New Albums!!! Exciting Times!!!

So I feel like a giddy schoolboy anticipating Christmas day! I have recently learned that two of my favorite bands are releasing new albums and I cannot wait to purchase the music. In the meantime, it is as if the music is nicely wrapped in Christmas paper and I have quietly stolen away under the Christmas tree to peel back the wrapping to see what is inside--I can thank youtube for allowing me a peak. :)
The first band is my all-time favorite: a-ha. Their album "Foot of the Mountain" has already been released in Germany (they have a German label) and will be released in the UK in just a couple of days. a-ha has always produced excellent music and in my opinion have gotten better and better as the years have passed. Check out the music video for "Foot of the Mountain" (an excellent song from the new album):


a-ha consist of the three original band members and various other musicians that contribute to their work. The three original members are Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, and Magne Furuholmen. "Foot of the Mountain" is a re-working of one of Magne Furuholmen's songs from his solo project. The original song is called "The Longest Night" and can be viewed here:

The interesting thing with a-ha is that all three members embark on their own side projects and then come back together to create work for a-ha. They often times will borrow ideas and songs from their side work, as is seen from the previous youtube posting. Needless to say, I am super excited to purchase the new album (and if you like a-ha and Magne f, you need to check out Savoy--Paul Waaktaar-Savoy's band--"Whalebone" is an excellent song off of their album "Songbook")!

Another of my favorite bands is Kings of Convenience. They have not released an album in 5 years, which has been driving me crazy as I love their music and style (If they keep produce music over the next 25 years like a-ha has done, they have the potential of one day becoming my all-time favorite, but it will be difficult to unseat a-ha from that standing). What has helped over that period of time is the fact that Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe have both been working on side projects of their own. Best known would be Erlend's work with a band called The Whitest Boy Alive (he has also done some electronic music under his own name). As much as I like WBA, it doesn't touch KOC. Anyhow, KOC's album is scheduled for release this coming Autumn, but once more, youtube has given us a little offering of their new music. This song is titled "Mrs. Cold" (such a great song):


Needless to say, I am bubbling over with excitement with all of this new music coming out (I've heard that Acid House Kings are also supposed to be coming out with a new album--how awesome will that be!). Hooray for a-ha and KOC!

And just to tide you over, here is a song by "The Whitest Boy Alive" called "Figures":


Oh, and I almost forgot, here we can see an example in style and tribute--apparently, Kings of Convenience are also fans of a-ha. Manhattan Skyline was written and performed by a-ha back in the 80s. Kings of Convenience ended up covering it with their unique style. Check out the original by a-ha:


. . . and the cover by Kings of Convenience:


I hope that you have enjoyed these little clips of both new and old music. . . be sure to check out the new albums when they are released! :)

Countdown to Syttende Mai--A-ha

Amongst all of the music that has come out of Norway, none is more popular world-wide then that of the band A-ha. Whether or not an individual is familiar with the band, most everyone is familiar with their first hit "Take On Me." While a-ha's popularity in the United States declined after their first few albums, their world-round renown has remained strong. According to Wikipedia, a-ha set an impressive record for rock history: "At the Rock in Rio II festival in January 1991, a-ha shocked the international entertainment press by gathering a paying audience of 198,000 people at Maracanã Stadium - a world record for paying audiences." But it is a mistake to think of a-ha as a one-hit wonder or a band from the past. In my own opinion they have several strong albums and a few weaker ones. Also, in my opinion, the weaker albums occurred in the late 80s and early 90's. Since that time they have produced stronger and better albums that far out-weigh their debut album which everyone knows them for. Their last three albums are nothing short of amazing: "Analogue" (2005), "Lifelines" (2002), and "Minor Earth Major Sky" (2000). Each of these albums has proven that a-ha continues to get better and better with each release. Following these three albums "Hunting High and Low" (1985) and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" (1990) are my favorite. While "Scoundrel Days" (1986), "Stay on these Roads" (1988), and "Memorial Beach" (1993) have some good songs on the albums, the overall creativity, talent, and pleasure of listening is lacking in comparison to the other albums.
Ultimately, the band has matured in both content and sound and honestly has become one of my top 5 bands of all time (actually my favorite, depending upon my mood at the time--if one looks at the play count in my itunes, three of the 10 most played songs are from a-ha).
Anyhow, here are a few of the music videos for the band. I will load them in chronological order for you.
First, the hit "Take On Me" from the "Hunting High and Low" album:

Next, "Crying in the Rain" from the "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" album:

Also, "I Wish I Cared" from the "Minor Earth, Major Sky" album"

Here is a live performance of one of my favorite songs, "You'll Never Get Over Me" also from the "Minor Earth, Major Sky" album:

Here is a video from their album "Lifelines." This song is titled, "Did Anyone Approach You." It is another of my a-ha favorites:

And from their most recent album "Analogue" their song "Analogue," which is the number one song on my itunes play count. It is a song that I have also had many of my friends get addicted to!:

Anyhow, I hope that you have enjoyed a little journey through some of the music that a-ha has produced over the years and that you have rediscovered one of the greatest bands of all time. . . and they happen to be from Norway!