Archive for August, 2019

“This is now America” available for streaming/purchase

Single cover

Eight days after posting the song on Instagram, Magne’s new single “This is now America” is now available for streaming and purchase through this link.

Magne has recently signed with Drabant Music, the Oslo-based label that already has Waaktaar & Zoe and Savoy among its roster of artists.

Drabant Music describes “This is now America” as “a single from an upcoming project by Magne Furuholmen”, but it’s not yet clear if this refers to his White Xmas Lies album or something else.

Magne posts new song “This is now America”

Screenshot from Instagram

Magne posted a new solo song called “This is now America” on his Instagram on Thursday, 22 August, along with a home-made lyric video.

The song is a melancholic and poignant look at what America used to be, and what it has become.

In a longer response to one of the Instagram comments, Magne explained some of the background for the song:

“(…) this song is an instinctive artistic response to my own growing concern about our drift towards division and entrenchment – happening all over the place, and on all sides of thinking. if we conclude that the ones who share our opinions are the good guys, and the ones who do not are bad, then we are on a dangerous path.
it could have been written about a great number of places, like my second home great britain, or indeed my native norway…i don’t care much for what is happening here either.
but truth is, what happens in america is just much more important to the world.
(…)
so it came out this way: a lament for an america i think a lot of us are still trying our best to dream about. both inside the country and out.
as an artist i cannot help but express how i feel – about everything around me. this does not mean there is an ambition to push a partiular political agenda, or even advance my own personal views – i am not even sure that i am right half the time. i do however believe in the power of art to open minds – my own as well as those of others.”

Magne’s entire response can be seen here.

The lyric video was directed and edited by Magne’s son Thomas Vincent, with artwork and concept by Magne.

a-ha perform at Telenor Arena

a-ha live at Telenor Arena, performing for 3500 people on August 17th

a-ha performed at another corporate event in Oslo this past weekend, August 17th, as the cooperative building association OBOS celebrated its 90th anniversary with a big concert for its employees at Telenor Arena on Saturday night.

Other acts performing were Silya, Hkeem, Ina Wroldsen, Ole Paus, Ingrid Bjørnov, Timbuktu and Gyllene Tider.

a-ha’s setlist included The Sun Always Shines on TV, Stay On These Roads, Hunting High and Low, The Living Daylights and Take On Me.

Like their previous Oslo performance in June, they were joined on stage by Karl Oluf Wennerberg on drums, Even Ormestad on bass and Erik Ljunggren on synth.

Minor Earth | Major Sky and Lifelines remasters coming soon

The vinyl editions of the new Minor Earth | Major Sky and Lifelines remasters

The long-awaited remasters of Minor Earth | Major Sky (2000) and Lifelines (2002) will finally be released next month, 27 September.

Both albums will be available in 2CD Deluxe Editions, which will include previously unreleased songs such as “Sole Survivor”, “To Show It is to Blow It”, “Life’s Not Fair” (early version of “I Wish I Cared”) and “One in a Million” (early version of “White Canvas”), plus a-ha versions of “We’ll Never Speak Again” and “The Breakers”.

The 2CD Deluxe Edition of Minor Earth | Major Sky has a total of 33 tracks, while Lifelines has 37 tracks. The booklets include new liner notes by Kieron Tyler.

Both albums will also be available on vinyl for the first time, but only featuring the original album tracks.

Pre-order here:
Minor Earth | Major Sky (2CD Deluxe Edition): Amazon.de   Amazon.co.uk
Minor Earth | Major Sky (2LP Vinyl): Amazon.de   Amazon.co.uk

Lifelines (2CD Deluxe Edition): Amazon.de   Amazon.co.uk
Lifelines (2LP Vinyl): Amazon.de   Amazon.co.uk

Two sample tracks are already available for download/streaming now; “The Sun Never Shone That Day” (Early Version) and “Forever Not Yours” (Demo).

Read the full press release on a-ha.com.

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