Cover: Thore Hansen

In September 2008 I wrote a blog post on Norwegian illustrator (and author) Thore Hansen, and his record covers. I've found some other albums too now, and hope there are lots more. Please write a comment if you recognise his style and have some albums I don't know.
So far this is my list:

Per Husby Septett: «Peacemaker» (1976)
Various Artists: "Maiden Voyage" (Melodisc 2002)
Kiruna : "Irun" (Melodisc 2003)
Various Artists: "Aerien Voyage" (Melodisc 2004)
Various Artists: "Stellar Voyage"(Melodisc 2005).
Trygve Madsen: "Sketches from Norway" (Pro Musica 2005).
Various Artists: «Drunk In A Ditch - Tales From Rock Limbo 1969-1980» (Rhino/Warner) (2006).

And you might want to buy a book for your child too! Thore Hansen illustrated Tor Åge Bringsværds "Ruffen : the sea serpent who couldn't swim" (MacKenzie Smiles, 2008). Great book!

Changes 1 July: I had Popol Vuh: "Popol Vuh" (1972) on the list, but this one is illustrated by Bjørn Morisse. (W are not talking about the German band Popol Vuh here).

Some Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper links

Robert Wyatt e Christine Hopper
Originally uploaded by Prospettive Musicali

- Some time ago I read in the Swedish newspaper "Svenska Dagbladet" that they claimed that Richard Youngs makes music that starts where Robert Wyatt's "Rock Bottom" ends! Anybody out there who can understand that?
- Citizen Jazz on Orchestre National De Jazz's ”Around Robert Wyatt” concert and the book "Anthologie du projet MW". All of it in French.
- Visit YouTube for Carl Didurs' "Elegy for Hugh Hopper".

Thank's to Fabio for the picture.

Ellivan

Arve Henriksen's new album is called "Ellivan" (NORCD 2009). He has composed music to Norwegian poet Elling Vanberg's (1937-1993) lyrics, and Vanberg is reading them (archive material from norwegian radio). The musicians are Arve Henriksen (trumpet, voice), Anna Maria Friman (voice), Karl Seglem (goat horn, voice), Terje Isungset (drums, voice, ice) and Jan Bang (sampling) and the music is just beautiful, both when it stands alone and when it adds colour to the poet reading.

If you don't understand Norwegian (and this is in local dialect too, just to make it even more difficult), you don't have to worry about the words here, because they are not translated into English. His books are only in Norwegian too. But sometimes i put on an album with songs from Madagascar, and that sounds just fine to me, so why worry?
Cover photo: Oddleiv Apneseth.

Graham Coxon

I did it again. I bought an album the guys in the record store played on their stereo. These people know how to trick you. This time I got "The spinning top" by Graham Coxon. I'm a bit embarassed, but honest as I am I'll admit I thought this was some new guy who had managed to get Danny Thompson and Robyn Hitchock to guest on his album. Coxon of course has several solo albums in his discography already, and he's a member of Blur! No wonder I never win the pop quiz.
Anyway, this is a quite nice album! It's a bit of indie and a bit of folk, and I can smell Nick Drake in there and even Incredible String Band ("In the morning"). I'm not a big fan of rock lyrics, but people have told me that this is a kind of a concept album, telling the story of a man from birth (first track: "Look into the light") until death (last track: "November").
I see no reason to avoid this one (if you still have some money left). I'll even guess Robert Wyatt could cover "November".

Love Shack

Come on! It's Saturday, summer and the sun is warming even here in Norway. It's about time for some partying in this blog. Here you get B-52s happy (and maybe a bit desperate) party tune "Love Shack" (1989). If you want to go even higher on a day like this, check out the video mash of this tune and Britney Spears' "Toxic".

Top of the pops?

The Guardian asked a bunch of artists to name their favorite working band or musician ("So who is top of the pops"? 26 June 2009). Our man Robert Wyatt names sax man Gilad Atzmon, and seems impressed not only by Atzmon as a musician, but also by his integrity as a political human being.
You'll find several videos on YouTube from a concert Gilad Atzmon did earlier this month, if you want to see more.

Ken Vandermark and Tim Daisy

Today a sax and drum duo for your pleasure, with Ken Vandermark and Tim Daisy (May 2008). These guys are both on "Resonance" (Not Two 2008), a record I plan to order. It's only available on vinyl (as far as I can see), but that is just fun isn't it?
We have already written about Vandermark's activities on the net, and you may also want to check out Tim Daisy's blog.