Norwegian act Bel Canto confirms new album plans – unnamed producer on board
Two weeks ago we informed you that the Norwegian electropop / dark pop act Bel Canto had left a rather cryptic message on their Facebook page hinting that the band had finally finished the recordings of the follow-up of the 2002 album âDorothyâs Victoryâ.
Today the band posted the following update: “Yes yes, good zoOOom meeting with prominent producer. TBC!đ#newbelcantoalbum #muminbusiness #MusiqueNonStop” In short they are indeed recording a new album and are working with a yet unnamed ‘prominent’ producer. You can see the Facebook update below.
Good news, as Bel Canto is one of those bands from which we have wanted to hear new work for years,
A new album that has taken years
In March 2007 Side-Line reported that Bel Canto would start work on a new album. This was based on an interview we had with all three original members in Oslo. But this first resurrection was aborted and Geir Jenssen left the band again. The only ânewâ material would be released in 2009 on the double album package âMaskindans: Norsk synth 1980â1988â that was released on Hommage Records. It holds the previously unheard Bel Canto song, âFlowerbedsâ, which dates from 1988.
Bel Canto was formed in 1985 in TromsĂž by Geir Jenssen (synthesizer, programming), Nils Johansen (synthesizer, violin, bass guitar, guitar) and vocalist Anneli Drecker. The group was one of the first Norwegian bands to sign a record contract abroad, namely to the Belgian label Crammed Discs. The trio moved to Brussels in 1986 and had their debut album âWhite-Out Conditionsâ released by Crammed Discs the following year.
After a second album, âBirds of Passageâ (1990), Jenssen left the band for a succesful solo career as Biosphere. The group had a commercial breakthrough with âShimmering, Warm and Brightâ in 1992 which held a lot of ethnic ingredients fluently mixed with their dark electropop sound.
A few more albums followed: âMagic Boxâ (1996), âRushâ (French release titled âImagesâ) (1998), and âDorothyâs Victoryâ (2002). In between these albums both Nils Johansen and Anneli Drecker worked on solo material.
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Chief editor of Side-Line â which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify whatâs actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, Iâm all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraineâs ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
