Two out of three Savoy-members have spent the last five days in a studio in Bergen to record a new album.

Lauren Waaktaar-Savoy, with producer Bjørn Ivar Tysse and Savoy-member Frode Unneland.

“I think Bergen is a really nice city with a lot of personality”, Lauren says.

“But I have to admit that I’ve spent most of the time here in the studio”, she adds.

She and Savoy-drummer Frode Unneland started the recording of a new album on Thursday, only months [or rather weeks. J.S.] after the last Savoy album was released.

Good people
“A lot of people think that we just record an album every five years without doing much in the meantime, but we actually work a lot. It’s important for us to enter the studio really fast and start on something new”, Unneland says.

The project they have started on now is very fresh, only two songs are ready and no release date has been set.

– Why did you choose to record in Bergen?

“Because there are some good producers here”, Waaktaar-Savoy says.

She is referring to Bjørn Ivar Tysse, a former member of Chocolate Overdose and an old friend of Unneland.

New methods
The recording has been going on in his studio, which both Unneland and Waaktaar-Savoy feel has worked very well.

“We want to try new methods, normally we’re in our studio and working with Paul. He’s involved in the process this time as well, but from a distance”, Waaktaar-Savoy says.

“Paul is a really hard worker, who often works 12-14-hour days”, Unneland says about the former superstar from a-ha.

“So it’s good to give him a break”, his wife says with a smile.

Want to play live in Bergen
“I think it’s great that Lauren comes over here, so I don’t have to travel to them all the time”, says Unneland – who lives in Bergen.

– Will the new album be different from what you’ve done previously?

“It will probably be a bit different, an alternative recording-situation will lead to the result being different”, Unneland says.

“And I’m trying to make the music more up-beat”, Waaktaar-Savoy says.

So far, she has written all the material for the new album, but points out that it’s a work in progress.

“Today I re-wrote a song lyric twenty times, my right arm is completely numb”, she laughs.

“I also miss my dictionary, I could use it to find some good rhymes”, she adds.

They confirm that they have plans for a tour in the near future, but the plans have not been finalized.

– Will you come to Bergen then?

“Yes, we will. And we’ll probably receive ruthless reviews”.

“You are so critical, you bergensians”, Waaktaar-Savoy smiles.

 
From Bergensavisen, 27. August 2007
By Camilla Fosse. Picture by Camilla Smistad Tofterå.
Translation by Jakob