Program 91

Razika
Program 91
Reviewed by Hervey Okkles
10/12/11

Sunny, unbelievably catchy Norwegian girl-group, still in their teens. (The album's title is a reference to their birthyear.) Interpolate between the post-punk of The Raincoats and the sludgy treacle of ABBA, add some ska-y backbeat, and you basically have it. Innocent and pristine. (Also, bilingual: English tracks-1,2,4,6,8,11. Norwegian tracks- 3,5,7,9,10.)

Everything here is superb, with unworldly hooks. No FCCs.

RIYL: Tallulah Gosh, The Raincoats, Liliput, ABBA, The Slits.


1. (3:11) *** Light sugar pop, with perfectly placed "doo-doo-doo"s all over.
2. (2:13) ** Cover of 1966 Norwegian group, The Pussycats. Merseybeat swing with insistent edge.
3. (3:35) ** Sweetly sad intro, gets perkier and '70s loungey as it progresses. Sparse choral break at 2:50.
4. (3:10) **** Punkier. Grabbier. But just as sweet and catchy.
5. (3:37) ** A Gary Lewis and the Playboys-type melody, saccharine and doofusy, in the best way.
6. (2:17) ** Spookier sound, with squawks-- a minor-key discotheque-type song. Weird echoes.
7. (2:46) ** Darker swaying, still insistent.
8. (3:41) Pipier vocals, maybe a little too strident.
9. (2:47) *** Twangy Caribbean guitars, vocals pop right along. "Dah, laddy-dah-dah" break towards end. Rattling drum throughout.
10. (2:01) Pushy, right from gates.
11. (5:06) ** Acoustic chanson-type song. Sadly wafting "fa-la-la"s.