Little Norway, Big Music

The vision for Musica Obscura is to share some of the best music in the world that you've probably never heard. Check out the music and put it on your playlist for your next party. You can't go wrong with the songs from Musica Obscura.

The inaugural entry for Musica Obscura is dedicated to the little country of Norway with some of the biggest music in the world.

First up is Bel Canto.

Bel Canto - Feels Like I'm Already Flying
Bel Canto is one of the top acts in Norway with numeruos gold records. They have achieved success in several countries, and have received excellent reviews for their albums and live concerts.

Yet for most people Bel Canto is still a hidden pearl in the vast ocean of music. Coming from the ice cold fjords of Northern Norway, Anneli Drecker and Nils Johansen have developed their own original blend of music. With a mixture of guitar based electronica together with world, dance or sometimes even European classical elements, Bel Canto state their own definition of what pop music may be. A perfect balance between ancient magic and modern sophistication together with the magnificent voice of Anneli, Bel Canto creates a purely magical experience.

Other Bel Canto Songs to Check Out: Shimmering Warm & Bright, Le Temps Dégagé, Bombay, Unicorn, Spiderdust, Rumour

Lene Marlin - Sitting Down Here
Lene Marlin's career has always been characterised by chance, happy accident and the element of surprise. Born in Tromsø, high in the Polar Circle, Lene's musical journey began when she was given a guitar at age 15. Soon she was performing for a small group of friends, writing songs and recording them at home on a cassette player.
Before she knew it, she was in a recording studio making her first single, Unforgivable Sinner. She was 17 and still at school and nobody - least of all Lene - expected much. Instead, it became the fastest-selling single in Norwegian music history, staying at number one for eight weeks.

Other Lene Songs to Check Out: Unforgivable Sinner, Where I'm Headed, Sorry, How Would It Be

And now for something completely different. One of the most talented rock bands never heard outside of Norway (or sometimes the UK).
The September When - Mama, Won't Tell You No Lie The September When were one of the biggest
rock bands in Norwegian history and one of the most delicious. Adventurous stories and cinematic guitar rifts envision a kaleidoscopic landscape to explore. Morten Abel's lyrics lead to another world. In "Mama, Won't Tell You No Lie," the boys create an anti-Christian anthem suitable for our times when right-wing fascists rule the land, they sing: "Jesus was a rebel soul. His heart was into Rock 'n' Roll. He just wanted to be one of us." The cyclical guitar melody is the best thing about this song, though. Long before I ever knew what this song was about, and when I was still a Christian, I loved the guitars on this song...and I don't usually like guitars that much.

Other September When Songs to Check Out: Pain (My Love Is In Vain), A Place To Stop, Can I Trust You, Nightflight, Garden Party

Savoy - Velvet
If it weren't for the Norwegian rock group A-Ha most people in the world would think Norway was a town in Sweden. And thanks to A-Ha, we have Savoy. Savoy is the side project of A-Ha band member Pål Waaktaar-Savoy, his wife Lauren and Frode Unneland. A-Ha re-recorded "Velvet" on their big comeback album "Minor Earth Major Sky" in 2000, but Savoy wrote and recorded it first. The Savoy version is far superior to the A-Ha rendition. The female backing vocals are haunting.
Other Savoy Songs to Check Out: Whalebone

Anneli Drecker - Sexy Love
Okay, it's confession time. We heard Anneli Drecker earlier on the Bel Canto track. Anneli is the lead singer of Bel Canto, but she's also a musical tour de force in her own right, recording with the likes of Jah Wobble, Hector Zazou, Motorpsycho, Gavin Friday, Röyksopp, A-Ha, not to mention her solo work. Sexy Love is an upbeat, dance song wherein Anneli's vocals and obscure, quirky lyrics shine: "Oh, deorific, plastic shine. Oh, won't you kiss these lips of mine." Feel good music at its best...and it's sexy. Sexy Love. (But don't judge Anneli by this song alone. It's really nothing like the rest of her solo music.)

Other Anneli Songs to Check Out: Trinitron, All I Know, Tundra, Safe Now, Stop This, My Emily, Monkeytrap