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In the nineteenth century, cosmorama was all the rage. This technique allows people to look at photographs through a specially designed contraption that makes the photograph seem three-dimensional and multi-layers, so that it seems as if the viewer is standing in the actual picture. A popular subject for cosmorama pictures was landscapes. So, when a singer-songwriter from Norway looked at one of these pictures in 2009, it sparked off an idea. He decided to write a series of songs that would be multi-layered like one of these pictures. He also wanted to focus on the inner landscape specifically. This led to the creation of Kosmoratik.
The man who had the idea for the band is Eivind Johansen, who writes most of the group's songs and also does vocals. He is joined by singer Lise Lotte Agedal and instrumentalist Odd Gunnar Froysland. Odd plays the keyboards and guitar, helps compose the songs and does the musical arrangements for instruments like strings and woodwinds.
Kosmoratik's sound is epic and at the same time meditative. Acoustic guitar, string quartet and oboe supplement the vocal harmonies provided by Eivind and Lise Lotte. Other instruments that help to add more layers to this landscape of sound include flutes, keyboards and synthesizers, especially the mellotron.
The band's influences are mainly first-wave progressive rock or prog-rock, especially bands like Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and Camel. They have also been influenced by singers and songwriters like Nick Drake, John Martyn and the Beatles. Eivind cites John Lennon, Leonard Cohen and the fourteenth-century Persian mystical poet Hafiz as his main influences for his introspective, poetic lyrics.
Recording of the group's first album started in 2011 at Easter time. To create a bigger, more well-rounded sound, the group enlisted the help of drummer Bjarte Jorgensen and keyboard player Arthur Kay Piene. Arthur provides the sounds of piano, keyboards and synthesizers like the minimoog. The album was released on the Nordic Record label in May 2012.
'Gravitation' is an assortment of nine unforgettable songs. The first track on the album is 'Veronica, go', which uses acoustic guitar to create a melancholy ballad. The mellowness of this sound is maintained throughout the album, even if some of the songs are faster and more upbeat.
The influences of prog-rock come to the fore in the electric guitars. If you listen to 'It's in my mind' and 'Cosmorama' with their guitar solos, you'll be reminded of Pink Floyd in the David Gilmour years. The electric guitars are used even more in 'Lilac smile', 'Years ago, miles apart' and 'In spite of all (Life was grand)'. The Beatles-influenced 'Nothing is static' showcases Lise Lotte's voice. While 'Don Quixote' is a jazzy number that could easily be by Roxy Music, 'Unfinished journeys' has a sound reminiscent of folk artists.
If you like progressive rock with a sophisticated twist, you will appreciate the poetic, symphonic pop of Kosmoratik. You can easily find their music online. Of course, if you find yourself in Oslo, you may also want to check out one of their live performances.
The man who had the idea for the band is Eivind Johansen, who writes most of the group's songs and also does vocals. He is joined by singer Lise Lotte Agedal and instrumentalist Odd Gunnar Froysland. Odd plays the keyboards and guitar, helps compose the songs and does the musical arrangements for instruments like strings and woodwinds.
Kosmoratik's sound is epic and at the same time meditative. Acoustic guitar, string quartet and oboe supplement the vocal harmonies provided by Eivind and Lise Lotte. Other instruments that help to add more layers to this landscape of sound include flutes, keyboards and synthesizers, especially the mellotron.
The band's influences are mainly first-wave progressive rock or prog-rock, especially bands like Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and Camel. They have also been influenced by singers and songwriters like Nick Drake, John Martyn and the Beatles. Eivind cites John Lennon, Leonard Cohen and the fourteenth-century Persian mystical poet Hafiz as his main influences for his introspective, poetic lyrics.
Recording of the group's first album started in 2011 at Easter time. To create a bigger, more well-rounded sound, the group enlisted the help of drummer Bjarte Jorgensen and keyboard player Arthur Kay Piene. Arthur provides the sounds of piano, keyboards and synthesizers like the minimoog. The album was released on the Nordic Record label in May 2012.
'Gravitation' is an assortment of nine unforgettable songs. The first track on the album is 'Veronica, go', which uses acoustic guitar to create a melancholy ballad. The mellowness of this sound is maintained throughout the album, even if some of the songs are faster and more upbeat.
The influences of prog-rock come to the fore in the electric guitars. If you listen to 'It's in my mind' and 'Cosmorama' with their guitar solos, you'll be reminded of Pink Floyd in the David Gilmour years. The electric guitars are used even more in 'Lilac smile', 'Years ago, miles apart' and 'In spite of all (Life was grand)'. The Beatles-influenced 'Nothing is static' showcases Lise Lotte's voice. While 'Don Quixote' is a jazzy number that could easily be by Roxy Music, 'Unfinished journeys' has a sound reminiscent of folk artists.
If you like progressive rock with a sophisticated twist, you will appreciate the poetic, symphonic pop of Kosmoratik. You can easily find their music online. Of course, if you find yourself in Oslo, you may also want to check out one of their live performances.
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You can visit the website www.kosmoratik.com for more helpful information about Kosmoratik And The Inner Landscape
