of world influences from the Middle East, Central Asia, and South America. As a result, European jazz tended to be less abstract, more melodic, and more atmospheric than American jazz. The essential German jazz and New Music label ECM, founded in 1969, continues to document this repertoire in a catalog of over 1800 superb recordings, from which this program is drawn.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, lyrical jazz from Europe with a focus on Norway, a small country that produces a remarkable amount of great music, on a program called EUROJAZZ.

Set List:

JOHN SURMAN
  "On Still Waters" < 0:00->4:41 >
  "Byndweed" (edited) < 4:41->8:38 >
  : INVISIBLE THREADS; ECM Records 2588 B0027869-02; 2018
    http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Threads-John-Surman/dp/B077HKZH2P
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.johnsurman.com

TORD GUSTAVSEN QUARTET
  "Suite" (edited) < 8:38->14:57 >
  : THE WELL; ECM Records 2237 B0016444-02; 2012
    http://www.amazon.com/Well-Tord-Gustavsen-Quartet/dp/B0066GT7CE
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/tord-gustavsen

TERJE RYPDAL
  "By His Lonesome" < 14:57->21:44 >
  : CONSPIRACY; ECM Records 2658 089 5911; 2020
    http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Terje-Rypdal/dp/B08DC9ZRFP
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/terje-rypdal

TORD GUSTAVSEN QUARTET
  "Inside" < 21:44->25:58 >
  : THE WELL; ECM Records 2237 B0016444-02; 2012
    http://www.amazon.com/Well-Tord-Gustavsen-Quartet/dp/B0066GT7CE
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/tord-gustavsen

THOMAS STRØNEN / TIME IS A BLIND GUIDE
  "Fugitive Pieces" (extended) < 25:58->33:28 >
  : LUCUS; ECM Records 2576 B0027870-02; 2018
    http://www.amazon.com/Lucus-Thomas-Stronens-Blind-Guide/dp/B07794SPLL
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/thomas-stronen-2

ARVE HENRIKSEN and HARMEN FRAANJE
  "Redream" < 33:28->42:15 >
  "The Dark Light" < 42:15->46:06 >
  : TOUCH OF TIME; ECM Records 2794 587 0512; 2024
    http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Time-Henriksen-Harmen-Fraanje/dp/B0CPLNC9PB
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.arvehenriksen.bandzoogle.com; www.harmenfraanje.com

CRAIG TABORN
  "Diamond Turning Dream" < 46:06->50:11 >
  : AVENGING ANGEL; ECM Records 2207 B0015608-02; 2011
    http://www.amazon.com/Avenging-Angel-Craig-Taborn/dp/B004SQAF70
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.craigtaborn.com

ARVE HENRIKSEN and HARMEN FRAANJE
  "Passing on the Past" < 50:11->54:23 >
  : TOUCH OF TIME; ECM Records 2794 587 0512; 2024
    http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Time-Henriksen-Harmen-Fraanje/dp/B0CPLNC9PB
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.arvehenriksen.bandzoogle.com; www.harmenfraanje.com

KRISTJAN RANDALU, BEN MONDER and MARKKU OUNASKARI
  "Absence" < 54:23->58:59 >
  : ABSENCE; ECM Records 2586 672 2679; 2018
    http://www.amazon.com/Absence-Randalu-Monder-Ounaskari/dp/B079MSRSFY
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.randalu.com

@innerspaceboy Whoa, I had no idea Hearts of Space was still going. That's pretty cool. I have an uncle who was an avid listener of it who would have it on a lot when I was a young kid in the 90s, and it's something he and I were able to connect over once I got into space and new age music as an adult as well. Glad it's still around.

Indeed! The same original host for over 40 years.

I've been archiving the show faithfully every week and have all 1,365 episodes to date.

I also have an archival vinyl pressing of his first-ever transmission from 1983 titled, "First Flight"...

(https://i.imgur.com/SZZRjkQl.jpg)

...and an official framed nebula art print from the station.

(https://i.imgur.com/YhLei8wl.jpg)

I'm a bit of a fan.

Quote from: innerspaceboy on Feb 19, 2024, 05:24 PMThis week's Hearts of Space transmission (Pgm 1365, Feed Date: 2-16-24) showcases lyrical, atmospheric space jazz from Europe, with a focus on Norwegian composers on the ECM label.

I've had the set on repeat all weekend as I'm really enjoying the atmospheric ambient quality of the music.

From their official website:

INTRO : The British jazz saxophonist and clarinetist JOHN SURMAN has a style that's described as "intensely lyrical," a quality he attributes to his time as a choirboy and his upbringing in the verdant landscapes of rural west England. Surman sees the 20th century origins of jazz by black musicians in the U.S. as a melting pot of world music, with African, Creole, Spanish and other influences. These were eventually transformed into the speed and virtuosity of Bebop, which dominated jazz at mid-century.

Between the world wars, Europe had become a major venue for American jazz musicians. The genre took on influences from European folk and classical music, as  well as a wider range of world influences from the Middle East, Central Asia, and South America. As a result, European jazz tended to be less abstract, more melodic, and more atmospheric than American jazz. The essential German jazz and New Music label ECM, founded in 1969, continues to document this repertoire in a catalog of over 1800 superb recordings, from which this program is drawn.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, lyrical jazz from Europe with a focus on Norway, a small country that produces a remarkable amount of great music, on a program called EUROJAZZ.

Set List:

JOHN SURMAN
  "On Still Waters" < 0:00->4:41 >
  "Byndweed" (edited) < 4:41->8:38 >
  : INVISIBLE THREADS; ECM Records 2588 B0027869-02; 2018
    http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Threads-John-Surman/dp/B077HKZH2P
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.johnsurman.com

TORD GUSTAVSEN QUARTET
  "Suite" (edited) < 8:38->14:57 >
  : THE WELL; ECM Records 2237 B0016444-02; 2012
    http://www.amazon.com/Well-Tord-Gustavsen-Quartet/dp/B0066GT7CE
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/tord-gustavsen

TERJE RYPDAL
  "By His Lonesome" < 14:57->21:44 >
  : CONSPIRACY; ECM Records 2658 089 5911; 2020
    http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Terje-Rypdal/dp/B08DC9ZRFP
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/terje-rypdal

TORD GUSTAVSEN QUARTET
  "Inside" < 21:44->25:58 >
  : THE WELL; ECM Records 2237 B0016444-02; 2012
    http://www.amazon.com/Well-Tord-Gustavsen-Quartet/dp/B0066GT7CE
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/tord-gustavsen

THOMAS STRØNEN / TIME IS A BLIND GUIDE
  "Fugitive Pieces" (extended) < 25:58->33:28 >
  : LUCUS; ECM Records 2576 B0027870-02; 2018
    http://www.amazon.com/Lucus-Thomas-Stronens-Blind-Guide/dp/B07794SPLL
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com/artists/thomas-stronen-2

ARVE HENRIKSEN and HARMEN FRAANJE
  "Redream" < 33:28->42:15 >
  "The Dark Light" < 42:15->46:06 >
  : TOUCH OF TIME; ECM Records 2794 587 0512; 2024
    http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Time-Henriksen-Harmen-Fraanje/dp/B0CPLNC9PB
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.arvehenriksen.bandzoogle.com; www.harmenfraanje.com

CRAIG TABORN
  "Diamond Turning Dream" < 46:06->50:11 >
  : AVENGING ANGEL; ECM Records 2207 B0015608-02; 2011
    http://www.amazon.com/Avenging-Angel-Craig-Taborn/dp/B004SQAF70
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.craigtaborn.com

ARVE HENRIKSEN and HARMEN FRAANJE
  "Passing on the Past" < 50:11->54:23 >
  : TOUCH OF TIME; ECM Records 2794 587 0512; 2024
    http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Time-Henriksen-Harmen-Fraanje/dp/B0CPLNC9PB
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.arvehenriksen.bandzoogle.com; www.harmenfraanje.com

KRISTJAN RANDALU, BEN MONDER and MARKKU OUNASKARI
  "Absence" < 54:23->58:59 >
  : ABSENCE; ECM Records 2586 672 2679; 2018
    http://www.amazon.com/Absence-Randalu-Monder-Ounaskari/dp/B079MSRSFY
  : Info: www.ecmrecords.com; www.randalu.com

Been listening to Arve Henriksen & Harmen Fraanje's Touch Of Time a lot lately. Huge fan of Arve and those two really vibe with each other.

Quote from: innerspaceboy on Feb 19, 2024, 08:05 PMIndeed! The same original host for over 40 years.

I've been archiving the show faithfully every week and have all 1,365 episodes to date.

I also have an archival vinyl pressing of his first-ever transmission from 1983 titled, "First Flight"...

(https://i.imgur.com/SZZRjkQl.jpg)

...and an official framed nebula art print from the station.

(https://i.imgur.com/YhLei8wl.jpg)

I'm a bit of a fan.

I am too. His music selections and voiceovers were always a joy to listen to.  I'd love to go through some of those archives and see if I could find any specific episodes I might remember from my youth.

Alright, thought it might be time to mention a band you probably all know, Turboneger or Turbonegro abroad. This perhaps unfortunately named band was probably Norway's biggest rock band in the 2000s.

Just writing from memory, but I believe they emerged as a punk band in the late 80s and made records in the 90s. Their music was kinda edgy and they were also funny. By the mid 90s, they were churning out juvenile anthems like I Got Erection (from Ass Cobra).


While it was still a little rough, Turbonegro would get a real polish and reached their full musically commercial potential with 1998s Apocalypse Dudes, perfecting the commercial sound of what they dubbed Deathpunk. Their new polish was in part due to the inclusion of the very savvy Knut Schreiner aka Euroboy on guitar.

On Apocalypse Dudes, we got songs like the opener Age of Pamparius (about member Pål Pamparius' pizza joint):


We got one of the most lively drinking songs ever made in Get It On:


It's just balls on catchy party music:


People loved it and many still do. They got some good press abroad and rabid fans in countries like Germany were wearing denim and calling themselves Turbojugend.

(https://cms.kerrang.com/images/TJ8.jpg)

I thought the nazi references (Hitlerjugend) were just ironic back then. I still do, but now I also think of it as a little unfortunate.

Anyways, the world should have been their oyster at this point but it wasn't to be as lead man Hank Von Hell had a serious heroin problem that needed treatment. Instead of capitalising on Apocalypse Dudes' success, they instead took a hiatus.

People did not forget them, though. Instead, their legend only seemed to grow and their music found a bigger audience even though they were sorta broken up. When they reformed to release 2003's Scandinavian Leather, everyone was primed and ready. That album was huge here.

It opened with the classic Wipe It Till It Bleeds:


We got Sell Your Body to the Night which is about what @jimmy jazz does every day.


We got the more brooding and symphonic Fuck The World:


And they had some help from the cast of Jackass who loved them, spread the word on television and used some of their music in their related TV productions.

Around this time, I was actually getting fairly saturated with Turboneger and so I wasn't very interested when their next album Party Animal came along, but it does sound like them and I'm sure it's good. In 2007 we got another album, Retox. I never listened to it.

Around 2010, Hank Von Hell got replaced by Tony Sylvester and they've made two more albums since.

Hank also had a rather public fight with some of his old band mates in the media about royalties and then died a few years ago. I think it was drug-related.

As I mentioned, I tired of them after Scandinavian Leather just from over-exposure, but now I'm thinking it might be fun to check out the albums that came after.

And TLDR; For your basic rock drinking music, they are great.

Lol I've heard of Turbonegro before. Was in another forum and the question was whether the name was problematic.

Quote from: jimmy jazz on Mar 18, 2024, 01:44 AMLol I've heard of Turbonegro before. Was in another forum and the question was whether the name was problematic.

I'd say it is and I think that was the point. It probably served them well as a ridiculous and vaguely offensive name that was hard to forget. I also think it was a little edgy in the 80s and then the lines have shifted a bit since then 😄 it probably doesn't serve them as well now.

A little more on the guys:

Bassist Thomas Seltzer (Happy Tom) has hosted a TV show where he interviews people sometimes on the fringes of society and has also made a documentary about Trumpism in the US, etc.

Knut Schreiner I'm a little unsure of, but he did have his own west coast band Kåre & the Cavemen that later changed name to Euroboys. Sounds like a porn name.

@Marie Monday maybe Scampi Chips Dip & Campari would be interesting to you? One of the members is a dear old friend of mine who came to the concert we played recently 🙂

Thanks, I'll check it out

@Marie Monday Is this like the third time I dump random girl punk related stuff on you? 😅 I'm sorry. I got too few RL friends who really appreciate it.

idk but I appreciate it

I just got a couple Jaga Jazzist records a few days ago:

Nice ones, Jans 🙂 I like them! I should definitely check those out.

Maybe someone else knows about the seemingly mostly forgotten pop band Briskeby?

They had some pleasant hits in the early 2000s, the first of them I believe being Propaganda. Some examples:





I'm reminded of The Cardigans that were active around the same time, but seemed to have more success.

I think Briskeby were good, but perhaps just a bit too straight and clean to be truly memorable.