The Riddle in the Middle of Nowhere: Anja Garbarek’s ‘Smiling and Waving’
Impossibly Norwegian in style and substance, Anja Garbarek's Smiling and Waving describes the most ordinary lives lost in the voids of the most extraordinary riddles.
Norway
Okkultokrati: Raspberry Dawn
Oslo-based unit takes us down to the dungeon where the jams are dank and the torture is pretty.
Jenny Hval: Blood Bitch
Blood Bitch invites listeners with its conceptual bite, controlling them effortlessly through Jenny Hval's journey along lonely spaces.
Prins Thomas: Principe Del Norte
Prins Thomas doesn't waste a second of this 100-minute collection. And that's no small feat.
Lemaitre: 1749 EP
1749 EP finds Lemaitre approaching the top of their pop-slinging game
Ulver: ATGCLVLSSCAP
A stellar collection of material from a collective that pushes more boundaries and buttons than it often gets credit for. An early contender for Album of the Year.
Per Petterson’s Tales of Innocence and Experience
Petterson's closely-knit stories sadly and beautifully reveal the passage from boyish innocence to "manhood", and show us what it means to be a man.
The Grim, Strangely Hopeful World of Per Petterson
As existentially bleak as it is, I Refuse is not devoid of hope. A refusal is a negation, to be sure, but a lost swimmer may refuse to drown.
Nico & Vinz: Black Star Elephant
Black Star Elephant proves to be a pleasant, uplifting album, though by no means earth shattering.
Mayhem: Esoteric Warfare
Quite frankly, there is nothing on Esoteric Warfare which has not been conceived, done and reiterated by the likes of Anaal Nathrakh, Ephel Duath, Sigh and Deathspell Omega.
Gazpacho: Demon
Tastefully arranged, melodically gorgeous, and refreshingly unpretentious, Norwegian art rockers Gazpacho have crafted a stunning concept album with Demon, a record that even those with serious prog allergies will find approachable.