Review: Smaller Majority – “Kiss Off”

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album: When the small majority left hair wipes 2019 It’s been ten years since the previous album, “Either Way I Think You Know”. Then get busy! In 2021 came the movie “The Universe W would have to Adjust”, and ten months later now “Kiss Off” came out. Meanwhile, the band embarks on a Norwegian tour that ends in Rockefeller in Oslo on April 22.

These days it might be tempting to call the album “Piss Off”, titled Someone A Certain Our East, but the majority minority opted for the milder and nicer alternative “Kiss Off” (by the way, the title of a song with American Violent Femmes on their 1983 debut).

new songs

The last Minor Majority album began with the fact that they wanted to “fix” two songs that did not fit into the previous version, but instead began a creative process that turned into several new songs – and an entire album.

Perhaps producer, stringer and guitarist Roar Nielsen (The Dogs) has some “to blame”, and a more exciting result than last time. Here are some nice touches, listen for example to the careful use of bassoon and clarinet on the title track “Kiss”.

Nielsen also produced Pål Angelskår’s latest solo album in 2015 and was the producer and guitarist of the band’s comeback album “Napkin Poetry”. He also contributes music to two songs, keyboardist Harald Sommerstad on one.

I feel like Nilsen and the band have found a better balance between “down tempo” and “up-tempo” on this ninth studio album with Minor Majority. It might sound like a nameless thing when you first listen, but it stays true very quickly. Give it some time and you’ll be a happy listener!

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Another glow

In addition to most of the music, Angelskår still stands behind the lyrics, sometimes with Sjur Lyseid (The Little Hands of Asphalt) or Jacob Krogvold (Thulsa Doom). The lyrics are nice and satisfying and thus not much different in theme from the previous albums, but I could still hear a different glow from the precursor – also musically. Together with Lysed, for example, he put together a beautiful text on hope and forgiveness (“Amal”):
“I put the bottles in the trash.”
while you sleep in bed
dreaming of roads
to cover your mistakes
trying to find out
Only who was blamed for everything »

They are also beyond attractive “The best of us”which sounds like a mix of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”, “Take On Me” and “The Sun Always Shines On TV”, is topped by Sommerstad’s florlette piano and Kristine Marie Aasvang’s instrumental choir!

Aasvang, From The Secret Sound Of Dreamwalkers, Choirs on four more songs and make a difference.

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Strong song history

A band or artist will always be measured against their best performance, in this case songs like “Think I’m Up for You and I”, “She Gave Me Away” and “This Time” from career-defining “Up For You and I” (2004), “Supergirl” and “Come Back To Me” from the sequel to Reasons To Hang Around (2006).

One of the lightest

Songs on ‘Kiss Off’ Might Not Last a hero On the same level as in Climax, but many of them are nearby – like the title track (a duet with Kristel Alsos), brilliant errorAnd the other people’s lives And the cling to. more Interesting By the way, the song On David Palmer“Defense” the vocalist in another soft rock band, Steely Dunn, in 1972 and ’73 – with a slight nod to the band musically.

And – the great advantage of the band is that it is in front of a man who has one of the softer, milder Norwegian voices. He is able to give the soul peace! Angelskår is simply “the gentle voice of the minority majority”. Therefore, it has always been difficult to distinguish between solo artist Angelskår and the band.

Repetition

With such a clear seal, it can also be difficult to avoid a certain feeling of repetition. After all, they do – for the most part – only what they can. The ‘solace’ is that they do what they can very well!

The album will be released tomorrow. The smaller majority play Tou Scene in Stavanger tonight (Thursday), Høvleriet in Haugesund on Friday and USF Verftet in Bergen on Saturday. Then the tour continues in eight cities.