Le Pop is the debut studio album by Norwegian band Katzenjammer. It was released on September 29, 2008, by Propeller Recordings.[5]

Le Pop
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2008 (2008-09-29)
Recorded2008
GenrePop rock, dark cabaret, alternative
LabelPropeller, Nettwerk
ProducerKåre Chr. Vestrheim, Mike Hartung, Hans Petter Gundersen
Katzenjammer chronology
Le Pop
(2008)
A Kiss Before You Go
(2011)
Singles from Le Pop
  1. "Play My Darling, Play"
    Released: August 4, 2008[1]
  2. "A Bar in Amsterdam"
    Released: June 2, 2009[2]
  3. "Demon Kitty Rag"
    Released: June 7, 2009[3]
  4. "Tea with Cinnamon"
    Released: March 22, 2010[4]

Reception edit

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters          [6]
The Washington Post(favorable)[7]

The album received generally favorable reviews. Adrien Begrand from PopMatters rated Le Pop eight out of ten stars and wrote that its "songs all play to [Katzenjammer's] strengths and, most importantly, are all instantly memorable."[6] In an additional review for PopMatters, Mike Schiller called Le Pop a "great album." Furthermore, he wrote that the album would have the listener "singing along" since its songs are "engrossing and appealing".[5] In a review for The Washington Post, Catherine P. Lewis wrote that the album "never lacks energy" and called it a "charmingly quirky collection of songs." She did, however, write that Katzenjammer's "exuberance [occasionally] teeters on the brink of unbridled chaos," citing the album's title track, which she said "sounds like a circus band gone rogue."[7]

Le Pop was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award for Best Debut Album of the Year in 2008.[8]

Chart performance edit

In Norway, Le Pop debuted at number nine on the VG-lista albums chart. It remained on the chart for three weeks.[9] The album reached number eighty-six in the Netherlands in October 2009.[10] The revised version of Le Pop reached number seventy-one and remained on the albums chart for two weeks in August 2010.[11]

Track listing edit

Songs written and composed by Mats Rybø. All songs arranged by Katzenjammer.

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Overture"Instrumental1:04
2."A Bar in Amsterdam"Heilo3:28
3."Tea With Cinnamon"Sveen3:53
4."Hey Ho on the Devil's Back"Sveen3:47
5."Virginia Clemm"Heilo4:32
6."Le Pop"Jørgensen2:21
7."Der Kapitän"Instrumental2:44
8."Wading in Deeper"Bergheim, Heilo, and Sveen4:03
9."Play My Darling, Play"Bergheim3:47
10."To the Sea"Bergheim2:27
11."Mother Superior"Jørgensen5:38
12."Ain't No Thang"Sveen2:47

Revised edition edit

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Overture"Instrumental1:04
2."A Bar in Amsterdam"Heilo3:28
3."Demon Kitty Rag"Sveen4:30
4."Tea With Cinnamon"Sveen3:53
5."Hey Ho on the Devil's Back"Sveen3:47
6."Wading in Deeper"Bergheim, Heilo, and Sveen4:21
7."Le Pop"Jørgensen2:21
8."Der Kapitän"Instrumental2:44
9."Virginia Clemm"Heilo4:17
10."Play My Darling, Play"Bergheim3:47
11."To the Sea"Bergheim2:27
12."Mother Superior"Jørgensen5:38
13."Ain't No Thang"Sveen2:47

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from Le Pop liner notes.[12]

  • Anne Marit Bergheim – vocals, instruments
  • Silje Katrine Gotaas – cello
  • Hans Petter Gundersen – production
  • Mike Hartung – production, engineering, mastering
  • Solveig Heilo – vocals, instruments
  • Hundenklunke – background vocals
  • Turid Jørgensen – vocals, instruments
  • Gunnhild Mathea – violin
  • Odd Norstaoga – accordion
  • Gjertrud Økland – trumpet violin, violin
  • Hasse Rosbach – co-production, engineering assistant
  • Marianne Sveen – vocals, instruments
  • Jørgen Sandvik – sitar, banjo
  • Kåre Chr. Vestrheim – production, engineering, instruments

Charts edit

Chart (2008–10) Peak
position
Dutch Albums Chart[11] 71
Norwegian Albums Chart[9] 9

Release history edit

Region Date[5][13] Format Label
Norway September 29, 2008 CD, digital download Propeller
United Kingdom August 24, 2009 Nettwerk
United States June 29, 2010

References edit

  1. ^ "Play My Darling, Play - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  2. ^ "A Bar in Amsterdam - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  3. ^ "Demon Kitty Rag - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  4. ^ "Tea With Cinnamon - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  5. ^ a b c Schiller, Mike (2010-07-06). "Katzenjammer: Le Pop". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  6. ^ a b Begrand, Adrien (2009-01-13). "Katzenjammer: Le Pop". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  7. ^ a b Lewis, Catherine P. (2010-07-09). "Album review: Katzenjammer's 'Le Pop'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  8. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Katzenjammer > Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  9. ^ a b "Katzenjammer: Le Pop (Album)". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  10. ^ "Katzenjammer: Le Pop (Album)" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  11. ^ a b "Katzenjammer: Le Pop Revised (Album)" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  12. ^ Le Pop (liner notes). Katzenjammer. Propeller Recordings. 2008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "Katzenjammer: Le Pop". propellerrecordings.no. Retrieved 2013-02-22.