Violeta Violeta

Violeta Violeta
Studio album by Kaizers Orchestra
Released	2011 & 2012 (2011 & 2012)
Recorded	March 2010 & December 2011 at Duper Studios, Bergen
Genre	Rock, alternative
Length	39:12 (Vol. I)
Producer	Jørgen Træen, Yngve Sætre, Janove Ottesen
Kaizers Orchestra chronology
Våre demoner (2009) Violeta Violeta (2011 & 2012)

Violeta Violeta is a series of studio albums by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, comprising their sixth, seventh, and eighth studio albums. The album trilogy is being released throughout 2011 and 2012.^[1]

Vol. I was released on January 31, 2011,^[2] going straight to #1 in VG-lista, the official Norwegian Albums Chart in its first week of release. Vol. II was released November 11, 2011, and Vol. III is expected November 2012.

Contents 1 Background 2 Recording 3 Vol. I 3.1 Promotion 3.2 Track listing 4 Vol. II 4.1 Promotion 4.2 Track listing[12] 5 Vol. III 6 Guest musicians 7 References

Background

In 2007, Kaizers Orchestra's co-founder and primary songwriter Janove Ottesen hit a major creative boon, and composed two to three songs every day for ten days. Using this extensive backlog of material as a basis, Ottesen conceptualized a trilogy of albums based around the same theme. Retreating to the studio in the basement of his home with an oil barrel, Ottesen recorded a "bare-bones" demo of songs intended for the trilogy.^[2] Basic information was provided regarding Kaizers Orchestra next studio album in 2009, citing a 2011 release. Later, the band announced the Studio Tour, a four-concert tour of Norway whose proceedings would go to finance the new album. Concert attendees were given a mail-in letter for a limited edition version of the first album in the series. The albums' title and format, owing to Ottesen's extensive songwriting sessions in 2009, was revealed on February 10, 2010; the day of the first show of the Studio Tour. During an interview with NRK, it was stated that each album would have 10 songs, breaking the standard they had set of 12 per album. When asked if there would be more songs on the limited edition of the albums, they denied it, sticking with 10 per album for the trilogy.

Recording

Recording sessions for the first of three albums began on February 28, 2010, in Duper Studios in Bergen. Jørgen Træen, Yngve Sætre, as well as Ottesen acted as producers. On March 11, Ottesen revealed that 12 songs had been recorded in 12 days, completing the first album in the trilogy.^[3] The recording of additional instrumentations such as strings and orchestra was scheduled for a later date. On June 7, 2010, their official site confirmed the completion of Vol. I, as well as the release of the first single in August, and the second single in early January 2011 (though this was changed to October, 2010).^[4] According to an interview with VG Nett following the release of their first single, they explained that the first two albums of the trilogy had already been recorded, as the first album only took a fortnight.^[5] Participating guest musicians include the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and a 14 year old girl (Lykke Sofie Myrås, the sister of Janove's wife).^[6] In an interview with Aftenbladet it was revealed that they would be recording the third installment of the trilogy in December 2011, before the tour supporting Volume II. ^[7]

Vol. I

Violeta Violeta Volume I
Studio album by Kaizers Orchestra
Released	January 31, 2011
Recorded	March 2010 at Duper Studios, Bergen
Genre	Rock, alternative
Length	39:12
Producer	Jørgen Træen, Yngve Sætre, Janove Ottesen
Kaizers Orchestra chronology
Våre demoner (2009) Violeta Violeta Vol. I (2011) Violeta Violeta Vol. II (2011)

Promotion

The first single from the first volume of the trilogy, "Philemon Arthur & the Dung", was released digitally on August 24, 2010. In October, the single was moved to the "A-list" of Norwegian radio station NRK P3, the highest priority playlist on the station, providing the song with more frequent airplay and exposure. To promote the release of the second single, "Hjerteknuser", Kaizers Orchestra released the official notes and lyrics to the song for free download, allowing unsigned musicians to record their own version of the song.^[8] The winner, Moi, was announced on Norwegian radio on October 27, 2010, who is scheduled to have her cover of "Hjerteknuser" released on Kaizers Orchestra's proprietary record label, and the opportunity to tour with them in 2011; during the same broadcast, Kaizers Orchestra's own version of the song received its world premiere.^[9] The second and third place winners of the competition were also given permission to release their separate versions. The music video for Kaizers Orchestra's "Hjerteknuser" stars famous Norwegian actress Ane Dahl Torp portraying Beatrice, one of the characters from the lyrical "universe" of Violeta Violeta.

For their third single, "En for orgelet, en for meg", they collaborated with guest rappers from Germany (Prinz Pi) Sweden (Timbuktu), and The Netherlands (Blaxtar) to create versions of the song to be released in those countries.^[10] The album version of the song is made available for digital download upon pre-ordering the first album. To further promote the album, Ottesen and Øyvind Storesund, the group's bassist, embarked on a tour of small venues in Europe, performing as an acoustic double act.^[11] In the ten remaining days leading up to the album's release, the band uploaded videos starring Helge Risa, the pump organist, recorded during the preproduction period for the supporting tour. Guitarist Geir Zahl also uploaded a documentary about the making of the album to YouTube.

Track listing

Lyrics for all songs are in the Norwegian language. Lyrics and music by Janove Ottesen.

1. "Philemon Arthur & the Dung" - 3:22
2. "Diamant til kull" (Diamond to Coal) - 4:45
3. "Femtakt filosofi" (Philosophy in 5/4 Time) - 3:43
4. "Din kjole lukter bensin, mor" (Your Dress Smells of Gasoline, Mother) - 3:16
5. "En for orgelet, en for meg" (One for the Organ, One for Me) - 3:05
6. "Tumor i ditt hjerte" (Tumor in Your Heart) - 4:24
7. "Hjerteknuser" (Heartbreaker) - 3:20
8. "Psycho under min hatt" (Psycho under My Hat) - 3:03
9. "Svarte katter & flosshatter" (Black Cats & Top Hats) - 5:12
10. "Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice" (Seven Buckets of Tears are Enough, Beatrice) - 5:11

Vol. II

Violeta Violeta Volume II
Studio album by Kaizers Orchestra
Released	November 11, 2011
Recorded	March 2010 at Duper Studios, Bergen
Genre	Rock, alternative
Length	38:31
Producer	Jørgen Træen, Yngve Sætre, Janove Ottesen
Kaizers Orchestra chronology
Violeta Violeta Vol. I (2011) Violeta Violeta Vol. II (2011) Live i Oslo Spektrum (2011)

Vol. II is scheduled for release on November 11, 2011 in Norway and January 13, 2012 internationally.

Promotion

On March 1, before the start of the European tour in support of Vol. I, the band announced that Vol. II will be performed, in its entirety, for the first time at the Øya Festival on August 11, 2011. The event is to be streamed online the day following the event. The first single from Vol. II, "Tusen dråper regn", was premiered on May 31, 2011 on the radio show P3Morgen. It was confirmed in radio interviews conducted around the release of the single that Geir Zahl would be performing lead vocals on two self-composed songs on the album. The second single of the album, "Drøm videre Violeta" was released September 23, 2011, and within a week of the release was a-listed on P1 and P3.

Beginning November 1st, the band asked their fans to get involved with the 11-day countdown to the release of the album, Live i Oslo Spektrum, and "Sonny," their stage musical. They encouraged their fans to upload pictures to their Facebook page that showed the number of days until the release, and each day the band chose a different, fan-uploaded picture as their profile picture.

Track listing^[12]

Lyrics for all songs are in the Norwegian language. All songs written by Janove Ottesen unless otherwise noted.

1. "I ett med verden" (At One with the World) (Ottesen/Geir Zahl) - 5:44
2. "Støv og sand" (Dust and Sand) - 3:49
3. "Tusen dråper regn" (A Thousand Drops of Rain) - 3:47
4. "Drøm videre, Violeta" (Keep Dreaming, Violeta) - 3:27
5. "Far til datter" (Father to a Daughter) - 3:30
6. "Faen i båten" (Devil in the Boat) - 2:02
7. "Gresk komedie" (Greek Comedy) (Zahl) - 3:34
8. "Silver" - 4:12
9. "Domino" (Zahl) - 3:15
10. "Den romantiske tragedien" (The Romantic Tragedy) - 5:11

Vol. III

Violeta Violeta Volume III
Studio album by Kaizers Orchestra
Released	November, 2012
Recorded	December 2011 at Duper Studios, Bergen
Genre	Rock, alternative
Producer	Jørgen Træen, Yngve Sætre, Janove Ottesen
Kaizers Orchestra chronology
Live i Oslo Spektrum (2011) Violeta Violeta Vol. III (2012)

Vol. III is expected for release in November 2012.

Guest musicians

• Haldi Rønning: Violin (v.I; 1, 2, 3, 7, 10), (v.II; 4)
• Mari Persen: Violin (v.I; 1, 2, 3, 7, 10), (v.II; 4)
• Karoline Vik Hegge: Viola (v.I; 1, 2, 3, 7, 10), (v.II; 4)
• Matias J. Monsen: Cello (v.I; 1, 2, 3, 7, 10), (v.II; 4)
• Lykke Sofie Myrås: Vocal (v.I; 5, 9)
• Anand Chetty: Cowbell (v.I; 4), Choir (v.I; 1)
• Øyvind Grung: Tuba (v.I; 3,9), Trombone (v.I; 3)
• Kjetil Møster: Sax (v.I; 8, 9), (v.II; 2)
• Iver Sandøy: Choir (v.I; 1), Marimba (v.I; 7), Percussion (v.II; 5, 8)
• Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Directed by Trond Korsgaard: (v.I; 6, 9), (v.II; 10)
• Jørgen Træen: MS20 (v.I; 7), Beerflute (v.I; 5), (v.II;2), Clapping (v.II; 5)
• Yngve L. Sætre: Piano “plingplong” (v.I; 7), Backing vocals (v.I; 6)
• Teresia Sætre Aarskog, Rebekka Sætre Aarskog, Jarle Solheim, Maria K. Solheim: Choir & Clapping (v.I; 1)
• Ove André Boland, Truls Sveri Lier, Joachim Pedersen, Tommy Ones Thorstensen: Snare Drum (v.II; 3)
• Kids from Bryne Ungdomsskule: Choir (v.II; 5)

References