Kaizers Orchestra — Ompa Til Du Dør
In addition to the standard drums and electric guitar the band also use a pump organ and oil barrels plus whatever junk they find along the way. According to the band they always had the goal to become the best Norwegian live band. They have some good competition in their homecountry in the form of Motorpsycho and Jaga Jazzist, but Kaizers Orchestra beat them and won the "Best Liveband" 2002 Alarm Award. They've managed to play 150 concerts in Norway in a single year and now they are starting to conquer the rest of Europe, proving they are not only for Norwegians.
Their debut album Ompa Til Du Dør got rave reviews in their homecountry. It sold 90.000 copies, making it the highest selling rock debut ever issued in the Norwegian language. Yes, all the lyrics are in Norwegian and they fit the music perfectly. It's not a reason to not get this album. Personally I've been singing along just as much as I do if the lyrics are in English. In 2001, the band also won virtually every award, with the Norwegian Grammy as their highest accolade.
I picked this album because I read a couple of positive reviews on some websites and in magazines. I had no idea what to expect really. People were writing a lot of different things to describe the music. Tom Waits is an influence, or so they say. But what grabbed me after listening to it for the first time is the perfect blend of bluesy rock music with Eastern European folk music. The songs are all very easy to get into, but sometimes also quite experimental. Even with the lyrics in the Norwegian language it's hard not to sing along. The vocals are another thing, they aren't the best I've ever heard, but they are really good. There is some real emotion in there. As much can be said about the rest of the music of course. The songs grab you by the balls and Ompa Til Du Dør is an album you put on repeat all day long. I've had a day with two of their songs repeating in my head, over and over. It was driving me and my co-workers crazy, since I was also humming along. I found out the only remedy is not playing the album for a couple days. But after those days end you see yourself running back to Ompa Til Du Dør and play it over and over again.
Kaizers Orchestra impressed me a lot with their debut. I've never expected them to be this interesting and I'm really looking forward to see the band perform live. Everyone can win awards, but it's not easy to impress me. Ompa Til Du Dør is recommended music for everyone who likes their music in different flavours. Bluesy rock with a dressing of Eastern European folk music. It might sound silly on paper, but it's everything but silly.