We’ve never featured Norwegian alternative progressive popsters Ping before, which is a little sad given their peculiar brand of alternative progressive pop is just the type of musical nonsense we’ve particularly enjoyed featuring over the last 6 years.
Oslo based, they’ve been ploughing their own furrow since the days when people did actually plough furrows, releasing a steady stream of albums over 2 decades, although none for 8 years partly due to a fire at their studio back in 2014 which curtailed all recording activities - this explains I guess why we’ve never featured them. A few months back however, they signed with the laudatory Bergen based label Apollon, and despite Spotify algorithms distracting me by insisting that every time I listen to Ping I should also listen to Major Parkinson straight after, I’ve really enjoying catching up on their back catalogue.
They’ve released 2 new singles in the last month, firstly the almost ill-advisedly named ‘Milk your Mom’, followed closely after by another new song entitled ‘Shut Your Mouth’, And it’s the latter song which appeals most, a real curiosity this featuring some quite wonderful eerie viola contributions composed by Jon Øivind Ness, a big pop chorus and the whole thing is a fascinating blend of pop, modern classical, punk, progressive and jazz influences. Completely irresistible and a little bit bonkers.
Their new album ‘The Zig Zig Manoeuvre’ is out this week, and contains some material recorded just before that fire all this years ago, and completed with the help of a revised Ping line-up.
Really look forward to the album, vinyl and CD copies of which can be pre-ordered through Apollon at the link below. Given Santa is coming from that direction, maybe he’ll stop off and pick me up a copy for Christmas?
(Also given we've mentioned them, Major Parkinson are playing 2 dates at the Vulkan Arena in Oslo in February, which will be incredible. No idea if anyone from the UK will be able to get there this time. Anyway more details here.)