Claw And Feather

WSR146 - Beverly Kills - Sunset Drive.

Released 2024-04-26 on Welfare Sounds & Records. 

Recorded by Per Stålberg & Kalle Lilja at Welfare Studios. 
Mixed by Per Stålberg. 
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg.
Artwork by Cecilia Vårhed.

Sunset Drive

It’s time for another debutant at Jansen Plateproduksjon, and we’re proud of presenting Hajk as the newest member of our family. The Oslo band have so far released three singles, and their de-but album will finally be let loose on the masses during spring 2017.

But relax, there will be more music from the band before that time. Their single «Common Sense» have been played at various radio stations during the past months, and the band are finally ready to release their new single, the “complete” pop song, «Magazine».

Considering that they’re such a fresh band, Hajk have been surprisingly quick to adjust them-selves. Not long after they entered the door to their rehearsal space, they played at Slottsfjellfesti-valen, Øyafestivalen and by:Larm. They were listed on radio before they left the stage at those festivals, and now they’re here – with a brand-new record contract and a brace of songs that any band would be jealous of. 

Hajk are fronted by Preben Sælid Andersen and Sigrid Aase, who share the vocals. Musical-ly, Hajk are situated in a modern pop/rock landscape, with an emphasis on very strong melodies. The band are influenced by artists like Dirty Projectors, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Amason, but still they stand firmly on their own feet, with an original sound that also challenges the genre they belong to. 

«Magazine» is a pop song that we guarantee you will hum along to from now on. Mark my words.

Released by Jansen Plateproduksjon on 4 November.

Nothing Left To Say

Magazine

Hajk - Magazine (single)

Band of Gold are back, and they continue where their debut album left off. After their success the last time, it would have been easy to lose the feeling of freedom that made its mark on both the recording and the music. But it was never a risk that this would happen here. Quite the reverse. The band went into the studio and did just what they wanted, and the collaboration between Nina Mortvedt and Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen, AKA the core of Band of Gold, works best when they do just what they lilke.

When Band of Gold released their debut album in autumn 2015, they were a pleasant surprise for many people. Both Nina and Nikolai have spent a long time on the Norwegian music scene, but this was a project they’d worked on in the quiet. When the album was released, though, it was no doubt that this was a band that had the right to live. The positive reviews were many, the fans flocked to their concerts, and the whole thing peaked when they won the Nordic Music Prize during by:Larm 2016, as the first Norwegian artist ever.

But now Band of Gold are no longer a secret. Now there are expectations. And they have been fulfilled.

«Where’s the Magic» is the band’s second album – an album about the passion we all seek and crave for. It’s not hard to find passion in Band of Gold’s songs. It’s on every chord here, and we get a ferocity that the debut album from 2015 didn’t have. On «I Wanna Dance With You Again», the first single from «Where’s the Magic», Mortvedt’s vocals are admirable, and underneath its lovely arrangement we find a pop song that’s completely irresistible.

But the album doesn’t just have grand pop songs. «Where’s the Magic» also contains experimental songs that challenge the listeners, ballads so beautiful that they will bring tears to your eyes, and slow pop songs that will force you to play the album again.

A rock solid sequel, from a band that’s better than ever.

Band of Gold - I Wanna Dance With You Again

Is it blues? Is it world music? Is it underground pop? You can choose whichever you want, it’s not important for Orions Belte to be pigeonholed. They’re playing instrumental music inspired by Nigerian 70’s rock, postcards from the French Riviera, Formula One races at the Monza track in Italy, and when Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali in the ‘Fight of the Century’ in 1971. Eclectic and unique – are you able to “hear” how it sounds?

Øyvind Blomstrøm and Chris Holm mainly make a living out of being on the road with other bands, and they’re almost always traveling from town to town, country to country. When their roads crossed for the umpteenth time in 2016, their mutual dream of starting an instrumental project was finally underway. Holm’s companion from the Bergen scene, Kim Åge Furuhaug, wanted to join in on the fun, and then Orions Belte was born. 

Their debut album «Mint» is founded on old traditions but still feels new, and you’ll have to look for a long time to find anything like it. Texas band Khruangbin may be the best comparison as per today, but Orions Belte really belongs in their own galaxy. A galaxy where they are the soundtrack to movies that haven’t been made yet, where landscapes are colored and where the trio does just what they want to, the way they want to do it. 

The result is «Mint», an album filled with songs that fit as easily into street parties in Oslo and London, as in private casinos in Paris and night clubs in Lagos. Orions Belte, a small piece of the world from Norway.

Preorder album here: https://jansenrecords.com/s/mintpreorder

Atlantic Surfing

Drama – of the interpersonal kind – that’s what Hajk are about on their upcoming album. The band burst onto the Norwegian scene with their self-titled debut album, garnering broad appreciation way outside of their home country. Now, the highly anticipated follow-up is near – a record that both pulls at the heartstrings and urges you to dance. First single is the energetic “Dancing Like This”, a melancholy and wide-eyed love song, which guarantees to get stuck in your head.

Hajk’s 2017 debut received praise from the likes of Astrid S, Sigrid and Kimbra, as well as a united Norwegian music press. Internationally, outlets such as Noisey, Stereogum, Line of Best Fit, Drowned In Sound, The Independent and Clash Music gave the group standing ovations for their idiosyncratic, yet supremely catchy pop tunes, while likening them to everything from Dire Straits and Aztec Camera to Haim.

With the sophomore album, “Drama”, a more confident band is on display. Sharpened by more studio experience, they have once again produced the record themselves. Blending analogue and digital sounds, switching between programmed arrangements and live takes from the studio, drawing on three lead vocalists and several guest musicians, Hajk has done whatever necessary to fullfill their creative vision.

The title “Drama” relates to the drama of humanity and a somewhat naïve yearning for love in a world in which love sometimes seems scarce.

It’s been a while since the band recorded the songs for their debut album, and you can hear that they’re eager to get going. This time they are taking the sound of their debut a few notches further. We get the simple but grand ballads and we get the catchy up-tempo pop songs. In short, drama.

Buy/stream

Hajk - Dancing Like This

With styles ranging from funk bangers to Latin American psychedelia to more low-key ethereal moods, this collection of songs will make you think of legends like Todd Rundgren and Marcos Valle one moment, and contemporaries like James Blake and Thundercat the next. 

Channelling everything from Jon Lord and Dr. John-type organ action in indie rock band The Switch, to carrying the torch for fans of Sun Ra and galactic jazz music as the frontman of Dr. Kay and His Interstellar Tone Scientists, Arthur Kay has been a prominent figure on the Oslo music scene for a decade. A sought-after musician, his impressive versatility is further validated through his touring commitments with acclaimed Norwegian rapper Ivan Ave, and instrumental psychedelics Orions Belte.

Holiday Pay

Jansen Records is a Oslo, Norway record label with the good stuff.

Hajk - Dancing Like This

Jansen Records

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Les Fleurs Du Mal x Artéose Créations

Les Fleurs Du Mal x Artéose Créations

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