Samuel Jackson 5, The
The Samuel Jackson 5
While SJ5s last effort, "Goodbye Melody Mountain" (2008) was recorded in the wilderness, this album was put together in the middle of Oslo, and includes urban soundtracks like "Mockba_ (Moscow)" (written in the Russian capitol and features noise from Berlin at night). The band further tries to distance themselves from their post-rock roots, delivering a thoughtfully arranged set of songs - only two of them clocking in at over 5 minutes. There are more traces of JAGA JAZZIST, ARCADE FIRE, YES or even English folk, than Mogwai or GYBE!. There are even influences of the proud Scandinavian piano jazz tradition of JAN JOHANSSON or ESBJORN SVENSSON. The 40+ minutes will definitely give these Norwegians a bunch of new followers, while challenging the devoted fan base.