Nico & Vinz - When The Day Comes

"When The Day Comes" is the latest Nico & Vinz single ("In Your Arms" is the current US single) and the video was released today. It's a true feelgood song of which there are so many on the awesome new album Black Star Elephant, and the video is beautiful, filled with magic and miracles, a bit soppy, but utterly irresistable. Love it!

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Listen to the Nico & Vionz album in its entirety now

Wow! Nico & Vinz's new album Black Star Elephant is finally upon us. You can stream it on Spotify from today, and this is such a good album. It shows that the Norwegian duo's monster hit "Am I Wrong" was no joke. These guys are so capable of following up with loads of great, uplifting songs. They released their first album, 2012's The Magic Soup And The Bittersweet Faces as Envy in 2012, but changed their moniker to Nico & Vinz prior to their international launch. Black Star Elephant will be in shops across Europe on Monday October 6, and in the USA and elsewhere on October 14. But for now, it's on Spotify, without the interludes. It's a great album that should make anyone instantly happy. Feelgood album of the year, most probably.

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George Harrison - The Apple Years 1968-75, an essay, video links and a playlist

George Harrison - "the quiet Beatle" - was underappreciated by John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a contributing force in The Beatles. Although he developed into a fantastic songwriter ("Something" is the second most covered Beatles song ever), he still only got two or three songs onto an album. There were several reasons for the band's eventual split-up, but this was definitely among them. In a new box set entitled The Apple Years 1968-75 Harrison's first six solo albums are compiled, and I have written an essay for the record company, Universal Music. It is written in Norwegian though, but also features a few video links and a playlist showcasing some of the music that influenced Harrison both as a guitarist and a songwriter.

Read, watch and listen

Bryan Ferry - Loop De Li

Bryan Ferry fans, take note of the date November 17. That's when his brand new album Avonmore is released, and it may just be a very good one. If the first single "Loop De Li" is anything to judge by, the new record will sound a bit like Avalon-era Roxy Music or at the very least Bête Noire-era Ferry. In other words, very nice. It's set to be a star-studded album as well, with Johnny Marr, Marcus Miller and Nile Rodgers playing throughout with guest stints by Flea, Mark Knopfler, Ronnie Spector and Maceo Parker. There are ten songs altogether, eight new originals, a cover of the Stephen Sondheim classic "Send In The Clowns", and Ferry and Todd Terje's collaboration of Robert Palmer's "Johnny And Mary".

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George Harrison - This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)

So you thought George Harrison's guitar sounds as if it weeps on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"? Well, it does, but if so, it virtually cries on "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)", the beautiful sequel he wrote and recorded for his 1975 album Extra Texture (Read All About It). It's also a response to the negativity and criticism he was met with for his 1974 North American tour with Ravi Shankar, and a poignant one at that. A great song from an underappreciated album.

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Autumn songs - 100 for the season

In Norway we have a tradition called "høstferie" in which the schools close for an entire week, and the family is forced to take time off even though it's not necessarily easy to get away from work. All in all it's of course a great tradition for the kids, but to help the grown-ups a bit I have decided to compile a very nice playlist, featuring songs that somehow fit pretty well with the season. Many of them are of course sad and melancholic, but by no means all of them.

Presented below is the list both in Spotify (100 tracks) and in WiMP (slightly fewer tracks), old and new, in any genre. So please enjoy, whether you're up for a holiday or not. In the end this is simply very good music.

Spotify

WiMP

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

It's Friday!!!

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Dolly Parton - Mountain Angel

Dolly Parton's 2001 album Little Sparrow was the second of a bluegrass trilogy that also includes The Grass Is Blue (1999) and Halos & Horns (2002). The first two are pretty much flawless, and one of the best songs on all these records is "Mountain Angel", a Parton original about a woman who loses her mind when her lover leaves her, fleeing into the woods and living alone for the rest of her days. It reads like a sad and sorry folk tale, told in Parton's sweet, crystal clear voice, set to a wonderful melody and an acoustic arrangement. Below is a live version lifted from a 2009 DVD called Dolly Parton & Friends: Love Always - Live From Texas.

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Carlos Santana - Tales Of Kilimanjaro

"Tales Of Kilimanjaro" is originally an instrumental track from Santana's underrated 1981 album Zebop!, co-credited to the man himself as well as keyboardist Alan Pasqua and the two percussionists Raul Rekow and Armando Peraza. This is in every way classic Santana, with the trademark latin flair that marked the band's albums from the eponymous 1969 debut and onwards. This version is actually lifted from Carlos Santana's 1983 solo album Havana Moon, with the difference mainly being this one is a bit longer. It's a beautiful jam that lasts for under five minutes, but if they had continued for an additional five minutes it would only have added to the pleasantness, it's the kind of song that could just go and on and on and on...

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Bruce Springsteen remasters finally due - as box set

After oh so many years, Bruce Springsteen's first seven records are finally remastered and on November 17 released as vinyl and CD box sets. Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town have been remastered and released on CD earlier, but now his early output will be available with the best possible sound on both formats. The box set is called The Album Collection Vol. 1, 1973-1984, so I assume there will be an additional two similar sets eventually. For now though, we are talking about his most important - and best - period, so hooray! Also, I do hope the records will be released individually as well. Below you'll find a trailer for the upcoming box set.

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