Casiokids have been flying high -- literally and figuratively -- since releasing their singles collection (and Moshi Moshi debut) Topp stemning pa lokal bar. Now they are ready for a UK tour, 19 - 28 January.
Their recently released album Aabenbaringen over aaskammen (which roughly translates to "The revelation over the mountain”) is unlike anything Casiokids has released thus far.
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.
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. Endresen says, "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. Because after all, since Casiokids enjoy hopping around the world so much, they definitely want to compel their listeners to do a little moving around too.
Casiokids UK Tour:
Thursday 19 January – Birmingham - Hare and Hounds
Friday 20 January – Manchester - The Deaf Institute
Sunday 22 January – Newcastle - The Cluny
Tuesday 24 January – London - Cargo
Wednsday 25 January – Cambridge - The Portland Arms
Friday 27 January – Tunbridge Wells - Tunbridge Wells Forum
Saturday 28 January – Canterbury - The Farmhouse