If you teleported Aurora back to the soulful days of the late 60s, threw a gauze of colour-pop psych over some Broen type wonk, and then fused the two, you might arrive at something vaguely in the realm of ‘How it Works’, the debut single from Oslo based Samū.
With only one other song up on their socials, the ludicrously good ‘In My Head‘, a song that could easily have been crafted by that erstwhile queen of ’50s jazz and ’60s trippy folk cum blue-eyed soul, Amie ‘Warwick Avenue‘ Duffy, Samū’s sound is still pretty much uncharted territory.
A five-piece comprising Trine Samuelsen Hansen, Sander Eriksen Nordahl, Ruben Gilje, Martin Morland and Knærten Simonsen they recently signed to Trondheim based ‘NO FOREVERS‘ a label whose star is very much in the musical ascendancy.
That they draw the bulk, if not all, of their influences from the 20th century is pretty clear, with samples spanning a 40 year spectrum from the ’60s folk of Simon & Garfunkel through sugar coated synth-pop to ’90s slacker pop, all washed down with that easy-evening, ‘Waterloo Sunset’, laid-back chill of The Kinks.
And it is that low-key, serene feeling, that lies at the very heart and neo-soul of their single ‘How it Works’, a song set in a timeless world, in which everything moves in a slow-mo waltz, against a backdrop of hazy days harmonies and easy, peaceful sounds.
Echoey ’60s piano riffs and retro keyboard sounds take centre stage, while nice n’easy guitar and percussion take a more subtle, gentler approach.
Trine Hansen’s vocal, more golden delicious than the Nordic cool of so many of her peers, skips and dances playfully through the songs instrumental spaces, giving them a delicious sweet filling. The song itself is underpinned by a lumbering bass, which in an almost bluegrass outro, tracks its elephantine plod through a garden bed of spiralised wonk.
Having cut their live teeth playing several gigs in Norway, Samū laid down their first single in Øra studios with Karl Klaseie (Kari Harneshaug, Antler, Østfrost). The band are now working on their first album, details of which will be announced later in the year. ‘How it Works’ goes on release today, and you can hear it right here, right now.
Trondheim based, As he said, are a new four-piece alt-pop project whose sound is a fusion of pure 90’s Eastern European dreampop and 21c bluesy R&B Nordic style. Having come together through the renowned Trondheim music college that sits on the periphery of a tightly-knit music scene of its own creation, these four musicians bring a wealth of vastly different references to their collective melting pot.
The sum of many eclectic parts ranging from jazz improv (they cite Jaga Jazzist, whose Marcus ‘Bror’ Forsgren has oft been mentioned here, as one of their influences) through indie-pop to punk, As he said, has developed a very individualistic yet marketable sound, which they say is a result of blending “industrial synths, rusty guitars, organic beats and unpolished vocals“.
Right then, shall we?
Following on from their late 2015 single, ‘Parasite‘, about which our friends over at Nordic Music Review penned some nice words, which you can read here, As he said have released their third single in under ten months in the form of ‘Get me drunk‘. Self-produced by the band, and mastered by Karl Klaseie (Snøskred, Panda Panda, Østfrost), the song is about “how things that can be really great can change suddenly into something really bad, which you didn’t see coming. The only way to handle it, is to get drunk – or get out.”
Before the opening bar of ‘Get me drunk’ had even finished, my ears were recalling the late 90s shoegaze/dreampop sound of The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, a band formed in Prague in 1990, and in particular, their song from a 2000 film soundtrack, called ‘For That Moment‘.
Leading with the bare minimum of some reverbed electric guitar dotted with the odd plink plink of keys, the early focus is firmly on voice and words with the tracks lyrical vulnerability being perfectly evoked by vocalist Synnøve’s beautiful golden timbre and delicately emotional nuances. The song gently builds from chilled pared back indie wonk to slick bluesy R&B but central to both instrumental styles is that moreish mellowness that allows the music to just glide effortlessly under the vocal rise and fall.
A superlative ‘gloria’ in the form a spectacular starburst is a stunning surprise midway, when a downtempo blur of soft vocal blends is immediately blown skywards by the most fantastic explosion of instrumental fireworks. This is one disarmingly laid back delight; a pan-musical weave of subtly blended textures and a finely balanced diffusion of influences that when combined, create the most deliciously uplifting track, all warm glow and honeyed aftertaste.
By taking up a theme that is quite prevalent in Nordic songs of the now, that of cleansing the mind of its woes with washes of booze or flurries of sundry narcotics, As he said is following the same youth-culture focussed trend as the likes of fellow Norwegians Broen. Actually, when you give it some thought, the fact that there is a Norwegian drinking culture of any description is rather remarkable given the cost of alcohol in Norway. (Still notover the shock of the Euro 14 Gin og Tonic #scarredforlife).
Exploratory and experimental, ‘Get me drunk’ is a song of disparate parts that fit together like perfectly hewn pieces of an eclectic jigsaw. There’s no doubting that As he said has both the nous and talent to take their music to even greater levels, and if they carry on creating songs as addictive as this, they should have no problem in continuing to get me & many more like me, drunk on the sweet toxicity of their sound.
As he said comprises, Synnøve Gustavsen Ovrid (vocals), Torbjørn Kobberstad (synths), Bendik Romundstad (guitar) and Sigurd Underhaug Nermoen (drums)* & you can follow them on their various social sites:- Facebook, Soundcloud, and Twitter.
[*most of which I worked out myself – hint to band, put the detail up on your FB page!]
When pop is done well, it can be highly infectious, but when its production is exceptionally well executed, it becomes potently addictive. Such is the case with ‘BonBons’, the debut album from Norwegian trio Antler, just released through independent Trondheim label, NO FOREVERS.
Mastered by Jørgen Træen, and mixed and co-produced (*in conjunction with vocalist Natali Garner*) by Øra/Greener‘s Karl Klaseie, this is an album with more slick than a Brylcreemed Teddy at a Slow Shuffle spectacular. With ‘BonBons’, Klaseie & Garner have taken eight tantalising electro-pop tunes and expertly moulded them into highly polished euphonious sounds. The Trondheim man’s midas touch when it comes to well recorded productions, intuitively engineered with finesse, is what has made him Norway’s indigenous go-to-sound- guy. Having worked with several other NO FOREVERS acts, including Kari Harnshaug and Østfrost, it comes as no surprise to find that he was the mixer of choice for emerging electronic act, Antler.
Fronted by silken voiced, Natali Garner, Antler keep it clean with their instrumental hinging solely on synths and percussion. Johan Lindvall (Synth) and Axel Skalstad (Drums) make up this newly formed three-piece, who came together when they met in the jazz halls of Norway’s renowned music academy. Having started as an acoustic outfit, the trio started mixing it up by adding in experimental synthesiser sounds and finding that it gave their music greater scope and added depth and texture, quickly moved into the realms of electro-minimal pop. Speaking of the continuous evolution of their sound, Garner explains:
“Our music is very influenced by our background in minimalistic improv. Since there’s just the three of us, we work with every element, keeping it simple yet interesting, we hope! Instead of building everything up and drowning everyone in loads of sound and beats, we want to let every element stand strong by itself but yet be super groovy and intense at the same time. When we were in the recording studio we started producing the songs a lot more, so the sound has grown and become more dense. But we still try to let the music talk for itself and in the studio also added simple, but strong elements.
These days we find it really hard to define our musical style. It’s alternative synth pop with a dash of art pop. Sometimes thing can’t be easily sorted into boxes, so the best thing is just to let people hear, and define it, for themselves! Words and explanations often come in the way given that people often interpret them differently.”
‘BonBons’ comprises eight tracks including the three Antler singles, ‘Animal’, ‘The Dip, and self-titled, ‘Antler’. Throughout, intricate layers of electronica create an intense icy weave around Garner’s delectable vocal, while Skalstad’s dynamic and jazz infused percussive techniques take Antler’s sound beyond everyday cold electronica.
With a voice that can scale the heights of Kate Bush, Garner’s come hither delivery has all the delicate breathiness of Haley Gibby draped in the allure of Nadia Ali. What is most unique about her style is the fact that it is unforced and unpretentious – more ingenue than agent provocateur, with a timbre that is naturally predisposed towards the evocatively suggestive. Nowhere is this more evident than on the track ‘Born’, one of Antler’s strongest compositions, on which Garner gives an utterly spellbinding performance. Conversely, on ‘The Dip’, we are treated to a captivating vocal of such purity it sparkles brilliantly against the laboured monotony of repetitious synth chords and fervid choppy percussion.
Instrumentally, tracks like ‘Born’ benefit from Lindvall’s cleverly pared back spacious chords laced hither and thither with intricate criss-crosses of electronic noises that have been set against Skalstad’s impressively tenuous percussion. Lyrically and electronically, their most interesting composition is ‘Nude’, on which Lindvall showcase’s his synthtastic wares. Opening with shards of dry electronic flares and a melee of random noises, ‘Nude’ sidesteps into a lush musical oasis during which Garner and Skalstad sync with understated perfection, before returning to its original rawness, eventually tailing out with sensual deliciousness. The song focusses on our obsession with physical perfection and warped view of ourselves in comparison with the assumed perfection of artificially enhanced, media beauties.
“You’re the spitting image of pure beauty, your flaws are right, my flaws are wrong … I’m not beauty just because it’s me”
Self-titled album opener ‘Antler’, exemplifies everything that is unique and special about this young band. The deftness of Lindvall’s adept playing of what sounds like a synth spaghetti junction, is genuinely impressive, while Skalstad’s understated, slick percussion, underpins the instrumental eloquence of his synth-wizard bandmate. Garner’s intense and inviting vocal adds further sheen to what is an already superlative production.
The finely tuned instrumental skills and innovative improv techniques that come from having studied jazz shine through Antler’s music, setting them apart from most of their electro-pop peers. They are impressive in their ability to offer up a very self-assured and mature delivery of a cleverly arranged, and lyrically colourful compendium of an infectious fusion of alternative electronic-jazz pop.
Having seen Antler perform live, I know that the sound of this album is not just the waxed up result of Klaseie’s well honed mixing skills, although it is all the better for it. There’s is natural talent here, in spades – it’s just had some of its rawness filed down, and loose ends tied up, before being boxed up and shipped out, in all its sharply produced perfection.
This isn’t any ordinary electronic pop album – this is a deliciously moreish and addictive confection, carefully and imaginatively crafted by prescient musical savants; an evocative sonic seduction of such hypnotic power, it will leave you in a state of satiated trance.
Antler is: Natali A. Garner – Vocals, Johan Lindvall – Synth, Axel Skalstad – Drums, and you can follow them on Facebook
‘BonBons’ is out now on all digital platforms including iTunes, Spotify & Tidal
It might well be the case that a rolling stone gathers no moss, but it’s often the case that a rolling snowball results in an avalanche!
Norwegian band Panda Panda currently has so many snowballs rolling down the slopes of Galdhøpiggen (not just the highest mountain in Norway but in all of Northern Europe) that the combined effect has been an avalanche of press attention and a barrage of enthusiastic reviews. If they keep firing out releases at this pace, they’ll be so snowed under with wordy positivity, that they won’t be able to move out through doors of their off-piste cabins.
In less than a month, the Pandas (as I affectionately call them), have dropped two singles, one video and an EP. Meanwhile, back at the Nordic ranch, they are currently to be found skating around Norway with their Riot Factory stable-mates, Snøskred andDråpe, the latter of whom they’ll be joining at the Hulenvenue in ‘sunny’ Bergen on 22nd April, dets here.
Having previously featured Panda*2 on this site – check out the interview feature here – it makes sense to continue the tradition and dip into their latest release, ‘Millions‘ EP. A four-track affair, it comprises the two already released singles, ‘New Friends‘ and ‘Halcyon Years‘, alongside two new songs, ‘Why Are You Still Here‘ and ‘Fuels‘. Recorded in Greener Studios, Trondheim, the EP benefits from the midas touch of fellow Norwegian, Karl Klaseie’s mixing and production skills.
Panda Panda Live at Trondheim Calling (FB)
Time to talk music!
Up until now, EP lead track, ‘New Friends‘ was probably the Pandas’ most identifiable song, and by default, the sound by which they had become recognised . Alternating between indie rock and ballad, this passionate yet tender track, peaks and troughs as many times as the relationships at it’s thematic core. A melting pot of vibrant guitar jams and a low-key, delicately nuanced duet, the musical maturity of this track blew me away the first time I heard it, and still does. In addition, there is something altogether quite haunting about the central instrumental line running through ‘New Friends‘, that no matter how many times I listen to it, the depth of its poignancy always catches me, especially at the tail-end of the outro. Check out the home-made visual for ‘New Friends‘ here.
In contrast to its predecessor, follow on single, ‘Halcyon Years‘, has a rockier, more experimental thrust. Edgy and urgent, the track boasts a frantic criss-cross of Wildhagen riffs and fuel-injected Sponås drumming, yet somehow in the midst of this punchy, propulsive thrang, we find a playful’n’poppy vocal duet, that sweetens the ferocity of its instrumental accompaniment.
One thing that comes across quite clearly in Panda Panda’s music, is not just their willingness to embrace diversity and change, but also their ability to have a lot of fun while doing so. You’ll catch my drift from this live edit of ‘Halcyon Years‘ – Voila!
Turning our attention to the two previously unreleased tracks, it’s time to share some exclusive insider info which we recently managed to wheedle out of the band. Speaking about the creative background to ‘Why Are You Still Here?, the Pandas explain:
“‘Why are you still here’ was at first intended for Håkon’s super secret electronica project. The first demo was full of gritty lo-fi beats, an out of tune piano and lots of random noise. Last summer we started playing it at a rehearsal and it immediately felt like a Panda Panda song. We wrote some new lyrics, and rearranged the song structure. We also got noise guru Øyvind Brantsegg, to track some noisy «Marimba Lumina» in the studio.”
Well Håkon, your super secret electronica project, isn’t really so super secret any more is it?? Oops!
I mentioned earlier that Panda Panda will be playing support to Dråpein Bergen this weekend, and interestingly enough, one of the first things that struck me when I heard this track was how similar in structure and playing style it was to the latter’s own music, right down to the tight intensity of the lead guitar sequences not to mention the three tons of reverb.
Another track, another catwalk on which Panda Panda can parade the diversity and borderless creativity of their musical wares. Again, as with most of their compositions, this track alternates between strident and stripped – fizzing with frenergy one minute, and practically in a state of stasis the next. The extent of Wildhagen’s guitar playing prowess is further exemplified on this track, as is the comparative ease with which the R/S of Jonathan Fimland Kleven (bass) & Oddbjørn Sponås (drums) sync with each other.
The only word I can use to describe the vocal on this song is stunning. The purity of Ragnhild’s lark-trilled vocals sends shivers down my spine: it is an unfiltered vocal, whose clarity is of a quality only Norway can produce. This is the type of crystal clear vocal that so much is expounded upon by the international press.
You can hear ‘Why Are You Still Here?’ on the Spotify playlist below.
The final track on the EP is called, ‘Fuels’. Giving us some more exclusive background, the band divulge:-
“The chorus of ‘Fuels’ was actually a part of the first song we made together. It was a really loud song, with a chorus that we loved but a verse that we hated. After some nail biting rehearsals, trying to make it work, we decided to pick the tune apart and make the chorus into an entirely new song.”
Evocative, tender, with vocals as delicate as raindrops falling on the first petals of Spring, this is quite a beautiful song that, with its pared-back, organic production, exposes the depth of the bands adept and intuitive musicianship. Sparkling Omnichord chords that twinkle like stars, float over a night sky of of bass driven melodies, building to a delicious cloudburst of hazy instrumental gorgeousness of such exquisite tenderness as to induce an hypnotic trance.
You can watch the live visual for ‘Fuels’ here. It was shot outdoors on a Trondheim roof, which, I’m led to believe, has seen more than it’s fair share of mini-festivals!! Secret…shhh.
It is worth pointing out that on listening to the ‘Millions‘ EP, it becomes apparent that the crux on which the Panda Panda wheel turns, is the provident pairing of Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit and Håkon Brunborg Kjenstad. Their perfect symbiosis is the central element from, and around which, all else springs and flows. The combination of their dawn and dusk vocals, both complements and evokes the lyrical content in perfect harmony with its instrumental backdrop, to such a successful degree as is rarely witnessed in modern day duets.
All things considered, Panda Panda has released an EP of a technically high standard and exceptional musical quality. Its highly complex arrangements are, on the surface, so glossed over by production of such polish and panache, that one can easily be fooled into missing the intricate web of elements that lie hidden within its dense sonic undergrowth. I tried to find fault with this EP, and yeah, maybe at times the sound is a little off balance, but only intermittently, and by a fraction, and we none of us would be human if we were perfect.
This is an astonishing debut compilation, made all the more remarkable by the fact that this band only got together a little over a year ago. As I have said before, Panda Panda has a musical maturity beyond its years and by producing such an eclectically styled, lyrically astute and instrumentally challenging concoction as this at the first attempt, it would not be beyond the bounds of possibility that when their full length arrives, it will be, if not perfect, as phenomenally close to it as this far-sighted group of unique and unbelievably talented musicians can get. 9.5/10
Panda Panda is : Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit (vox/synth), Håkon Brunborg Kjenstad (vox/guitar), Herman Wildhagen (vox/guitar), Jonathan Fimland Kleven (bass) & Oddbjørn Sponås (drums)
Standing near the front of the stage in Dokkhuset Scene watching Kari Harneshaugperform on the last night of Trondheim Calling, it slowly became apparent to me that I was undergoing both a mental and musical shift. While I had always found Kari’s music both interesting to listen to, and fascinating to explore, it was with rapt astonishment that I watched her performance unfold over the too short course of thirty minutes.
Kari performed her six-track setlist accompanied by a 5-piece backing band comprising of none other than slick n savvy Snøskred aficionados, Karl Klaseie (on guitar) and Kyrre Laastad (on synths).
Standing in the centre of the dimly lit stage, the singer cut a diminutive, elfin like figure, but my God when she started to sing did it become obvious that there was nothing nanoscopic about her commanding vocal presence. KariHarneshaug cuts a most deceiving figure – what she lacks in physical stature she sure as hell makes up for in vocal weight.
Song after song was vocalised with requisite exuberant energy, theatrical drama or understated potency. The link that bound was the vice like grip the singer had over her breath control, pitch and delivery. Harneshaug wields her vocal tools with pinpoint precision and as a result, was in full control of her performance throughout.
Experimental and eclectic, her multi-textured, many splendored songs, allow for varied artistic interpretation, ranging from subtle to melodramatic; an experienced performer, Kari gave carefully considered deliveries that perfectly expressed the varying waves of emotions rolling through her songs.
Highlights of her set included ‘The Great Sea’ and latest single, ‘Wild One’, but it was the track ‘Lower My Eyes’ that blew me away and IMO stole the show. This highly evocative, somewhat provocative slinky jazz-blues number, sizzled with Klaseie’s spotlight hogging, electrifying guitar playing, that was nicely balanced by some relaxed percussion, trickling rivulets of synth and shots of piano. Laid back lush, sung with a smoky vocal, this had (and still has), all the hallmarks of a sensational blues infused hit song.
Kari Harneshaug’s live set gave her music a 3D quality I would not have hitherto believed possible. Intensely atmospheric, superbly instrumented and exquisitely vocalised, it was a perfect performance.
Perfect performances are rare, not for Kari Harneshaug. 5/5.
”Lower My Eyes’ features on Kari’s upcoming record, ‘We Were Closer To The End’, due for release on 26th via NO FOREVERS, (so you’ll be able to listen to it then!) and you can follow Kari on Facebook, to keep up with all her musical endeavours.
Kari Harneshaug Setlist : The Signs Have Been Telling Me, The Great Sea, For Our Love, When The Day Creeps Up On Us, Lower My Eyes, Wild One
Mirage: “an unrealistic hope or wish that cannot be achieved”
In advance of the release of their International Debut album, ‘Empty House’,on 19th of February, Norwegian indie four-piece, Snøskred, have just dropped single, ‘Mirage’ the third track to be lifted from their much anticipated LP.
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“Are all the memories here to stay, Can I just store them, or will they slip away?”
” ‘Mirage’ is about things that seem difficult to understand and explain, but which have a clear internal logic,” explains vocalist and guitarist, Karl Klaseie. “The track was recorded last summer during the hottest day of the year, in a studio without much air conditioning, but with a gigantic window through which the sun was blazing. It’s possible that left its mark on the track.”
On one hand ‘Mirage’ feels ‘random’ – it has an overwhelming sense of having been created via the freeform methodologies so successfully used by such jazz enthusiasts as Mark Hollis, or those 70s Kraut experimentalists, Can. It is a like a series of musical layers – a melding of several sketches, spliced and diced, that have been very haphazardly “mille-feuilled”.
On the on the other hand, there is an underlying sense of of cohesion, albeit one that was arrived at by chance.
“Your skin feels just like new, but the scars though, always tell the truth”
Each individual sketch has its own personality – the dark beat driven intro with is sense of anticipation, the OMD vibing synth beats (speed it up a bit and you’re in Enola Gay territory), the infectious if slightly schizoid slide riffs of Lars Ove Fossheim through which Klaseie adds barely there scratches of guitar. Muddled through that sonic cocktail are the intermittent mini-sermons from the Hammond and the varied percussive interpretations from thumping bass drum to the continuous soft-chick high hat that slowly builds into something more defined and insistent.
Guitarist Lars Ove Fossheim elaborates, “The song evolved with the help of minimalist drum machines from 1982, a gospel-like Hammond organ, a bass player in a trance, a super-close Telecaster and overdubs slide guitars”. (Makes note to ask what had bassist Hvidsten Berger in a trance?)
Bit by bit the layers are built upwards from Martin Hvidsten Berger’s continuous bass loops bubbling into the continuum and beyond, that act as the foundation for the musical stack. Yet despite the many and varied layers, it is a track full of spaces – big, small, wide, deep – they are omnipresent throughout, adding to its expansiveness.
“Is there someone looking out for us? The same way every shepherd looks out for all his sheep, But there’s no-one, looking out for me”
‘Mirage’ has a very ‘Albatross’ vibe, comprising a slow moving, heavy atmosphere full of lifeless heat intermittently relieved by washes of shimmering slide. It is the clever combination of these divergent elements that creates the perfect musical mirage. Lyrically, it is searingly honest, but the trademark lazy-like dreamy quality of Karl Klaseie’s vocal lessens the sting somewhat.
The song ends with a series of tightly coiled guitar riffs and random bursts of spitfire drumming (much to my delight), the only constant still being the bubbling thrum of the bass. However, a jigsaw of many parts, it warrants several repeat plays if only to recognise and do justice to, the various sketches and their respective performers.
A collection of musical oddments, thrown together at will, the many elements of ‘Mirage’ somehow cohese to paint a musical picture that was only ever just a blurred figment of someone’s imagination.
Snøskred have proved that by leaving the creative door open when they entered the rehearsal room, they allowed themselves the space to develop a more cinematic, unique and potent sound than had hitherto been present in their songs. Which bodes well for their much anticipated album, ‘Empty House’ due out on 19th, the vinyl ed of which I want parked on my turntable asap, and which I envisage shall remain there, for some time to come.
You can buy, preview & download ‘Mirage’ via iTunesor Riot Factory on Bandcamp. ‘Empty House’ is available to preorder via iTunes.
Watch the phantasmagorical video for ‘Mirage’ made by film-maker friend of the band, Eirik Havnes.
Today we are introducing Snøskred, an upcoming four-piece from Norway. They hail from Trondheim, Norwegian music mecca and home of rock, and comprise Karl Klaseie (vocal/guitar), Lars Ove Fossheim (vocal/guitar), Martin Hvidsten Berger (bass) and Kyrre Laastad, (drums).
Snøskred are signed to indie label, Riot Factory, and it was through RF sub-label, Sad Songs for Happy People, that they released their domestic debut album, Whiteout, in late 2012. Recorded in Greener Studios, Trondheim, the album was self-produced with the help of Gold Celestefrontman, Simen Hallset. Two singles, Come Closer and We Are (7″) were warmly received with the album itself being hailed as one of the best indie releases of the year.
Much touring, gigging, projects, writing, and recording later, September 2015 saw Snøskred release ‘Puzzle’, the lead track from their long awaited international debut album, ‘Empty House’ which they started recording in June 2014, again in Greener, and which is due for release 19th February coming.
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In advance of the album launch, the band have just dropped new single ‘Lexington Hotel’ about which lyricist, Karl Klaseie explains:
“‘Lexington Hotel’ came to me in a dream after a late night viewing of Scarface. I was in the middle of a mobster shakedown and woke up thoroughly confused and sweaty.”
Louche, I think is the word I’d use to describe this track; a slow, sexy, languidly louche sonic strut. Actually, it doesn’t so much strut, as undulate, to the provocative rhythm of its sensual pulse.
Fraught with tense, menacing, guitars, and blackened by moody, cavernous basslines, the lingering instrumental is an atmospheric slow-burn. Martin Hvidsten Berge’s bass peripatetics wholly underpin this track – a musical marvel to behold on this doom-laden composition – its dark, heavy, syrupy sound transudes through tremolo heavy walls of grinding guitars.
Kudos to Kyrre Laastad for some very cleverly arranged percussion including some lovely, lazy conga/batá beats. Actually, the sync between the RS is tighter than tight, thereby adding to the songs intensity by making it feel somewhat claustrophobic.
Conversely, the chorus is something of a release, coming like a breath of fresh air after the stifled atmosphere of the verse. Warm melodic Kraut-country lines lift the mood, with some gorgeous, shimmering guitar sequences from Lars Ove Fossheim, giving memorable if momentary relief. And so it plays out, long stretches of dark, brief flashes of light, which lead into a final electronic fuelled thrum that gives the track an interesting if unexpected close.
The vocal has Damon Albarn stamped all over it, with vocalist Karl Klaseie having that same Albarn-esque way of letting the vocal slip effortlessly from his lips – languorous, subtly playful, and nonchalantly cool.
Timing is everything and Snøskred’s is impeccable: the arrangement is timed to perfection, thereby ensuring maximum effect. Highly imaginative, exceptionally well mixed, arranged with pinpoint accuracy, and very perceptively produced, this is an extremely unique and very strong track that hopefully gives a pretty clear indication of what is to come on the album.
A rich, sticky ooze of dark toxicity, ‘Lexington Hotel’ lures, captivates and holds you in the thrall of its highly potent and dangerously addictive nature. You are left longing for more …
‘Lexington Hotel‘ is available to stream via Spotifyand to download via Amazon. It is also available via Bandcamp. The album, ‘Empty House’ is scheduled for release via Riot Factory, on 19th February. You can follow Snøskred on Facebookand Twitter.
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