In the nineteenth century, cosmorama was all the rage. This technique allows people to look at photographs through a specially designed contraption that makes the photograph seem three-dimensional and multi-layers, so that it seems as if the viewer is standing in the actual picture. A popular subject for cosmorama pictures was landscapes. So, when a singer-songwriter from Norway looked at one of these pictures in 2009, it sparked off an idea. He decided to write a series of songs that would be multi-layered like one of these pictures. He also wanted to focus on the inner landscape specifically. This led to the creation of Kosmoratik.
The singer-songwriter who started the band is Eivind Johansen. He is the lead vocalist and writes most of the lyrics. Odd Gunnar Froysland is co-composer and arranger of the music and also plays guitar and keyboards. The third member of the group is Lise Lotte Agedal, who provides the vocal harmonies with her soaring voice.
Even though Kosmoratik's songs are introspective, their sound tends towards the epic. Eivind and Lise Lotte provide vocal harmonies. These are supplemented by the sounds of Odd's acoustic guitar as well as string quartet and oboe. Flutes, keyboards and synthesizers like mellotron feature strongly in most songs too, adding extra layers to the music.
The band cites many influences, with progressive rock or prog-rock of the early seventies, such as Pink Floyd, Camel and early Fleetwood Mac, as one of their main sound inspirations. Singer-songwriters like John Martyn and Nick Drake are influences too, as are the Beatles. Lyrically Eivind finds his muses in Leonard Cohen and John Lennon, as well as the Persian poet and mystic Hafiz, who lived in the fourteenth century.
Easter 2011 saw the start of recording the band's first album, called 'Gravitation'. For these sessions, two additional musicians joined the trio in the studio. One was Bjarte Jorgensen who played the drums, while the other was Arhur Kay Piene, who played piano, Rhodes piano and a type of synthesizer called a minimoog. The album was released by Nordic Records in May 2012.
What you hear when you listen to the album 'Gravitation' is a collection of moving, unforgettable songs. 'Veronica, go', the opening track, is a heartrending ballad sung mainly to acoustic guitar accompaniment. The other eight songs on the album are generally a little more upbeat, yet still create a sense of melancholy that sets the tone for the entire album.
The influences of progressive rock can mainly be heard in the use of electric guitars. These instruments feature in songs like 'Cosmorama' and 'It's in my mind', bringing to mind Pink Floyd under David Gilmour. However, they become more prominent in 'Years ago, miles apart', the nostalgic 'In spite of all (Life was grand)', 'Lilac smile' and the anthemic, Beatles-like 'Nothing is static'. Lise Lotte's voice also features more prominently in the latter. 'Unfinished journeys' is folky and bittersweet. In complete contrast to the rest of the album, however, is 'Don Quixote'. This jazzy, sophisticated song is reminiscent of the music of Roxy Music.
Kosmoratik plays progressive rock but adds something unique and contemporary, so that many people describe their sound as symphonic pop instead. If you like music that will make you think, you can find the songs from 'Gravity' as well as a few others online. Another option is to go see the band perform live if you're in Oslo.
The singer-songwriter who started the band is Eivind Johansen. He is the lead vocalist and writes most of the lyrics. Odd Gunnar Froysland is co-composer and arranger of the music and also plays guitar and keyboards. The third member of the group is Lise Lotte Agedal, who provides the vocal harmonies with her soaring voice.
Even though Kosmoratik's songs are introspective, their sound tends towards the epic. Eivind and Lise Lotte provide vocal harmonies. These are supplemented by the sounds of Odd's acoustic guitar as well as string quartet and oboe. Flutes, keyboards and synthesizers like mellotron feature strongly in most songs too, adding extra layers to the music.
The band cites many influences, with progressive rock or prog-rock of the early seventies, such as Pink Floyd, Camel and early Fleetwood Mac, as one of their main sound inspirations. Singer-songwriters like John Martyn and Nick Drake are influences too, as are the Beatles. Lyrically Eivind finds his muses in Leonard Cohen and John Lennon, as well as the Persian poet and mystic Hafiz, who lived in the fourteenth century.
Easter 2011 saw the start of recording the band's first album, called 'Gravitation'. For these sessions, two additional musicians joined the trio in the studio. One was Bjarte Jorgensen who played the drums, while the other was Arhur Kay Piene, who played piano, Rhodes piano and a type of synthesizer called a minimoog. The album was released by Nordic Records in May 2012.
What you hear when you listen to the album 'Gravitation' is a collection of moving, unforgettable songs. 'Veronica, go', the opening track, is a heartrending ballad sung mainly to acoustic guitar accompaniment. The other eight songs on the album are generally a little more upbeat, yet still create a sense of melancholy that sets the tone for the entire album.
The influences of progressive rock can mainly be heard in the use of electric guitars. These instruments feature in songs like 'Cosmorama' and 'It's in my mind', bringing to mind Pink Floyd under David Gilmour. However, they become more prominent in 'Years ago, miles apart', the nostalgic 'In spite of all (Life was grand)', 'Lilac smile' and the anthemic, Beatles-like 'Nothing is static'. Lise Lotte's voice also features more prominently in the latter. 'Unfinished journeys' is folky and bittersweet. In complete contrast to the rest of the album, however, is 'Don Quixote'. This jazzy, sophisticated song is reminiscent of the music of Roxy Music.
Kosmoratik plays progressive rock but adds something unique and contemporary, so that many people describe their sound as symphonic pop instead. If you like music that will make you think, you can find the songs from 'Gravity' as well as a few others online. Another option is to go see the band perform live if you're in Oslo.
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