Essential July

Essential viewing this July:
- "Entourage" is back! Now in its sixth season some of the original heat and appeal may have worn down, but this is still one of the finest shows around. The writing is still top notch and the original cast work hard to keep the show fresh. There might not be many more seasons to come so enjoy it while it lasts!
- After its VERY limited cinematic release in Norway "Synecdoche, New York" finally arrives on DVD. Impossible to describe in just a few words, so you're better off just watching it without knowing too much. Wonderfully original with one of coolest ensemble cast of the year so far. And further proof that Philip Seymour Hoffman might be the finest thing to ever happen to his acting generation.
- The return of Sacha Baron Cohen in "Brüno" was never going to be anywhere near as big as "Borat". And it isn't. But it still has its moments and one has to respect the balls of Cohen (which get plenty of screen time by the way) for going to places no other mainstream comedian would ever dare. And in a summer of CGI blockbusters and rubbish teen movie sequels it should be appreciated for just what it is: a silly, silly comedy.

Essential listening this July:
Since summer is a gruelingly slow season when it comes to new album releases, this month I've had a look at some festival highlights. After a spell at Norwegian Wood (Oslo), Bukta (Tromsø) and the upcoming Øyafestivalen (Oslo), here are the best kicking festival beats of summer 2009:
- Bob Hund had the ungrateful task of opening this years Bukta festival, and they couldn't have done a better job. In the crisp summer air in Tromsø (it was freezing!) they performed a marvellous set and made sure everyones festival experience got off on the right foot. Never been played on a regular basis in my house, but after seeing them in Tromsø and knowing I'll catch them again at Øya soon, Bob Hund is slowly becoming the soundtrack to my summer this year.
- Another fairly new acquaintance was The Sadies from Canada. This quartet provided some deliciuos country and rock tunes, perfectly suited for both a nice summer party or just chilling in the background. And the greatly titled track "Stop The World And Let Me Off" should be track # 1 on every summer compilation the record companies are so eager to put out this time of year.
- When August has passed and autumn has arrived I am sure that one of my summer highlights will be that I finally got to see Band of Horses. This wonderful band from North Carolina has only released two full lenght albums, both with beautiful melodies and poetic lyrics. It's been a while since their lovely sophmore record "Cease To Begin", so hopefully there is another one on the way and a strong chance of hearing some new material when they take center stage at Øya in a few weeks time. I can't wait.

Newspaper Article

Newspaper "Bladet Tromsø" have done a nice little article about the music video. There are some comments from me and Henry, the lead singer in the band. The video is embedded in the article, but seems to have been a bit compromised in the process as a slight part of the window on the right side is missing. Therefore, if you haven't seen the video I recommend you head to its original YouTube page. You can get there by clicking on the video image twice.
You can read the article here: http://www.itromso.no/kultur/article275811.ece

Also, the video is featured on a website about "what's going on in Tromsø", that kinda thing. You can check that out here: http://www.tromsoby.no/node/7683

Music Video

Here is the music video I did for the norwegian rock band The Considerate Lovers. The song is called "Winter Ain't So Cold When You Got Someone On Your Mind" and is taken from their debut album "The End".

Producer & Director: John-Kristian Dalseth
Photographer & Editor: Anders Nettli
Thanks to Morten Rognli, Fargerike Tromsø, Torkel Riise Svenson and Krister Kantola for helping out.

# 50

Post number 50.
This basically started as a joke, but has now become something I enjoy doing and hear that people appreciate. So thanks for the positive feedback and kind words. And thanks for reading.
More to come.