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  • The Last Hurrah!! 'Spiritual-Non Believers' - Cargo Records UK

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'Spiritual-Non Believers'

    £16.99

    This is the new project from HP Gundersen; well known producer, artist, musical partner, creative force, mentor and a true music enthusiast from Bergen, Norway. He has produced some 50 albums, probably best know for Sondre Lerche's debut album Faces Down.

    After stumbling over Stephen Stills' secret tuning as used on Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, HP has dedicated the last couple of years to explore what he calls drone guitar, music based on open, in this case modal, guitar tunings offering a fuller sound world and polyrhythmic possibilities not achieved with standard tunings.

    Spiritual Non-believers is a fascinating and lovely mix of acoustic drone guitar, cosmic raga, pure pop and the very local take on country music so special for the west coast of Norway.

    The half hour centrepiece of the album is based on a dark, sordid and bizarre story, in stark contrast to the almost high spirited feelgood atmosphere of most of the music. He is joined by Heidi Goodbye on vocals and a number of guests.

    Vinyl edition includes voucher for free MP3 download of the whole album.

    Tracklisting:
    1. Mother Nature
    2. The Ballad Of Billy And Lilly
    3. Melodi Grand Prix

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  • The Last Hurrah!! 'The Beauty Of Fake' - Cargo Records UK

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'The Beauty Of Fake'

    £20.99

    v

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'The Beauty Of Fake'

    £20.99

    The Single Vinyl is the first edition pressing of 500. Includes CD.

    The 2LP version is limited to 300 copies, includes a Live Album featuring young Sax giant Jon Irabagon.

     'The Last Hurrah!! have seduced me ' the bastards!' ' The Wire. A song begins at the beginning, goes on to the end and then stops. A chant is about aligning yourself with the rhythms of the universe. The goal of The Last Hurrah!! is to create songs that slot into a cosmic pattern ' no beginning, no end, just a steady flow of eternal ecstasy. The Last Hurrah!! is the project of Norwegian guitarist HP Gundersen plus a jamboree of international players and singers. Based in Bergen in western Norway, Gundersen has a long history in Norwegian music and beyond.

    As a producer he discovered and nurtured the career of Sondre Lerche, one of Norway's most successful international exports. He has also produced over 50 albums including Madrugada and Ane Brun. An encounter with a Gambian kora-playing folk musician a few years ago was life-altering and, in his own words, took him to a new level of musical understanding. Afterwards he would sit with his guitar and play the same chord for hours, lost in a sonic whirl that induced deep meditation or even sleep.

    He disciplined himself to stay on one note, but found that it finally made him hear the note for the first time. 'I shed twenty years of rust,' he says.  In 2011, his cover of Pink Floyd's 'The Great Gig In The Sky' on the free Mojo tribute CD Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon drew high praise from readers. His previous album, Spiritual Non-Believers, was voted album of the year in VG, Norway's most popular newspaper; The Wire called it 'maddeningly well executed'. HP Gundersen grew up in the 1960s, tuning in to European radio stations and having his mind blown by the sparkling melodies of the decade's pop music, like The Byrds and The Beatles.

    Notably, these two groups were among the first to absorb Eastern influences, as Gundersen has done in The Last Hurrah!!. Chinese guzheng (zither) resonates with pastoral flutes, Hawaiian guitars and the plangent tones of the Scandianvian Hardanger fiddle. Listening to the repetitive pluckings of the opener, 'The Rush', you can't help but think of Steve Reich's solo guitar trance-out Electric Counterpoint; elsewhere you'll hear echoes of Don Cherry's multicultural visions, the soaring harmonies of Rubber Soul-era Beatles, and the magical open tunings of folk-rockers like David Crosby and Stephen Stills and Davy Graham.

    Country music meets raga meets psychedelic sugar rush. For Gundersen, the concept of universal music is a truth older than entertainment. Jamming on one chord is a highly democratic way of music making: anyone can take part. And they do: a dozen extra musicians are involved on various tracks, including jazz trained vocalist and long-time collaborator Heidi Goodbye, and the remarkable guzheng (zither) played by Yuyue Zheng.

    There's even an appearance from US saxophonist Jon Irabagon, leader of tumultuous ensemble Mostly Other People Do The Killing. Paradoxically, being restricted to a one-chord drone opens the music up wider than ever. 'You don't have to be an Arabian to play Arabian scales,' Gundersen says. 'It's Norwegian music.' The beauty of this 'fake' is that it turns out to be the real thing.

    The Last Hurrah!!: their goal's beyond¦ 

    Personnel HP Gundersen ' guitars, synth, piano, Heidi Goodbye ' vocals, Ivar Thormodsæter ' drums, percussion, Yuyue Zheng ' guzheng, Esau Pinto ' bass, Alex Grieg ' acoustic bass, Silje Solberg ' flute, Hardanger fiddle, Daniel Birkeland ' slide bass, Leslie guitar, Jon Irabagon ' saxophone, Jørgen Sandvik ' electric guitar, Viktoria Winge, Johanna Vatne ' backing vocals

    Tracklisting:
    1. The Rush
    2. Lonely Whistle Call
    3. The Trip
    4. In India
    5. Harem for Tourists
    6. In Japan
    7. High in Hawaii
    8. Where Am I Now

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  • The Last Hurrah!! 'Mudflowers'

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'Mudflowers'

    £12.99

    v

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'Mudflowers'

    £12.99

    In young Maesa Pullman The Last Hurrah!! mastermind HP Gundersen has found the perfect singer for this ever developing project that is so dear to his heart.

    After exploring the possibilites of the drone guitar on their debut "Spiritual Non-Believers" and the slightly more song-oriented follow-up "The Beauty Of Fake", HP is back with a third album that dives straight into the heart of classical song traditions and vintage production values, blending elements from country and Americana, classic British pop, psychedelia, blues and a pinch of soul.

    Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke notes in his liner notes that "you may think have heard all of this before. But you haven't heard it like this".

    HP Gundersen has been a central figure on Bergen's vibrant music scene for more than three decades, as producer, composer and mentor for many of the city's artists.

    As a producer he discovered and nurtured the career of a very young Sondre Lerche, and he has produced over 50 albums, including folk legend Tim Rose's final album "American Son".

    Also a songwriter, guitarist and pianist, Maesa Pullman performs frequently with different musical constellations in Southern California, being a profiled presence in the local roots community. Her cousin Rosa Pullman sings lead on two tracks, "You Ain't Got Nothing" and "Those Memories".

    Among the musicians we find some of Bergen's finest as well as American guests such as Marty Rifkin (Springsteen, Petty, etc) on pedal steel, John Thomas (Captain Beefheart) on Hammond organ, Kiel Feher on drums and Jason Hiller on bass.

    Tracklisting:
    1. Okay
    2. The Weight Of The Moon
    3. Can't Wait No More
    4. Fairweather Friend
    5. You Ain't Got Nothing
    6. Those Memories
    7. Is It Me?
    8. You Soothe Me
    9. Tried To Loose
    10. The Jig
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  • The Last Hurrah!! 'Los Angeles'

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'Los Angeles'

    £12.99

    v

    Rune Grammofon

    The Last Hurrah!! 'Los Angeles'

    £12.99

    HP Gundersen is moulded in classic songwriter traditions, with emphasis on chord structures, arrangements, delicate details, small twists and turns and above all; The Good Melody. With The Last Hurrah!! - his longest serving musical vehicle by far - he has delivered his finest songs through three albums, and 'Los Angeles', the fourth, is no exception.

    It shows why HP Gundersen is considered one of Norway's major and most consistent songwriters. While HP is responsible for the music, all lyrics were written by Maesa Pullman for this album.

    "Los Angeles" started out as a commission work for the Vossajazz festival, and was performed in the scenic village of Voss in western Norway in March 2018. A far cry from Los Angeles, but to mastermind and founder HP Gundersen there are no boundaries in music and such differences are only sources of inspiration and natural parts of his vast musical universe.

    For the previous album "Mudflowers" HP Gundersen "found" and recruited the perfect singer in Maesa Pullman, daughter of famed actor Bill Pullman. Coming from a musical family, she performs frequently in different musical constellations in Southern California, being a profiled presence in the local roots community.

    Since the release of "Mudflowers", bass player, recording engineer and co-producer Jason Hiller has come onboard as a permanent member of the trio that currently serves as the core of The Last Hurrah!!. Despite the formidable trio, the album would not have been possible without the stellar contributions from the Norwegian and American musicians you hear on the record, each of whom contributed more than just music.

    Originally seen as a one-off project, it soon became clear that the chemistry between the three went much deeper and far reaching than the Americana influences that dominated parts of "Mudflowers".

    Tracklisting:
    Side A
    1. The Story
    2. Bloodline
    3. Hold On
    4. The Blues

    Side B
    5. The Waltz
    6. The Muse
    7. Number Seven
    8. Red Rose
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