Tag: i was a king

Nathan’s Top Albums of 2025

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I could wax, poetically, about the meaning of year-end lists and how they turn us onto great tunes to create our playlists, but instead, I feel like this is my sort of last gasp post of the year, in what seems like a last gasp moment for blogs. I instilled some silly rules on myself in crafting this list…but if I disclose that, it could ruin your fun of jamming to all these records. So here’s a list…put whatever meaning into it you can, and just remember, I love to do this…even when its tough to string words together…so please keep coming back and we’ll keep doing this.

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Last Week’s Jams (8.11 – 8.15)

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It was a pretty busy week on my end, heading back into the school room and what not, but lots of great music making its way to our ears. Kicking it off with one of my favorite tracks of the year, with the latest single from Sorry, but then moves in to hear our friends I Was a King dabbling in the softer side of power-pop. Plus, the folks at Skep Wax and Slumberland keep pumping out the hits with new music from The Cords and Telephone Numbers. Really excited for you to hear the newest single from Austin’s Living Set too, if you missed it by accident; there’s another Austin act in there too named the Point, you might want to check if you’re into stretching your musical brain! Click play and see what’s up.

I Was a King Announce Until the End

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If you’ve been following the storied career of Norway’s I Was a King, then you’re likely going to take a close listen to their new single, with the group spending more time on the melodic core rather than some of their power-pop tendencies. That said, if you’ve listened to the group’s work, they’ve always hung on the softer side of the genre, and they dive into that vibe here in a way that has them sounding like they’re dusting off some old tendencies and pushing forward. I love Anne Lise’s light backing notes layered behind Frode’s lead, providing the textured love the group is known for creating. They completed the work on Until the End with Bill Ryder-Jones, so we should expect something meaningful coming our way on October 17th.

Last Week’s Jams (2.24 – 2.28)

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Pretty solid wee of new music last week, and we got to as much as our time allowed. We even managed to start getting some of our SXSW coverage together, as the festival is somehow just over the horizon; RayRay got an interview up with Population II you should check out. We even got back on some album stream coverage, making sure to have the homies in Constant Follower and Daily Worker up there. We continue as the one-site hype machine for Sharp Pins Radio DDR reissue, but there some of my favorite acts also returned with their own new jams to grab us, like Dumb Things and Jetstream Pony. I even jumped on the Sports Team train with their latest single. Get into it below.

Best Wishes – A Shortcut To I Was a King

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It seems like as long as we’ve been running this site we’ve been covering the work of I Was a King, and for those that weren’t there along the way, they’ve announced a compilation that’s the perfect introductory collection for those that haven’t quite whet their power-pop whistle with these greats. The band have worked with legends like Robyn Hitchcock, Sufjan Stevens and Norman Blake…to name a few. For me, the fascination has always been the gentle roll of Frode’s voice; there’s this intimacy that’s met by a certain almost pastoral nature, almost as if its a sort of wisened sage whispering to you. Honestly, if you ever wished to be transported to a place of happiness, “Lighthouse” is a great place to being; you can find it on the group’s Slow Century LP too. Once you’ve dipped your toes into the storied history of this great act, be sure to order a copy of Best Wishes – A Shortcut to I Was a King…dropping on March 7th.

I Was a King Share Brand New Single

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It’s Friday, and there’s nothing better than wrapping yourself up in a blanket of melodic pop, such as Norway’s I Was a King offer on their latest single. Frode and Anna Lise are the absolute stars here, with the light jangling and tinkering piano lurking quietly in the background; they’re clearly hanging out in the song, with the piano sparkling in its work, though they, too, are in awe of the majestic powers of the vocal work this go round. A forlorn bit of guitar slides in between the cracks, all of it giving this textured blend of classic power pop that confirms our belief that I Was a King is one of the best power-pop acts around. We’ve been promised there will be more new music from the group as the year goes forward, so more great Friday news!

Colored Lights Share Ashes Single

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You’d have to go back years and years to find out when I first feel for Frome Strostad’s songwriting; he first came to my attention with I Was a King, but has played with folks like Peter Buck of REM and Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub. After dropping a new I Was a King LP, he’s now focused on another project, Colored Lights. Today there’s a light folk pop jangler coming from the band, and I can’t help but to swoon at the gentle nature here; you feel as if you’re gently being caressed, like being lulled to sleep by a beautiful lullaby. The musicianship behind is perfect as well, texturizing the track so as to maximize every bend and jangle in the songwriting. Colored Lights release their self-titled LP on September 22nd via Bobo Integral.

Colored Lights Share Stabbing Clouds Single

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Frode Stromstad is really putting his songwriting into overdrive, having fairly recently released an I Was a King LP…now he’s got his new project Colored Lights set for their debut LP. When you press play, you’re instantly greeted by this groovy pulse, setting up this steady backbone for the track to ride upon. Frode’s vocals take on these fantastical notes, hitting tones somewhere between nostalgic yearning and futuristic hope; his performance is definitely one of the selling points of this track. Mixing up tidbits of psych and power pop, you’re going to definitely hear sprinkles of all your favorite genres coming in from the latest Colored Lights single; they drop their self-titled debut on August 22nd via Bobo Integral.

Introducing Colored Lights

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Over the past dozen years or so, I’ve been covering the music of Frode Stromstad, one of the key songwriters in I Was a King/The No Ones. Today, news came our way that Frode has a new project titled Colored Lights, and we’re more than happy to share the first little taste of what’s in store. Personally, I can’t escape the familiarity of Frode’s voice; it seems to sit perfectly in this song, like a small little boat casually resting atop the water as the song ripples through your speakers. Emotional impact is almost immediate, matching up the light strum and percussion with Stromstad’s voice…and then it’s gone, fading away with a gentle bit of noise exploration. The band will release their self-titled LP via Bobo Integral on September 22nd.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (10.24 – 10.28)

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It’s strange. Last week, I was complaining that the tunes were drying up as its nearing the end of the year. And here we are, RayRay and I getting a solid 20 songs up, plus interviews and coverage of Levitation. Guess we crushed it, along with our friend JWagner, who gave us some solid Babe Rainbow coverage. Personally, of all the tracks I loved last week, that Heather Trost tune is just a flat out star; I need ya’ll to get behind me on this! Our Aussie friends in Deuce also dropped us a new ditty, plus we got a new Tubs announcement out there. Tune in and let us know what you’re loving.

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