Röyksopp, Aurora and Father John Misty – VG

…plus an excellent side project from the main members of Radiohead: The Year’s Going On – here are some songs you can choose to listen to.

In it – “All that is in the matter until when”

A dose of fresh Norwegian spirit makes its way across the frigid January landscape. After rock monster ‘Grendehus Funkadelic’ and dirty soul getaway ‘Phone Girl’, Sofie Tollefsbøl and her inspiring band Fieh turn the rhythm and intensity into ‘Allthetimeevenwhen’ (Pooh!). At first glance, it looks like a slight dip – at least compared to the songs mentioned – but this patiently designed camper comes with a breathtaking center floor that draws the mind towards Bert Bacharach.

Father John Misty – “Funny Girl”

Josh Tillman has made a niche of his own in the past decade. Under the name of Father John Misty, the former drummer on Fleet Fox has continued the legacy of edgy, slick parodists like Randy Newman and Harry Nelson—musically and lyrically—with a good handful of great singles as a result. Taking its theme from the Barbra Streisand musical and movie of the same name, “Funny Girl” is musical in its most romantic Hollywood form. Big plus point for the line of text “You fired me when you charmed the pants from Letterman”, but here the project seems to be a bit idle.

Röyksopp – «(Nothing but) Ash»

Despite the fact that Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge announced that the album format was ending in 2014, the duo announced great things to come – a triple album, no less, which will obviously be titled Deep Mysteries. The track for “(Nothing But) Ashes” is likely primarily intended to be appetizing, but it’s easy to imagine this piano-driven cinematic structure rising as slowly as the project’s opening song. Also check out the evocative music video where an astronaut fiddles with something in dark wood.

“(Nothing but) Ashes” is not currently available on Spotify, but the video can be watched she has.

Smile – “You’ll Never Work on TV Again”

Behind what appears to be the band’s satirical name The Smile, Radiohead leads the spearheads Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, with powerful Kemet’s sons drummer Tom Skinner behind the percussion. With the first single “You’ll Never Work on TV Again” – equal sharing and super fun –Thomeworks Title – They return to the energy of adolescence, in a chaotic soundscape where York’s howl threatens to get in the way of individual rhythm changes, instrumental groove and melodic approach. Not entirely convincing.

Sondre Lerche – “Cut”

After greatly expanding his comfort zone with last year’s ten-minute “Dead of Night” epic, Sondre Lerche is back with more fresh produce from his upcoming tenth album, “Avatars of Love,” which comes out April 1 (correct!). With “Cut,” the 39-year-old is definitely back home. This ultra-chic pop song—a tribute to professor of psychological inventor Brian De Palma—sounds like something Paddy McCalone and Thomas Dolby could conjure up in a lavish studio in 1986. A solid compliment, if there is any doubt.

Aurora – “Something Dangerous”

Aurora Aksnes’ much-anticipated third studio album “The Gods We Can Touch” is very close, but “A Dangerous Thing” – the fourth single from the album – is keeping expectations in check. This is a humble song that, quite simply, seems to be screwed together just to show off Aurora’s well-documented ability as a singer. The verse wasn’t resolved, and the mood of the chorus made Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus pick up better in Nothing Breaks Like a Heart. Then there’s a little tender meat on the bone again.

Lauren Spencer Smith – “Interlocking Fingers”

Finally, outstretched for those who want to start their music career with rage. American Idol producer Lauren Spencer Smith’s new single “Fingers Crossed” covers most of the horrific things about pop music in 2022, from plain melody to slick vocal style, where the main character looks like she’s got a cool and settled well over a toilet bowl. You won’t get those 2 minutes and 55 seconds again, so it’s probably easy to get carried away.