Vibrant, joyful, frenzied musicianship simply flies out of this third LP by of Norwegian indie quartet whose style has some parallels with the prog-postpunk of Deerhoof, but with their own eccentric twists. Now performing together for over eight years, the quartet of vocalist and lyricist Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit, bassist Jonas Krøvel, guitarist Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne, and drummer Ola Djupvik have become a superbly tight unit, bonded as much by friendship as music. The effervescent Ragnhild, whose high voice leaps above the flurry of sound clear as a bell, jumps and air-drums at their gigs like a grinning superfan between every instrumental break. Meanwhile with his colleagues also pulling no punches in the playing, Martin’s guitar is particularly extraordinary, covering every fret and string on his instrument with frenetic range and invention. The band are named after a Studio Ghibli animation film about a racoon characters who drum their own stomachs for fun. So this is a band who find joy in life’s oddball details and everyday items. Standouts include former Song of the Day – Go, which is simply explosive, the thrumming, catchy opener Growing Story, the joyful togetherness of My Family, the gentler but also quirky title track, but there’s much more to enjoy here, with light and shadow, quieter moments in between the frenzy along the way, such as the gorgeous, gentler closer, Fumble. Still very much a breath of fresh air, and hopefully about the take to the breeze to a much wider audience. Out on Bella Union.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: