TENK OM NOEN SER DEG

So I was happily streaming my favourite radio show one week, 'The Viking in the Wilderness', when a track really caught my attention as it was quite unlike anything else I have been playing recently. This led to me swapping some notes with Olav Bjørnsen, whose show it was, which has resulted in me now having the second album by this Norwegian band to listen to. There appear to be ten members in the band, and more than that in terms of guests, and even though I have no idea what they are singing about it is obvious that humour is at the centre of everything they do. That this is a progressive rock album is never really in doubt, but after that it all gets a bit more complicated. Frank Zappa, now that's a safe plac to start. Yes, they are definitely influenced by Zappa. Um, and classic Fifties musicals, and Can, mustn't forget Can. Oh, Art Zoyd, yes that it definitely there, and British humour, and kitchen sink, Yep, the kitchen sink. It is all in here, and not understanding the language somehow makes it even better!

When they want to incorporate strings, then they can be as delicate as any classical performance you will ever enjoy, but they spring off at weird tangents that would make Beefheart proud. Some sections of songs sound like nothing else on the album, while just when one thinks that everything is starting to make sense they can turn on Seventies disco funk! What on earth is going on here? These guys must be incredible live, and apparently they have been performing since 2011 and if it is anything like this album then it must be sheer chaos and incredibly tight and powerful all at the same time. For fans of Zappa, and music which is quite definitely "out there", this is a delight.