A song, poems and books

I just keep on "releasing" unmixed songs here, because it's boring to keep them hidden, and I'm not really sure they will ever be mixed. I know some of you might like the songs anyway - you may think of it as going back to the old school Soda Fountain Rag.

The other side (demo) by sodafountainrag


I'm spending quite a lot of time at the library these days. Trying to write about modalities/possible worlds. For those of you interested in modal realism and/or poetry, there actually exists a book with poems about/inspired by Lewis' possible worlds:

I don't know if Roubaud is finding some support in the idea of the modal realism - I think this book was written after his wife's death. Sadly, even if it was true, it wouldn't help, maybe just ease the pain a little.


I also found a nice poem by Hjalmar Gullberg (yes, it's in Swedish, so you have to make an extra special effort... The title is "A clown who died")

En gycklare som dog

Ett sminkat ögonlock sig öppnar tungt och sakta.

Skall iris och pupill snart finnas att betrakta?

O skådespelare i färdigmålat skick,

vad festligt äventyr skall stråla ur din blick?

Ett sminkat ögonblick sig öppnar tungt och sakta…

Så öppnar sig ridån med ögonlock av sammet

för sorgespelet och det yra luspelsglammet

på regmbågshinnan som teatern är en stund:

ett öga, vaknande ur dröm och nattlig blund…

Tills slutridån blir fälld med ögonlock av sammet.

Åt namnet på en grav som blev med marken jämnad,

åt blott en gycklare som dog är sången ämnad.

Försvunnen är han själv och allt han innebar.

Vad återstår för oss, publiken som dröjt kvar?

Blott namnet på en grav som blev med marken jämnad.

Men bort från tiljorna som föreställer världen,

blev han av skuggor följd på sista avskedsfärden.

Hans färja gider mot sitt mål på glömskans flod,

fylld av gestalter som har fått hans hjärteblod

en gång på tiljorna som föreställde världen.

Hans död blev döden för ett skugglikt mänskomyller.

En massgrav är den grav han med sin aska fyller:

där vilar konungar och trasmän mask vid mask.

Vem varhan riddaren av smink och puderask,

vars död blev döden för ett skugglikt människomyller?

Ett sminkat ögonblick sig sluter tungt och sakta.

Färjkarlen lär ej snart hans like överfrakta.

Här blir han gömd. Vi har ett namn blott i behåll

- och måste tänka på vår egen lilla roll.

Ett sminkat ögonlock sig sluter tungt och sakta…

Reminds me of my favourite childrens book. 

U7 and 8 demo

Hello! In the hope that your weekend will be better than mine. Here's a quick demo for you. Last time in Berlin I promised a song about the u-bahn. This song is about the lines U7 and U8. As you probably can hear it's recorded with a sore throat and not at all mixed, but I need to get some stuff out.

U7 and 8 demo by sodafountainrag


Lyrics:

U7 and 8

Take the stairs – go down with me!

Take my hand

I'll let you see

Pay your way

Now close your eyes

It's OK!

I would surely go with you

Smell your air

Your colour's blue

Just like me

You tend to be

On your own

Who would take the city bus?

The car, the tram

With all it's fuss?

The score is clear

I let you know that you won

And then I say I love you too

But most of all

I love the blue

I hide my head

I never want to go home!

I'm going under!

I don't see the sun

But the endless black tunnells

Won't leave me alone

Keep me safe

Keep me hidden

U7 and 8

From the monsters that I do create

Sometimes you ask me

Oh, what are you for?

That's when I fall to pieces

I'm closing the door

Going down

Going under

U7 and 8

From the darkness that I do create

New earrings

I made these today. Hopefully people from Hamburg will like them.

A Weekend in Germany

Back in the Bergen rain after a nice weekend in Hamburg and Berlin. Here are some words 'n' pictures 'n' videos 'n' stuff.

We got up at 4am and travelled with KLM, my favourite airline. Berlin was hot on Friday – but not too hot for Curry Wurst (it apparently never is). Slept in Silke Bauer's apartment – she gave us the keys for the whole weekend. I love the level of trust in the indiepop scene. Taz.de atually wrote an article about this, you can read it here (if you know how to read german).

On Saturday we took the train to Hamburg – Schönes Wochenende ticket – a concept that I love. I do not, however, love being exposed to shitty parenting on a crowded train for 1 ½ hour… Na ja.

Having played on a Hamburg riverboat before I knew what was waiting this time, but I also knew that we were going to play together with our friends Honeyheads. 

It’s a lot more fun to play when you’re sharing the show with great people. Personally I think the concert was better this time – and the weather too!

Anders and Stian on MS Claudia. 

We spent the night in a girls's apartment. While we were there I kept thinking how cool it would have been if norwegian apartments could look a little more like hers, and they probably could if norwegians hadn’t been so obsessed with redecorating their homes in ridiculously boring styles. It seems “being interested in interior design” means the same as being interested in painting one’s walls white. Na ja…

Then we took the posh train to Berlin.

Before the gig the boys in the band wanted to watch football, but I wasn’t in the mood, so I went for a walk and ended up in the Victoriapark. Fell in love with the place. "Climbed" the Kreuzberg (66 metres high). 

The View from the top. 

Some kids were exploring the art of the area. 

Here's the Wasserturm where the gig was - a really nice venue.

The Boys admiring the Turm

And me relaxing before the gig. 

There were lots of people at the show. Tandbergh, a fellow norwegian, made some videos:

Go!

Are Philosophers Lonely?

Berlinbeat did an interview before the show. 

For those of you who are overly interested in the bunkers I told you about on the boat, there are some pictures here. This was my playground as a kid - mentioned in the song "The Saddest Boy in Town". 

Back to Hamburg to play w/Honeyheads

I know what you get in a Hafen... INDIEPOP, apparently. No more than three weeks after our last Hamburg show, we return to play on the Elbe once again. 

Pictures from the Hamburg gig

Summer weather in Hamburg. Impressed that so many people showed up in this rainstorm!

Thank you Jens for sending us the pictures!

Don't Kill the Clowns from Hamburg

You should try it yourself - standing on one foot, drumming and singing on a moving boat. It'll make you feel alive! This is what it looked like when I tried