I Was A King - I Was A King

Hailing from the fjords of Norway, but with a tinge of Glasgow and California, I Was A King are the an intriguing blend of So-Cal 60's surf-pop fed through an early 90's indie fuzz filter. Opening with the spiralling reverb heavy Still and rattling through the sub 3 minute college-pop of Step Aside and Golden Years, frontman Frode Stømstad takes us on a romp through 15 snippets of nostalgia and hope. The album  features collaborations from Emil Nikolaisen (Serena Maneesh ), Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Smith (Danielson) and Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor) . The album was recorded at Marlborough Farms (Brooklyn, NY) and mixed by Nick Terry (Primal Scream, The Libertines, Klaxons). The band released a 7" single ("Norman Bleik") through Sonic Cathedral in the UK in November 2009 that was given some radio love from tastemakers Lammaq, Macconie, Huw Stephens and A-listed on NME Radio. They follow up before the album release with a release for Too Pure's 7" singles club in January 2010, with a new version of album track "Not Like This" and a cover of Guided By Voices' "Your Name Is Wild". “Imagine Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend", only with Kevin Shields and J Mascis subbed in…and you get an idea of I Was A King's cumulative, generation-spanning appeal”- PITCHFORK.. "The song you ask? Why, it's absolutely brilliant , of course." NME.

Track listing : Still, Step aside, Golden years, A name that hurts to say, California, Inbterlude, Breathe, Hard luck bad news, Stay warm, Not like this, Its all you, Weighing anchor, Extra number, Norman Bleik, Fading summer

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