Bio
The Norwegian band Syme creates alternative pop music at the meeting point between melody and noise.
Cacophonous guitar sounds, ethereal synths and a hypnotic groove prevail throughout their sound, which is always welded to a well-tuned pop melody. If bands like Sigur Ros, Postal Service, Radiohead or Mogwai have pride of place in your music collection then Syme should without a doubt be your next new favorite band.
The band, described by many as Norway’s next most likely to succeed internationally, is currently in the studio working on the eagerly awaited followup to 2005’s critically acclaimed tour de force ‘Swing Swing’ (Karisma/Tuba). With the working title ‘No Spark, No Heart’ Syme’s second album will present a focused, lighter, but always spectacular musical landscape and will be released in Norway in the autumn of 2007. Still in their early 20’s it’s obvious that the band’s sound is still being refined and the new tracks Syme have played live in recent months reveal an almost unparalleled ability to bring together strands of post-rock and electronica to make a perfect whole.
In the meantime, Syme will make their first venture into the North American market with a three week tour under the direction of New York based lifestyle company The Musebox (themusebox.net). The tour will include appearances at the CMJ Music Marathon (New York), the POP Montreal festival, as well as showcases in New York, Montreal and Toronto.
With this North American release tour Syme will be the latest in a long line of Bergen based artists to achieve international recognition. With names like Datarock, Kings of Convenience, Røyksopp, Annie, and Bjørn Torske (who incidentally remixed ‘Greenhouse’ for the Modern Love remix in 2006) the so-called Bergen Scene has spawned a host of successful artists in recent years and Syme have established themselves as one of the brightest new bands in this lineage. Extensive touring both in Norway and France has given the band an explosive live reputation and with the release in November 2006 of their reworking of David Bowie’s 1983 classic hit ‘Modern Love’ Syme once again garnered complimentary reviews in the Norwegian press.
Instruments Played
Fredrik Øgreid Vogsborg: Vocals/Guitar/Synth/Drums
Ketil Kinden Endresen: Vocals/Guitar/Synth/Laptop
Ben Brudeli Nerdal: Bassguitar
Vidar Løland Ingvaldsen: Drums
Eivind Haga Waage: Guitar
Playing Experience
The band create a fantastically beautiful,mystical and magical atmosphere and just when you think you know where they are heading - that's when they take off the safety and radiate a wall of heavy, energetic, noisy rock!
Musical Influences
Hugin: 'If you like Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Radiohead and Bjørk, you should get Swing Swing. Syme mix the best of all these bands into an album which is best described as no less than a small treasure without a single blemish.' 6/6
