Slipping under the radar at FLW, and therefore being a late discovery, is the album ‘Blinded’ by Norwegians, Ask. Assembled together with the softest of touches and built around the vocals of Andrea Ettestøl and Simen Lyngroth,  ‘Blinded’ often produces a sound that is pared back and probably best described as indie folk with a few splashes of pop influences here and there. Overall, such an approach works wonders as ‘Wintersong’ illustrates via its acoustic and electric guitars and female – male vocal exchanges, which gradually lead the song to a dramatic conclusion. From such an impressive opening, Ask refrain from repeating the same moves by adding the complex ‘Deny’ to the menu; a song full of varying shades of detail but managing to sound effortless in places as well as finding the time to add a bit of brass instrumentation, which is a very nice touch indeed. ‘Everybody Knows Your Name’ sees Simen Lyngroth take up the initial baton before linking up with Andrea Ettestøl  to deliver a fine combined effort, and one that is accompanied by a brushed feel to the instrumentation that trips along wistfully. The acoustic folk of ‘You And Me’ is full of intimate moments, and then followed by the eccentric tone of ‘Medium Street’ wonderfully portrayed by a fascinating narrative involving life choices or lack of them. ‘Blinded’ is full of such details that can weigh heavy at times just as easily as they can sound light and fleeting on other occasions. It’s honest and it’s real and it’s packed with creative endeavour, Ask is definitely on to something good via their album ‘Blinded’.

Stemming from Denver, Colorado, Cult of the Lost Cause is a powerhouse of post-metal sound skilfully bolted together by the trio of Mike (drums), Thom (bass) and Mhyk (guitar). The band’s efforts can be heard during latest album ‘Contritions’ that contains former post-rock instrumental single, ‘The Drowned God’. It’s this former single that really sets the tone for this new long player, where instruments give various expressions of soaring and dipping with numerous gear changes that crunch and grind along the way. With ‘Contritions’ being recorded in the band’s home city of Denver at Flatline Audio with producer Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, Khemmis, Native Daughters), the attention to detail is to be admired. From the tumbling drumroll and short instrumental injection that is ‘All Those In Favour’, and then flipping in an instant to its rival in opposition, ‘All Those Opposed’, with its guitar heavy (not in all places) and overall expansive sound, Cult of the Lost Cause clearly understand the art of expressing their sentiments through their instruments. Rather than being lumped in with an Explosions In The Sky or This Will Destroy You, for example, the three-piece from Denver offer an altogether more caustic and thicker sound, while still containing the occasional sweeter edges held in ‘Hessian Crucible’ and ‘The Cloud Collector’. A true delight and emotionally stirring via its instrumentation, Cult of the Lost Cause deliver in style via ‘Contritions’.

The opening segment of the press release that accompanied Finnish rockers Slap Betty’s new album ‘Nothing Out of Nothing’ caused a great deal of mirth at Famous Last Words (FLW). The source of such merriment was, ‘The band that often cuts electricity returns with their second album’ which has affected other artists such as Backyard Babies, not to mention a few festival appearances as well! With a sound that’s too hot to handle therefore, Slap Betty deliver an honest set of rock tunes mixed with fragments of punk and even older rock and roll. Such examples of this can be found right at the doorstep of this new release with the socio-political commentary of ‘World We Leave Behind’ that is equally tough and gritty in sound, and complete with a persuasive vocal which gives the impression of having been left to soak overnight in bourbon. With the band being made up of Teemu (vocal/guitar), Juuso (drums), Juhana (guitar) and Antti (bass), Slap Betty continue to deliver rhythmically tight numbers with ‘List Of The Things I Hate’ and ‘Fill My Cup’. It’s not all foot to the floor stompers, however, as Slap Betty tone things down a bit with the melodic tones of ‘Perfect’, and reflective stance of closing track ‘Shame’. Whilst their activities outside of the recording studio might be prone to accidents, there is nothing calamitous about ‘Nothing Out Of Nothing’ as Slap Betty pull out all the stops to ensure that album number two is a roaring success.

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.