Laughing Stock: With a wonderful combination of many genre!

Zero Acts 3 & 4 is the fourth release from Laughing Stock. «What is so appealing about Laughing Stock is their ability to absorb and honor their influences while forging a distinctive sound of their own. Not quite pop, not quite prog, not quite folk, but a wonderful combination of them all», Spirit Of Cecilia

Jan Mikael Sørensen met Håvard Enge in 1978. At the age of 12 they got obsessed with music, and albums like The Hurting by Tears For Fears, The Colour Of Spring by Talk Talk and Skylarking by XTC persuaded them to learn to play instruments. In 1986 the band Crazy Dogs (later Cerumen) saw the light of day. The band included Håvards brother Kolbjørn (now drummer/vocalist, Nan Madol).

Håvard and Jan Mikael started their first proper band Again And Again in 1990. They recorded a three track cassette at a studio where Aha had just recorded their single Move to Memphis.

In ’93 Håvard moved to Oslo to study music. He now has a Ph.D. in the field of music. That lead Jan Mikael to team up with another friend, Jan Erik K. Nilsen, who had just seen his band Curtwigs crumble. In 1993 they teamed up with Curtwigs bassist Lars M. Kræmer, and started the band Spacewagon. They did many shows in the period 1994-96, but dissolved.

In the years since, the three friends rarely played music together, but were engaged in other projects. Jan Mikael had some success with the metal band Gate9. They released an album, Moon Ranger gone Evil in 2002 on the US label Underdogma.

In 2016 the idea of doing a project together arose, and Laughing Stock came to life. Laughing Stock is the sum of all the music the threesome has been inspired by in the last 30 years. Call it pop, call it rock. Call it progressive – the term doesn’t matter. Laughing Stock is Music. The songs live their own life. On the Island.

Tracklist:

1. Wingless (4:18)

2. Lifeboat (4:33)

3. The Call (4:47)

4. Free (2:43)

5. All Alone (5:31)

6. Words (1:51)

7. Running Faster (4:13)

8. Familiar Eyes (4:25)

9. Mother (10:24)

10. Words Pt. 2 (1:57)

Total Time 44:42

Line-up:

Jan Mikael Sørensen – vocals, guitars, bass, drums and keyboards

Håvard Enge – vocals, keyboards, flute, banjo and string arrangements

Jan Erik Kirkevold Nilsen – vocals, guitars

   With

Samatha Preis – vocals as Zero’s mother (8)

Nad Sylvan – vocals as Zero’s psychiatrist (3)

Andy Glass (Solstice) – guitar solo (7)

Kerstin Willgren – violin (6, 8)

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