This second and eponymous album from Norway’s I Was A King, fronted in every way by singer-songwriter-guitarist Frode Strømstad, can’t really be accused of reinventing anything, but asking for that in rock today could be argued unreasonable.

They can, however, rightfully be accused of – and then saluted for – being unreasonably infectious almost throughout the 15 songs and sketch-like intermezzos they have crammed in on this half hour long (or short, if you will) followup to 2007s debut, ’Loosing Something Good For Something Better’.

The bulk of the album is recorded at The Ladybug Transistor’s Brooklyn studio Marlborough Farms, the rest at Taakeheimen studio in Oslo, and features contributions from among others Emil Nikolaisen (Serena Maneesh) and Sufjan Stevens, but it is Mr. Strømstad stealing the picture.

Not only as the principal songsmith, displaying an amazing ability to write two minute pop pearls, but also with his airy vocal a brilliant contrast to the music building on 1960s pop and 90s indie-/noise-rock, in its own way sounding a little like a sunny version of The Raveonettes.

And it is here you’ll find the general highlight on ‘I Was A King’; in the tension field between delicate and intricate pop melodies (here and there with bits of folk added) and guitar driven fuzz noise, making Frode Strømstad, his three henchmen and one henchgirl, one of the brightest testaments to the very healthy state of Norwegian rock right now.

Genre: Rock
Who: I Was A King
Album: I Was A King
Label: Hype City/Morningside Records
Year: 2009
Country: Norway
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Still – Golden Years – Hard Luck Bad News – Stay Warm – Not Like This – It’s All You