I Was A King
The Norwegian band I Was a King blend various forms of guitar pop (shoegaze, jangle pop, power pop) into a warm and melodic sound built around chiming, sometimes blown-out, guitars and rich vocal harmonies. Their initial recordings leaned more in the direction of noise (especially 2009's self-titled album), but their sound began to mellow and deepen, especially on the albums (You Love It Here and Slow Century) where the group was helped in the studio by Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake.
The band was formed in Oslo by singer/songwriter/guitarist Frode Strømstad in 2006. He teamed with Serena Maneesh's Emil Nikolaisen to record their debut, 2007's lo-fi and ramshackle Losing Something Good for Something Better. The album received accolades in its Scandinavian homeland as well as in the British press. Released in 2009, I Was a King's eponymous sophomore effort was shoegaze-influenced and featured a major contribution from Nikolaisen again, plus cameos from Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile), and Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor). On the group's 2011 album Old Friends, Strømstad was again joined by Nikolaisen and Smith, along with co-vocalist and guitarist Anne Lise Frøkedal, who became an important part of the band's sound.
A year later, I Was a King issued the lush power pop record You Love It Here, which was co-produced by Robyn Hitchcock and Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake. Both indie pop icons played and sang on the album, as did bassist Ole Reidar Gudmestad (who became part of the band's core in the future) and drummer Patrick Berkery. In 2014, their fifth album (and second for Warner Bros.), Isle of Yours, incorporated some electronics and a more modern guitar pop sound. It was their last record before taking a long break.
In March 2019, they returned with the Norman Blake-produced, classic jangle pop-inspired Slow Century. The album featured some guest guitar slinging from Jad Fair and was released by Coastal Town.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
Discography
15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Follow Me Home
Alternative & Indie - Released by Coastal Town on 28 Oct 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Isle Of Yours
Alternative & Indie - Released by WM Norway on 21 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Slow Century
Alternative & Indie - Released by Coastal Town on 8 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Losing Something Good for Something Better
Pop - Released by Happy Soul Recordings on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Follow Me Home
Alternative & Indie - Released by Coastal Town on 10 Jun 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Redecorate/Oslo Share
Alternative & Indie - Released by WM Norway on 28 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Old Friends
Alternative & Indie - Released by Sounds Familyre on 16 Aug 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hatchet
Alternative & Indie - Released by Coastal Town on 8 Feb 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bubble
Alternative & Indie - Released by Coastal Town on 11 Jan 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Just a Friend
Alternative & Indie - Released by Coastal Town on 10 Nov 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo