Casiokids have created an album that is unlike anything they have released thus far.
For one, Aabenbaringen over aaskammen, which roughly translates to "the revelation over the mountain," is much more cohesive than the collection of Moshi Moshi singles and double A-sided 7" tracks that comprised Topp stemning pa lokal bar.
As vocalist Ketil Kinden Endresen explains, "Doing the recordings within the same timeframe left us more focused in the studio, shaping ideas from sketches into the finished songs with the whole album in mind."
In addition, this time around the members of Casiokids were eager to dig a bit deeper into their songs by experimenting more with different recording techniques.
As such, from the titular album opener -- an instrumental track featuring a mini orchestra -- to closer "Aldri ska me ha det gøy" -- the band's first true ballad -- Aabenbaringen over aaskammen is a record that finds Casiokids expanding their musical palette with new song styles and enhanced instrumentation.
And unlike the group's past releases, which were recorded quickly in locations as varied as guitarist Fredrik Vogsborg's father's office, the hallway of the Bergen Jazz Association, and an old cantina, Aabenbaringen over aaskammen came to fruition at the band's own pace within their rehearsal space at the newly established Bergen Kjøtt.
The benefits of devoting extra attention to the recording process are particularly apparent on "Selskapets triste avslutning," a track that received some last minute creative energy from of Montreal members Kevin Barnes, K Ishibashi and Bryan Poole who happened to be visiting Bergen at the time recording was wrapping up. Along with Barnes' signature noise bursts during the beginning of the first verse, the song beautifully incorporates a live string arrangement in place of Casio strings.
But, despite this newfound attention to the art of recording, don't think that Casiokids have abandoned the simple joy of creating music with their namesake instrument.
Says Endresen, "Even though we've become more interested in production possibilities, we still wanted to retain the rawness of the first two records. The dulcet tones of the Casio will always be at the core of our manifesto."
"Det haster!" and "Golden Years" bear out the truth of this statement, as both songs achieve their infectious melodies by way of a sure-to-get-you-up-and-dancing keyboard-driven beat.
