I Was A King - Until The End

Norway's I Was A King have regularly chosen interesting Producers. This time round it is Bill Ryder-Jones and that is a really wise choice for the more ethereal Pastoral Pop they regularly come up with. The band's beautiful arranged songs are lovingly recorded.

But lest we forget, there is more to I Was A King than just stunning heart melting Indie Pop. They have what could almost be an alter ego. One listen to Sleepless Nights and the fascination with Teenage Fanclub breaks out. It is pure early TFC, all distorted guitar glory.

Pool Painted Black follows suit and you realise how good they are at the noisier stuff. The closer, Until The End, edges towards modern day Fannies, wonderful Jangle Pop with a superb violin interlude. Mainstays Frode Strømstad and Anne Lise Frøkedal share vocals on a delightful song.

But you just cannot ignore the moodier, slower songs which are crafted to perfection. Dust Bunnies is pure Dream Pop with a magnificent String arrangement, it just melts your heart. Falling is Piano led and so so fragile, you now feel that your hear is gonna break.

November is a big piece of work, approaching 6 minutes, it builds and builds and broods and broods, without ever breaking out, adding an instrumental soundscape to the close. A mesmerising listen. The Birthday Song is a little Folk, Americana even and dare I say it, there is a hint of The Coral.

House Warming is pure C86 UK Jangle, all jaunty with a slight Psych Pop feel to the chorus. Until The End is quite a special listen. I Was A King mix the melancholic with the rock out so well. A band with many directions, but all of them equally great.

You can listen to and buy the album here.  Sadly, the Vinyl has now sold out. Hopefully, there will be a reissue.

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I Was A King - Grand Hotel

 

Norway's I Was A King have given Grand Hotel a download release to Grand Hotel, an album released on vinyl only last year and now well and truly out of print. The album is a companion piece to 2012's You Love It Here and 2019's Slow Century and the recordings are from the same period.

For those who know of the band, the direction of the songs will be no surprise. The mellow avenues of more recent Teenage Fanclub and very much in Dropkick territory covers it. But the two aforementioned albums were so splendid that a listen is vital.

Appearances from and three songs co written with Robyn Hitchcock, one of which includes Norman Blake will give the uninitiated a clue on what to expect. As will the three covers of Daniel Johnston, Scott McCaughey and Sean Jackson. 

Grand Hotel may be a bit too gentle for some, but as a mood enhancer, this is top notch stuff and when it Jangles, boy does it jangle. This particularly relevant on the likes of A Frozen Disease and The Anthem, the latter is a crackerjack of a song. 

Room 208 is a fine meandering moody affair and Leave is poptastic and wonderfully chipper in tone. But, I'm not sure where I Was A King can go from here. Grand Hotel is a fine album, but others have pretty got this territory sewn up.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2019 : 71- 80

It's been difficult to get these choices down to 100. I'm also not a believer in saying one album is better than another. Most of the time you are comparing Apples To Oranges. I'm not a List person, I just think what's the point.

However, for the last couple of years I have compiled Best Of 2019, normally I just said what my favourite album of the year is. I've done it again, because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists.

There is no meaning or judgement on an album that is Number 1, Number 100 or not on the list. Anything that I review on here, mention on Social Media or play on the Radio Show is as highly recommended.

I would also add that the Top 100 includes albums available as Download Only. To suggest that they are anything less than equal to a Physical release is patently nonsense and omits many wonderful albums.

I will compile a Top 20 of Reissues and Compilations combined after all this is complete. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the review, where you can find further details on how to listen or buy the album.


71 I Was A King - Slow Century        IDHAS Review 







72 James Clarke Five - Parlor Sounds       IDHAS Review 







73 Extra Arms - Up From Here       IDHAS Review 







74 Råttanson - I'd Much Rather Be With The Noise       IDHAS Review 







75 WarrenScottBand - The New Deal       IDHAS Review 







76 The Galileo 7 - There Is Only Now       IDHAS Review 

77 The Morning Line - North       IDHAS Review 







78 The Pozers - Crybaby Bridge       Review 

79 The Tor Guides - Backwards In Reverse       Review







80 Mothboxer - Time Capsule Volume 1        IDHAS Review 








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I Was A King - Slow Century

Norway's I Was A King return triumphantly and Norman Blake returns to the Producer's chair. The band's last collaboration with him on 2012's You Love It Here was a fine thing indeed. That album also benefited from Robyn Hitchcock's involvement. Slow Century has lots of similarities, although this is far more straight ahead Pop.

The Jangle count is still high, but the arrangements are much broader. It's definite in TFC laid back mode, but there are more similarities with Gretchen's Wheel. Tiny Dots has a lovely little twee keyboard riff, the title track is magnificently moody and No Way Out burst out unexpectedly.






The competing vocals of Anne Lise Frokedal and Frode Stromstad work beautifully and the quartet show that there is far more to them than twee jangle. The stripped down Folksong is inspired. Run is very Glasgow 1986 and all the better for it.

I prefer it when I Was A King lose the restraint and that's when you hear the real Teenage Famclub Sound on songs like all to short, Run and No Way Out which stands up with any current Jangle Rock that you'd care to name.






You can see the band live as support on the upcoming Teenage Fanclub European Tour. You  can listen to and buy the album here.


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