(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Ljungblut & Karisma Records press release)
The sixth album from Ljungblut are set for release November 2nd 2018, and will the first album with distribution outside Norway. The album will be available in two vinyl versions, CD and digital versions, and Side-Line kicks off with a streaming premiere right here two days before the official release.

Ljungblut originally started out as a solo project from Seigmen / Zeromancer bass player and main songwriter Kim Ljung in 2005.
He needed an outlet for songs which didn’t fit in with his main bands. After three solo albums in English, the project evolved into a full
quintet, and they have released two independent albums in Norwegian.

“Villa Carlotta 5959” is the sixth Ljungblut album, and the last in a trilogy of albums with Norwegian lyrics. Here, several songs have historical references, as already heard on the secong single “Hasselblad” about the 12 Hasselblad cameras left behind on the surface of the Moon.
“Superga” referring to the Superga height outside Torino, most known for the cathedral and the plane crash that killed the Torino football team in 1949. Then there are songs referring to Ljung’s chronic migraine – “Min Krig” (My war) and “Aldri helt stille” (Never completely quiet).

The album has a wide range of tempos and dynamics, but at the same time a cohesive sound and melancholy mood, resulting in an organic sound with Kim Ljung’s characteristic voice surrounded by a plethora of vintage synths and instruments. The basis of the album was recorded live in studio and mixed by Alex Møklebust (Seigmen / Zeromancer) and Terje Johannesen.

Line-up: Kim Ljung, Dan Heide (Zeromancer, Red7), Sindre Pedersen, Joakim Brendsrød & Ted Skogmann (Apoptygma Berzerk)
Guest artists: Erik Ljunggren (a-ha, Bel Canto, Zeromancer), Ginge Anvik (SubGud, soundtrack composer) and Terje Johannesen.

Ljungblut will also perform live at three occations in November; two shows in Tønsberg the 9th and 10th, one show in Oslo on the 12th. See you there?

Enjoy the premiere!

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Karisma Records press release. Photos by Bjørn Opsahl and Tom Lund)

Ljungblut, the 3rd band of Kim Ljung (Zeromancer, Seigmen) are releasing their 6th album November 2., and a single from the album, “Hasselblad”, was released two weeks ago. An accompanying music video is now ready, and actually making its debut here today!

Kim about the video:
The video of Hasselblad is shot and directed and Hans Christian Moen and Freddy Samson Fagerheim.
Both friends of the band.
Their first collaboration was “Kast blomstene på” from the previous Ljungblut album, “Ikke alle netter er like sorte”.
Again they were given total artistic freedom. The concept being the moon, loneliness, camera and distance.

About the song itself Kim elaborates:
It was just one of those days. An early morning. I read about the twelve Hasselblad cameras left on the moon, somewhere. Made some fresh coffee and locked myself into the studio without any particular ideas in my head.
In a few hours it was all there. Lyrics and everything.

A real special feeling when it happens. The guys loved the demo. Some weeks later we rehearsed it as a band, keeping it real true to the original idea. Of course, Ted adding a great drum-pattern. It was only just over a 2 minute arrangement though. Right after I wrote it, I was visting Erik Ljunggren in his studio. Blown away by the collection of modular and vintage synthesizers, I asked him if he wanted to contribute for the end-part. The Arp 2600 and the Oberheim Matrix doing most of the magic. All analogue. It was perfect.

The drums, the bass, the guitar (with the Morley flanger pedal), the Omni and the Roland strings were all recorded live. I believe it was the third take.
Sincerely happy with this one.

We also asked Kim about the upcoming concerts, which many fans have been longing for since 2012.

S-L: In a hectic year with several Seigmen and Zeromancer shows, recording and releasing a new album with Ljungblut, still more Seigmen shows ahead – what made you and the band also find time for the shows in November?

Kim: Yes, it’s more than enough. I have been promising myself I wouldn’t mix the work between the three bands. However it’s not so easy. I thought it would eventually quiet down. Not a chance.
Band members don’t always have a great patience. Not managers. Not booking agent. Not record companies.
There are demands everywhere. Or not demands maybe. Hopes. Wishes.
Always for more.

The Ljungblut had to happen now. And no chance in hell we wouldn’t support the album by not playing any shows this time.
In 2016, when we released “Ikke alle netter er like sorte” and not doing any shows, it felt a bit hollow, especially since the album was recorded live and we were in the best shape ever as a band.
These days we are getting ready again for something really special. Those two shows at Total in 2011 was amazing for us.

S-L: And why these venues – how was the venues decided?

Kim: The 3 exclusive shows coming up will be one for the books. Ljungblut will never play a random venue. These were carefully selected for this purpose. Papirhuset is a intimate black box amphitheatre. I was just in there having an extra look the other day. Nice vintage red leather chairs, removed from the old movie theatre of Rjukan in 1939. Historic. And a supreme venue as a spectator. About time someone uses this as concert place.
The Oslo show is quite the opposite. A giant church from 1880 that closed down 105 years later. Then reopened up in 2000 as a magnificent cultural scene.
I can’t even imagine what it will be like playing a Ljungblut concert in that place.
Much like a revelation, I assume:-)

Check out the single and video for “Hasselblad” below:

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) After walking through the pouring rain towards Tøyenparken and the opening day of the 2017 edition of the Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway, my friends and I quickly took shelter in the big tent stage called Sirkus, waiting for our first act of the evening, Bel Canto from Tromsø. As were 5000 others too, all unusually early in place for a festival concert, a point also made by singer Anneli Drecker: “Lucky for us it’s raining this much – we brought the weather from Northern Norway!”. It was indeed THE rainiest day in Oslo so far this year!

The set was about 50 minutes long with a good mix of songs from all their albums, and many songs in new or updated arrangements too, even totally acoustic like ‘Spiderdust’ (which some may have heard live before). Most surprising was probably ‘Rush’ with Anneli’s throat singing as a new element!
Ending the set with ‘Unicorn’ was the perfect closer, sending the audience away to the rest of the evening on a musical high.

Songs played at Øyafestivalen:
White-Out Conditions / Dewy Fields / Birds of Passage / Shimmering, Warm & Bright / Paradise / Rush / Spiderdust / Bombay / Agassis / Rumour / Unicorn

We also managed to get some comments from Anneli afterwards via Facebook chat.

Side-Line: What was the occasion for playing this festival just now?

Anneli: We had long discussed with the festival to do a Bel Canto concert and found that the 2017 spot in the Circus tent would be perfect since it is now 30 years since our first album “White-Out Conditions” was released on Crammed discs. Also this year it is 25 years since our album “Shimmering, warm & bright” came out, which was a big hit in Norway in ’92. SW&B was the first Bel Canto release as a duo and not with Geir Jenssen in the band.

SL: We noticed some new members on stage…

A: Yes, we have a new member, and it is the magnificent and legendary Erik Ljunggren (Seigmen, a-ha, Vampire State Building, Zeromancer…). Erik is an old acquaintance of ours. We are very proud to have him in the band, alongside with Andreas Eriksen (percussion, since 1990) and Jane Kelly (backing vocals, since 2000).

SL: Anything else you’d like to add about the concert or other upcoming news?

A: We worked long and hard on this live set for Øya. The gig was immensely important to us, since it was a special gift to our long-time fans. We also hired a new light guy from the north of Norway (Tord Eliassen) who turns out to live in Brussels! So it was all meant to be. All in all we feel that we have never had a better live set than what we have now and after all the great response after the Øya concert we got inspired and are absolutely keen on doing more jobs, also abroad! ?
And possibly also recording some new songs! But first we need to see how the response abroad is…

Some snippets from the concert:

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange