November 14 - Amsterdam Stranded

Midnight Choir was a band I kept on listening to at the end of the 90s. Led by Al DeLoner (Atle Bystrøm), a multi-instrumentalist and lead songwriter, he brought along his brother, who went by the name Ron Olsen, on bass, and Paul Flaata on vocals. The album Amsterdam Stranded was produced by Chris Eckmann from the Seattle band The Walkabouts, and their drummer, Terri Moeller also played drums on the album. It is a masterpiece in Norwegian alternative rock - and Midnight Choir in many ways helped set the stage for the even bigger Norwegian band Madrugada with their emphasis on very melodic Americana, rock music with clearly traditional American roots.

Today's song is heartbreakingly beautiful. I had the great fortune of seeing them live before I moved to the states (they disbanded in 2004, although they have been back together touring this year), and it was fabulous. Here is the title track from Amsterdam Stranded.