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Please look to the links below for current projects of former WS members:
PAINTED ROMANS
WE ARE MONSTERS
* * RELEASES * *
HOLLOW EARTH
CD limited to 1000 copies. Message for information on how to get it.
Released by Record Surgery Products October 2005.
* * * Review by SubbaCultcha.com * * *
On their second album, Wallpaper Silhouettes show the posers a thing or two, and deliver a beautiful slice of Scandinavian pop--
On first listen, I assumed that this must be an old re-issue, until I realised that Norway's Wallpaper Silhouettes have only been around since 1999. The sorrowful vocals, post-punk bass lines, and densely melancholic atmosphere of the album very much puts it very much in the category of New Romantic or New Wave bands of the mid-eighties. Sure, retro New Romantics are ten-a-penny nowadays (The Killers, The Bravery, you know the sort of thing), but whereas with most of them its plainly obvious that they're just mere posers aping something they saw on Top of the Pops 2, Norwegian Hollow Earth carries this off as if the past twenty years never happened.
Kicking off with a Steely Dan-esque piano intro, the first song, "Your Weary Eyes" kicks off with a bass like that PIL would have been proud to call their own, and perhaps in a nod to The Smiths, Mats Davidsen croons, "We've come together like hand in glove"- you're practically bombarded by the sheer eighties-ness of the record, and you're only a minute in. The rest of the album follows a similar course, with lots of murky, claustrophobic layers of reverb and feedback, plaintive piano arrangements, and gloomy lyrics decorate the album with a sweet sadness. It can at times be plodding, not least in "Urban Runner", which clocks in at a mammoth ten minutes, forty-one seconds. "Urban Runner"? Are they trying to be ironic? Probably.
I digress, Hollow Earth is certainly anything but hollow, and despite being undeniably derivative of bands like Duran Duran or Simple Minds, they are not mere posers or pretenders, indeed, they show most other eighties-revivalists how it should be done. Not one to stick on if you're down in the dumps, but nonetheless a beautiful slice of Scandinavian pop.
By Chris Bell
ECHO THE WORLD (we live in)
Limited to 100 copies!!
Released by Record Surgery/Freedom Road Records
Get it at: Freedom Road Records
* * * Review by WhisperinAndHollerin.com * * *
This is a welcome oddity. The quartet WALLPAPER SILHOUETTES hail from Trondheim, Norway and have been doing their thing since 1999.
Strange as it may seem their thing is to proudly and skilfully resurrect the soul/funk/punk sound of Postcard Records, the kitchen sink glamour of The Associates and the urbane epic flourishes of The Chameleons. It’s a delightful and engaging cocktail that succeeds in reaffirming my enthusiasm for this music of 20+ years ago by actually creating an album that could be a long lost gem resurrected by the archivists at LTM Publishing.
It’s also a fairly ramshackle affair and self-evidently a first stab at pulling together their love for the music of this period into an album. Luckily the lack of coherency only increases the charm of ‘Echo The World (We Live In)’ and if anything serves to reinforce the DIY ethic that Postcard propounded all those years ago. This is as much a celebration of making music on your own terms as it is of the influences that have informed it.
The vocals are predominantly a cross between Edwyn Collins and Ian Curtis, their (obviously) mournful and dour undercurrent enhanced by the Scandinavian inflection. Key moments include the Orange Juice inspired About You, the guitar ambience of ‘Bells’ (very Chameleons) and the Joy Division coated ‘Silence Within Me’. Special mention though goes to the “if Kraftwerk played guitars” joy of ‘Not Supporting Walls’ and the atmospheric melody of the instrumental title track.
Great music is always about possibilities and new directions and with ‘Echo The World (We Live In)’ WALLPAPER SILHOUETTES have recaptured that musical spirit from the early 80s. Fortunately they’ve done it in such a way that demonstrates that history and changes in taste have failed to bring anything remotely approaching closure to that spirit and inventiveness. Once again so much of today’s music seems sterile and unimaginative by comparison.
7 out of 10 stars
By Different Drum
ECHO THE WORLD (we live in)
Limited to 100 copies!! (300 cassettes)
Released by Record Surgery/Freedom Road Records
Get it at: Freedom Road Records
* * * Review by Subba-Cultcha.com * * *
Combining staccato guitar strum with on-the-beat, mechanical sounding drum rhythms, Norwegian quartet Wallpaper Silhouettes return you to a time of CND marches, post-punk synth experiments, and red triangles indicating the naughty bits on Channel Four...
If you were an arts student in the early eighties, you're going to love this one. Combining staccato guitar strum with on-the-beat, mechanical sounding drum rhythms, Norwegian quartet Wallpaper Silhouettes return you to a time of CND marches, post-punk synth experiments, and red triangles indicating the naughty bits on Channel Four. All you need is a miners? strike and the setting would be perfect.
Perhaps this is to be expected given the band's stated aim of not so much creating music as an 'atmosphere'. Whether it's a result of the notorious Norwegian tendency towards depression or a studied tribute to the age of Postcard Records and The Associates, 'Echo The World (We Live In)' has something of the feel of a bleakly earnest filmscore to it, containing as it does not one but two instrumental tracks, which has led some reviewers to draw comparison with Teutonic knob-twiddlers Kraftwerk (only with guitars and a phaser pedal).
Indeed, the most common adjective used for this, the band's debut (originally released as a nine-track cassette), is 'ramshackle'. Although the album can be something less than the sum of its parts, it's clear that Wallpaper Silhouettes are fully aware of the direction they're taking: they're headed straight for the territory once held by Simple Minds, in the days of a New Gold Dream - before 'Jim' Kerr became better known as 'Wang'.
Tracks such as 'About You' and 'You Don't Need To Get Me What I Want' may well bring back memories of Associates-style torch, without having quite the range that Billy MacKenzie once paraded; however it's when they hit album highlights such as 'The Gift' or 'Silence Within Me' that the band's disparate elements unite into a truly cohesive whole.
It's hard to tell whether pretentiousness abounds in lyrics such as: 'The silence of anger in me not for you to adore my love/ My body is young and I say you should quit winding me up' (the Phil Oakey-inspired 'Autumn Love') or if this is simply the result of singing in your second language, but in the end it doesn't really matter. It's the sense of a time before Goth that Wallpaper Silhouettes have succeeded in recreating. So much so, I'm getting me a beret and a snood before listening again. Altogether now: 'Maggie, Maggie, Maggie. . .'
by Doug Devaney
* * * Interview with Mats Davidsen by Subba-Cultcha.com * * *
How did the recording sessions for the new album go? Alright, although it's been over a year. Our current album was never planned in any way. We were given one day in studio by someone we know. When we showed up the producer's absence forced us to go ahead with the recording on our own. It just happened that the studio-calendar was blank for two weeks, we were thrilled. We just put down everything, starting with the songs that we really wanted to record, then as the mood changed (the studio was a damp basement) it became more depressive and the songs took the completely opposite direction. We worked day and night because we didn't know how long it would last before some pre-booked band would occupy the studio. No alcohol, nor any drugs were consumed during the recording, making it the most sober record of all time! Typically, all the hi-tech gear was situated in the owners other studio, and so we used his old 24-track Fostex, some rack-mounted effects, and a huge mixing desk, which we accidently broke. The whole experience didn't cost us a thing, it cost him £150!
What goals did you set yourself before you started recording? None. The whole thing wasn't supposed to happen in the first place. Which ultimately led to a very honest, and very real album. All the present feelings were put down on tape. These are feelings long gone... Although it is a very memorable event for us, I don't think we would want do it like that again.
What do you feel are your own limitations when it comes to creating/writing music? My personal limitations are my inability to listen to others, as well as giving others a chance to express themselves. This haven't yet posed a problem for us, but it's something that I should work with for future albums. Indeed the freedom of each member have certainly grown from then (that would be 1999) and until now. Therefore I inspire to keep an open mind.
Tell us 3 of your own favourite songs and the inspiration behind them? There's a track called "No Faith In The Change" on "Hollow Earth" which I think is wonderful. This because it was written and recorded on one of the last days of recording. It felt like the whole project was about to break down and vanish into oblivion. This particular song is driven only by a really soft-fade synth-pad and emotional singing, creating this vast landscape imagery. I think the theme in the song comes across quite clearly. It's about not being part of anything in life. Being completely invisible to others. Although it's more likely that everyone else is invisible to the undersigned! Nothing ever changes, or does it? A horrible thought! Other songs I endorse from the album are "Your Weary Eyes", inspired by an early love, only to see itself renewed in another form later, and "One Day", which describes humanity the way I used to see it.
What do you enjoy most about recording, and in contrast what do you enjoy most about playing live? I absolutely prefer recording because it allows you to layer, arrange, and set a certain mood, which is hard to do live. I have a tendency to make recordings sound very pompous, often adding too much guitars and synths as well as effects. We like it though. Live performances are often intensified versions of recordings, which of course is great! That instant reaction from the crowd... I fear I'll become a studio musician in the future. Wonder if the rest of the band would follow...?
What are the bands plans for the rest of the year? We're currently working our guts out trying to arrange for a new album-recording (the details of which are secret) and hope it will be followed by a lengthy tour. We are finally starting to get recognized in other countries too which is a bit strange because of our rather low-key releases and minimal concert activities. We've been lucky enough to pass the PR and paper work over to a management, which is very rewarding for us because it leaves us the opportunity to be a group rather than an institution!
What touring routines do you have, say a typical day on the road be like? Our previous touring experience is a three-date trip to North of Norway, and lots of standalone dates. We had to drive 1367 miles for three shows! This is how much "Rock'n'Roll" we are: Just a couple of miles before the first city we played in we were fined £50 each for driving without seat-belts! Other rock'n'roll activities includes drinking alcohol... A day on the road with us is a really cosy experience. We always stop to see tourist attractions, even though it's in our own country. On the last trip we had we drove to the top of a mountain called "Tron Toppen", almost 1700 metres above sea level. There's nothing prettier than nature's own sculptures. I detest the "sex-drugs-rocknroll" myth. I think most of the people that claim to be living that lifestyle are liars.
Who is currently moving you musically at the moment? I think Scritti Politti, again...But also artists like Steely Dan (and their successors inluding Prefab Sprout and China Crisis). Simple Minds, always been good. Well defined music with depth. It's quite rare to find extraordinary musicians who actually make good music. Most often they're wankers!
What album changed your life and why? Many albums have changed my life, but in different ways. I don't know why albums can change someone's life. I guess it's "in-the-moment"-related. Steely Dan's Aja album definitely changed my life, because here you have a record that is so perfect you can't believe it. And while many perfect records come across as dull, the songs on Aja are so well-crafted that they lead beyond perfection, to a stage where it sounds improvised and natural again. Still hungry after 500 listens!
A moment in your life and a song that seem so perfectly intertwined in your memory? Sorry, I have no romantic stories to tell here. However, I love to listen to Irish band Silent Running and Scottish band Sideway Look when driving through our rugged country. Big music for big landscapes.
What bands have influenced you the most musically? I guess I have to say The Cure, Music For Pleasure, Sideway Look, China Crisis, Prefab Sprout, Steely Dan... The other members, Tony Jacobsen and Jo Henning Dahlø, have of course brought along other influences. Tony and I often listen to similar bands while Jo Henning is a Metallica fan! Listen objectively to our music and figure it out.
Your proudest achievement so far? I don't know. I think it's yet to come.
If you could erase one single/album from history (your own or someone else's) which would it be and why? I would wipe out artists! Beginning with Bon Jovi... Speaks for itself.
How do you see yourself altering the band and your sound in the future? Is there anything you wish to attempt in the future that's inspiring you right now? We are really looking forward to begin recording new demos again because our bag is full of material. Gradually we have learned to arrange music differently, rather than settling with the first idea we now compose music with a lot of focus on details and mood and such. I think listening to advanced music has put us on a different track altogether. It is great to have an album like "Hollow Earth" in the catalogue, but the next album will sound more proffesional. Awful word, but true I guess.
What drives you? It's more natural to make music than going to the toilet! First of all we make music for our own sake. When people enjoy what we do then that's a great bonus. Everything we've done so far is either love or hate. Some people hate the music, others love it. So I guess that means that there is a strong quality to what we do. So what drives us? A need to share our feelings with others perhaps?
What are your fears? Death is the ultimate fear. But also money-related issues. I have a fear of money. A sort of sincere repect. Money has the ability to break down basically everything. Especially a group, which has been exemplified over and over again during the history.
But don't we all like to spend it?
Best piece of advice you'd give to aspiring musicians, or the best piece of advice you were given when you started? Do whatever you want. Be true to what you do and don't let anything or anyone stop you, be aware that there are people who might. And stear away from drugs. That is, if you have faith in yourself and in your work. "I am God, I bring you some... Picnic!"
If you're in a car going at the speed of light, and someone turns the headlamps on, would they do anything? Probably frighten the hell out of us?
By: Jeremy Chick
editor@subba-info.com
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