ABOUT THIS ITEM

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 60s surf-pop fed through an early 90s 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.

1. Still
2. Step Aside
3. Golden Years
4. Name That Hurts To Say
5. California
6. Interlude
7. Breathe
8. Hard Luck Bad News
9. Stay Warm
10. Not Like This
11. It's All You
12. Weighing Anchor
13. Extra Number
14. Norman Bleik
15. Fading Summer