Elegi - Varde (2009)

Genre : Dark Ambient, Experimental, Classical
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Tracklist :

01. Varde
02. Skrugard
03. Svanesang
04. Arvesølv
05. Drivis
06. Uranienborg
07. Fandens Bre
08. Skyggespill
09. Angekok
10. Råk
11. Søvnens Kvelertak
12. Den Store Hvite Stillhet

TSB : 2009 begins with a spotlight on Elegi's Varde, the second in what appears to be a trilogy focused on everything that could be described as "endlessly bleak." Previously we saw Tommy Jansen diving through shipwrecked vessels, and now he's accompanying a team of "pioneer polar explorers" to some of the harshest places on earth -- I'd put good money that countryman Fridtjof Nansen is by his side. Nansen couldn't ask for a better soundtrack for the infinitely frustrating trek through subzero temperatures, hellish weather, and nagging suicidal thoughts. The press release for this piece comes with the boast of comparing it to Gavin Bryars/Philip Jeck/Alter Ego's Sinking of the Titanic, and while I initially laughed at that idea, the vivid portrait painted here is actually quite reminiscent of the Touch jewel. The year has just begun and already we've got a candidate for top album. This could be quite a wild year...

The Samuel Jackson Five - Goodbye Melody Mountain (2008)

Genre : Post-rock, Experimental
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Tracklist :

01 - Face the Fax
02 - Hey now, who really cares
03 - After the Avalanche
04 - Eye eat Lotus
05 - Goodbye Melody Mountain
06 - So many Cowboys, so few Indians
07 - Slow Motion Simulator
08 - How to evade your obsessive Shadow

The Samuel Jackson Five is a quartet from Oslo, Norway, that play post-rock with a slight folk, jazz and progrock influence.

Thomas Hagen Kaldhol: Guitar, Bass
Stian Tangerud: Drums, Percussion
Sigmund Bade: Bass, Keys, Guitars, Percussion
Thomas Meidell Wien: Guitar, Keys, Electronics, Percussion

Former Members:
Kjetil Gundersen: Guitar, Keys, Percussion (2002-2007)
Anders Kregnes: Vibraphone, Percussion (2002-2003)
Magne Mostuen: Vocals, Guitars (2003)

They have released three albums, Same Same but Different (2004), Easily Misunderstood (2005) and Goodbye Melody Mountain (2008).

TSB : Goodbye Melody Mountain shows no signs that they'll be returning anytime soon. Whereas its predecessor was powerful and enchanting, GMM is much more of a sly, seductive record that puts the focus upon songwriting and production work instead of dynamics and the quiet-loud shift. Tracks like "Face the Fax," "Hey Now, Who Really Cares," and "Your Obsessive Shadow" offer worlds onto themselves, showing a new sophistication to the band's work while still being every bit as catchy as Easily Misunderstood. For a band who is perfectly content to describe itself as a post-rock band, SJ5 routinely dismantle the competition and demonstrate why they are truly a force to be reckoned with.