
Photo by Tom Lund
With their sixth full-length album “Villa Carlotta 5959” set to hit the streets on Karisma Records on the 2nd November, Norwegian Alternative Rockers LJUNGBLUT have released a second single from the album. The track “235” can be streamed or downloaded at http://phonofile.link/ljungblut-235
Commenting on the track, and its rather unusual name of “235”, LJUNGBLUT founder Kim Ljung had this to say:
Why 235? A Manchester casino goes by this name. Lorry (ZEROMANCER band member and LJUNGBLUT sound engineer) and I were there some years ago. Lorry was doing well with the chips up until the point where I convinced him to head for the Roulette wheel. All on red. Broke in no time. Inspiration.
Sindre (bass) wrote this one. He sent me a demo and asked me if it had the the right feel to make it a LJUNGBLUT track. Of course it had. I loved it instantly! Its stomping beat and the blend of both laid back and feisty guitars, triggered off a wave of words and ideas for vocals.
His way of thinking about music is different to mine. Which is great and refreshing. Same goes for Dan (guitars) who has also written several songs on the upcoming album “Villa Carlotta 5959”. The guys have really cracked the code on how to compose songs in real Blut-fashion. I believe “235” was the very last song on the album that we rehearsed together, and made ready for live-recording, with some twists regarding notes, and re-arranging. Plus lifting the track up one key, meant that I had to push it vocally a bit more. It definitely suited the lyrics and the energy of “235”.
For the mix, Alex (SEIGMEN/ZEROMANCER bandmember and LJUNGBLUT co-producer/mixer) and I decided to keep the room alive. We pushed up all faders for mono and stereo-room to get the live-feel even more present in the track.
The lyrics are quite easy. It has obsessive-compulsive disorder written all over it. I think everyone in the band can relate to these words to a certain extent!
Formed in 2005 by Kim Ljung as a vehicle for material he didn’t think would be suitable for either SEIGMEN or ZEROMANCER , bands for whom he is both the bassist and main songwriter, LJUNGBLUT eventually expanded from a solo project, which saw the release of three albums, into a fully fledged band. Dan Heide (ZEROMANCER, RED7) on guitars, Ted Skogmann (APOPTYGMA BERZERK) on drums , Joakim Brendsrød on keys and Sindre Pedersen on bass, joined Ljung, on keys and vocals, and, as a quintet, the band released two independent albums with Norwegian lyrics.

Photo by Tom Lund
“Villa Carlotta 5959” is, in fact, the last in the trilogy of the Norwegian language albums and in it Ljung creates smorgasbord filled with fascinating subjects ranging from the historical and factual, such as the tracks “Hasselblad”, which is about the 12 Hasselblad cameras left behind on the surface of the Moon, and “Superga”, which refers to the province of Turin, Italy, best known for its Cathedral and the plane crash that killed the Torino football team in 1949, to the personal , with tracks like “Min Krig” (My war) and “Aldri helt stille” (Never completely quiet), which address the subject of Ljung’s chronic migraines.
Encompassing a wide range of tempos and dynamics, “Villa Carlotta 5959” presents the listeners with a cohesive sound and a melancholy mood, swathing Ljung’s characteristic vocals in vintage synths and instruments . Recorded live in the studio and mixed by Alex Møklebust (SEIGMEN / ZEROMANCER) and Terje Johannesen, guest artists on “Villa Carlotta 5959” include Ljunggren (A-HA, ZEROMANCER), Ginge Anvik (SUBGUD, soundtrack composer) and Terje Johannesen.
“Villa Carlotta 5959” will be released in CD, Digital and Vinyl formats, as well as a Limited Edition Turquoise LP. Artwork is by Hanne-Christine Flåten, and track listing is as follows:
- Hasselblad
- Oktober
- Til Warszawa
- 235
- Superga
- Diamant
- Himmelen som vet
- Ohnesorg
- Aldri helt stille
- Min Krig
“Villa Carlotta 5959” is now available to pre-order from:
Bandcamp (all versions) : https://ljungblut.bandcamp.com/
Webshop (CD and LPs): https://www.karismarecords.no/webshop/
To celebrate the release of “Villa Carlotta 5959” LJUNGBLUT will play the following dates in Norway:
09 Nov: Papirhuset, Tønsberg
10 Nov: Papirhuset, Tønsberg
12 Nov: Kulturkirken Jacob, Oslo
More information about LJUNGBLUT can be found on the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Ljungblut-86549322482/
A video for the title track from LJUNGBLUT’s 2016 album “Ikke alle netter er like sorte” can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/ukmQo13JkPY
A
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ljungblut-86549322482/
Website: www.ljungblut.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2GURpUy14Zv87L9T-ftYTg
Karisma Records: http://www.karismarecords.no/
Karisma Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismarecords
Karisma Records Bandcamp: https://karismarecords.bandcamp.com
Karisma Records on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarismarecordsNor
Karisma Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarismaRecords
Karisma on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/karisma-records
Karisma Records Webshop: http://karismarecords.bigcartel.com/
Karisma Records US Webshop: http://karismarecords.aisamerch.com/
Karisma Records BandCamp: http://karismarecords.bandcamp.com/music
Karisma Records KlickTrack Store (digital only): http://shop.klicktrack.com/karismadarkessencerecords