Krank is one of the small but active and exciting lo-fi underground labels that has popped up over the last years here in Norway (along with Smalltown Supersound and Apartment). This EP presents four bands - two Norwegian, two from the U.S. - checking out the possibilities of a multi-track recorder.

Dipsomaniacs is the first band out. Their In Flight.....dream #2 is a dazed psychedelic moment, a bit more "off" than they usually sound. Check out their eminent album Reverb No Hollowness of last year. Havergal hail from Texas, and Bronze Dream of the Cast sounds a bit like fellow Texans Bedhead: low-voiced lo-fi pop sneaking up from behind. An interesting song that makes you want to check out other recordings by this combo, such as a single called Crowd (Western Vinyl, 3116 Wayfarer Road, Bedford TX 76021 USA), which can also be found on a Krank release: a split CD (oh, yeah? one side each...?) with Havergal plus a band called Winfoster.

Side 2 opens with June Panic from Indiana (courtesy of: Secretly Canadian Records, 1703 North Maple Street, Bloomington, Indiana, 47404 USA), presenting Sundowner which starts rather smoothly and minimalistic, to become more intense but yet relaxed, with a Ry Cooderish steely, twangy and dusty guitar. June Panic could've been the bourbonized band in the corner of some imaginary desolate taverna into which Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) could've stumbled in the film Paris, Texas (by Wim Wenders). Except there's no such scene in that movie...

Finally there's Krank's own Ring, who released a debut mini album last spring entitled Incence, Spice and Late Late Nights. They've spent some more late-late-nights it seems and they've come up with a fitting title for the song included here as well. Island in the Sea is sort of hard to describe. It sounds like a small island in a big sea. It's like a campfire song just before Mars attacks! Weird and beautiful psyche-folk-a-delica, and my fave track on this EP.

Get in touch with Filip Andersen and his label, on the southern tip of Norway: Krank Records, Tinnheiveien 7, 4629 Kristiansand S, Norway.

Copyright © 1999 Håvard Oppøyen