King Midas
King Midas
Perfect Pop Records

King Midas is a relatively young, but not particularly new band from Oslo, and with a couple of promising 7-inches and some tracks on German samplers (I think) behind them, I was eager to hear what they had to offer in the long play format. The 7-inches have revealed that the band members have more than one copy of Da Capo between them, and they have been receiving considerable well-deserved positive coverage in several international fanzines.

On King Midas, they are not quite sure where to find their influences, and with at least three steady songwriters, they sound a bit schizophrenic at times. It sounds as if two of them (guitarist Ando Woltmann and keyboards player Sonny Ohlsen) are rooted in the British sixties' soundscape, and I think particularly the latter's contributions is admirable. His Buttoned For You would not have been too out of place on Music In A Doll's House, and he even tries to sound like Chappo on his songs, especially on Offshore (is that Dave Mason producing ?). Other goodies are Woltmann's King Midas Esquire with a strong melody and breathtaking piano work and My Heart Beats Six which finds the band on the American west coast again, with echoes of The Doors and Love.

I had big trouble figuring out this record at first, but several spins show an amusing, melodic and well-playing band with lots of ideas on the production side, but they probably would have done better getting a new singer. King Midas have already started recording a follow-up in their Bryn Ballroom rehearsal space and studio. According to rumours they have been experimenting with both samplers and tea, and may be heading in a direction out of the sixties-influenced music found on this album. Maybe that record would last longer than this less than 30 minutes effort.

I'm keeping my ears open.

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Copyright © 1997 Pingo