Interesting one this. Knowing next to nothing about Norwegian band Label and their previous single ‘Oslo So Slow’ which, apparently, was a summer smash on these shores, the band return with a new offering by the name, ‘Oh Lisa’. Expecting a strong alt. country twang to reverberate from the speakers considering the record label involved, Label’s sound is far from any such associations with said genre. In fact, ‘Oh Lisa’ is built of earlier Californian pop and rock, with a definite breezy feel attached to it that also suggests a more up-to-date indie(ish) vibe that veers towards the likes of The Magic Numbers for example. With the single recorded at Crystal Canyon Studios in Oslo and produced by Anders Møller, who also serves as the drummer for this single, ‘Oh Lisa’ is the kind of intelligent pop music that should be infiltrating the nation’s airwaves on a more regular basis as it has all the right ingredients with its melodic hooks and smart lyrics. It looks like Label has another hit single on their hands with ‘Oh Lisa’.

Pil & Bue (Bow & Arrow) consists of Petter Carlsen (vocals/guitar) and Aleksander Kostopoulos (drums/percussion). The duo made a name for themselves after their debut album release, ‘Push Start Button (Level 1)’ (2014) picked up widespread acclaim in their home country of Norway. Back with a new album in 2016, Pil & Bue aim to continue where they left off with latest release ‘Forget The Past, Let’s Worry About The Future’. Consisting of six tracks, the songs are fairly lengthy and knit together influences ranging from indie rock, prog and shoegaze, and veer towards artists such as Sigur Ros, Mars Volta and Radiohead in terms of the experimentation supplied. Recorded at Oslo Klang, and with production credits going to Rudi Nikolaisen, Pil & Bue set out their intentions from the start in an onslaught of crunching guitars and a pounding drumbeat that is almost military in sound. From this  point onwards, the songs often remain gritty in nature with ‘Shakkakakka’ sounding grungy and distorted and one of the candidates purporting to Pil & Bue’s recurring lyrical theme concerning women facing suppression, and the agonies and injustices this brings each and every day. ‘Fire’ is the first lengthy sonic exploration with Carlsen’s guitar searching and probing throughout, and accompanied by a hollow rattle of percussion via Kostopoulos that picks up at various intervals depending on the highs and lows expressed during the song. ‘Nevermind’ is more concise yet equally compelling as it retains a tight rhythm, before tackling the epic in scope and brooding ‘Afterlife’. ‘Forget The Past, Let’s Worry About The Future’ is a credit to its two creators, and a reminder that the independent (indie) music scene is still worth investigating, because there’s enough creativity explored in the six tracks given, that it would take others two albums or more to reach such levels. Welcome back Pil & Bue!

With the demise of Bastions, Goodtime Boys and Grappler, members from each of these bands decided to congregate and discuss the potential for a new line-up to address their concerns ranging from personal issues, cultural blandness, and the general sense of apathy among the present generation. A decision was therefore made to form a new band under the name Terrible Love, in order to tackle some of these worries but, more importantly, keep the creative flame burning. The first release from this new outfit is the EP ‘Change Nothing’; five tracks that fly out of the traps in a mixture of coiled anxiety and bristling energy such as the frantic ‘Mt. Misery’ where the drums certainly take centre stage, to the EP’s title song that is to be exalted for its honesty with, “Expectations in myself that were never in reach” and the realisation that there are certain battles in life that you really can’t win. With plans for live dates and a possible 12″ record later in the year, Terrible Love is certainly not going to admit defeat in the wake of this EP finally coming to fruition, and the sense that these five tracks really could change a few opinions if given the chance.

Under the impression that this was a new artist until further research revealed that the former Trondheim resident, Anne Lene Hägglund, has been here before with two previously recorded outputs; namely ‘Bird Cherry Grove’ and ‘Onboard’. With this in mind, the single ‘Black’ provides the second impression of the forthcoming album ‘Coming Up Tails’, after the first single, ‘Tell Me (How It’s Like To Be Insane)’ being released last year. With one or two pointers held by the song title to the nature of the subject matter on offer here, with an overall suggestion being made of a fresh start during the song itself, Anne Lene Hägglund begins in a wispy vocal that is reminiscent of Norwegian artist Maria Solheim, before taking ‘Black’ on a musical journey largely fuelled by electronic synths that raise this song to near epic proportions towards its end. It’s a stirring three minutes of dark, reflective indie pop, and one that raises the curiosity levels for that imminent third album release.

The description ‘haunting beauty’ is quite possibly a much overused expression, but when it comes to Kari Harneshaug’s latest single, ‘Wild One’, it’s one that has surely been reserved for this Norwegian songstress. One listen of this second single from the upcoming album, ‘We Were Closer To End’, is enough to arrest one’s senses into submission, such are the alluring qualities of Harneshaug’s voice set to an atmospheric backdrop where guitar(s) shimmer and keys are lightly applied. With song lyrics cutting deep yet remaining smart enough to not give the game away, it’s left to a momentary lapse in the instrumentation, by way of a stray guitar and a squall of feedback that nearly lifts the lid on the tension at the heart of this song, and therefore exposing itself for everyone to see. If the rest of the contents of the forthcoming long player match the arresting qualities shown here, then Kari Harneshaug is in for a very good year indeed.

After receiving a tip-off recently by somebody closely associated with Polish indie band Trupa Trupa and their third album release ‘Headache’, the information given proved highly reliable because what you get here is an intriguing combination of alternative rock with dabs of psychedelia and tales of a darkly twisted nature. With the album having been recorded at Dickie Dreams studio in Gdansk, Poland, Trupa Trupa set their songs to tape and ended up with eleven numbers that have been garnering attention throughout Europe. With Grzegorz Kwiatkowski leading the line in a combined effort of singing and spoken word that sometimes sounds off-kilter, and deliberately so when placed next to the harsh instrumentation of the opening ‘Snow’ for example, it may take a while for others to acclimatise to such methods of expression. The unconventional vocal of the aforementioned ‘Snow’ is not duplicated however, but developed in other ways that shows up ‘Headache’ as record that challenges itself creatively, by continually pushing itself judging by the shifting moods of the songs. Such a suggestion can be ascertained from the cloud of paranoia hanging over ‘Halleyesonme’, with added grey by way of synths and a stony drum beat, only to finally find its emotional release via the ensuing ‘Sky Is Falling’ that starts off peaceful enough, before Grzegorz Kwiatkowski finds his voice that is! With ‘Sacrifice’ providing a comedown of sorts with its dishevelled appearance and hazy rhythm bringing to mind Syd Barrett, and The Beatles experiments with psychedelia. Further on, ‘Give ‘Em All’ is Trupa Trupa having the final say, but deceptively wrapped in a warm fuzzy haze that is a delight to hear in the same way that ‘Rise and Fall’ allows for a few drops of sweetness in its vocals and instruments. Deeply immersed in their work and remaining steadfast to their beliefs and vision , Trupa Trupa triumph greatly with their third long player ‘Headache’, that sets up a number of challenges for the listener, as well as providing moments of sheer beauty and wonderment, the kind of which is all too scarce these days.