Lorraine (band)

Blackroom
Background information
Origin	Bergen, Norway
Genres	Pop rock, alternative rock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Waterfall RCA
Website	www.myspace.com/blackroomtheband
Members	Ole Gundersen Anders Winsents Paal Myran Haaland

Blackroom, formerly known as Lorraine are a 3-piece band from Bergen in Norway consisting of Ole Gunnar Gundersen (vocals), Anders Winsents (guitar) and Paal Myran Haaland(keyboards, programming).^[1]

They signed to the major record label RCA Records in 2007 after parting ways with Columbia Records. The band cite their influences as Depeche Mode, a-ha, Pet Shop Boys and New Order.

In the summer of 2000 the band, now in their late teens, decided not to go back to school. Paal's bedroom was traded for a workspace, 45 minutes outside Bergen, in a decaying factory building. The units surrounding Lorraine's studio were filled with either crackheads or car mechanics. The heating didn't work. It's cold anyway in Norway, but in this ice-pocket it was often so cold that floppy discs would freeze into the band's sampler. The band stayed there for twelve months - it was like self-imposed boot camp. The trio would record a rock song one day, a pop song the next day, and maybe a techno track the day after that. Some days they would start with a lyric, others with a bassline, or a keyboard riff. No two songs would fall together in the same way.

Their first releases was two 7" singles "Twenty Years Under Water" and "Lovesongs For An Ugly Girl" with remix of Twenty Years Under Water made by Paal as b-side . The song "Twenty Years Under Water" was put on a compilation "This is Norway". After this, in 2003, the band released their first CD - Lorraine EP featuring new song "Echoes". This was the first Lorraine's steps.

In the same year, they were able to release their debut album. They reworked songs "Twenty Years Under Water" & "Sold Out" for album, so their sound "grew up" and became more professional. Lorraine have been described as an electronic rock'n roll band. Their music is filled with plenty of references to the modern rock and electronica scene. In Norway the press have been throwing superlatives at Lorraine's first album. The Perfect Cure is produced by Bjarte Ludvigsen and is mixed by Nille Perned (The Wannadies, Bob Hund and Kent). This album was inspired by such bands as Placebo, The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, Prodigy and others.

Lorraine have already done lot of concerts in Europe; in 2003 they have done approximately 100 concerts in countries like France, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway. In 2006, the band had a top-thirty hit in the UK with "I Feel It".^[2] They went on to tour with Pet Shop Boys.^[3]

In 2007, their music Heaven (EP version) was on the soundtrack of Hollywood movie I Could Never be Your Woman, with Michelle Pfeiffer.

In late 2008/early 2009, Lorraine changed their name to Blackroom.^[4] Blackroom was chosen because their rehearsal studio where their equipment was housed in Bergen, Norway was destroyed in a fire and they had to buy replace equipment.^[4]

In May 2009, the band released their album Pop Noir, featuring new tracks "A Million Colors" and "Imagine This".

After releasing album "Lighthouse" and a few singles from it, the band took a music pause. Ole started new project called Subshine. Anders playing guitar for "Bloody Beach" and Paal recently made some music via his project Souldrop. Band also has some festival appearance last year, but no news on new material soon.^[5]

Discography

Albums

The Perfect Cure (Rec90 2003)

1. Perfect Cure 3.35
2. Highlights 3.22
3. Lipgloss 4.41
4. The Water 3.55
5. Hold 4.06
6. Twenty Years Under Water 4.25
7. Virgin 5.03
8. Any Given Sunday 3.51
9. Sold Out 4.00
10. Ghosts 6.18

Album Sampler 2006

1. Transatlantic Flight 3.25
2. Saved 3.12
3. Beautiful Thing 3.17
4. She Lives In Gardens 3.22
5. I Feel It 3.05

Pop Noir (March 2009)

1. I Feel It
2. When I Return To The World
3. Saved
4. Tell It All
5. She Lives In Gardens
6. Beyond The Sky
7. A Life Less Ordinary
8. Heaven (P Furs cover)
9. A Million Colors
10. The Mess That We Are
11. Imagine This (+ hidden track Never Give You Up)
12. Italian Girlfriend (Bonus)

Lighthouse (May 2012)

1. Signals

2. What Is It That You Want

3. Falling Down

4. Control (Extended Version)

5. Sunrise

6. XTC

7. Frances

8. Micropaal

9. Witness

10. Gonna Last a Long time

Singles

Lorraine E.P. (Rec90 2003)

1. Twenty Years Under Water 3.55
2. Lovesong For An Ugly Girl 4.26
3. Sold Out 4.16
4. Echoes 5.01

Perfect Cure Remix (Rec90 2003)

1. Perfect Cure (Beat Mix) 3.37
2. Ghosts (Remix) 5.58

Saved / I Feel It (September 2005 Genepool)

Clear 7" Ltd. to 500 copies)

1. I Feel It (Extended Mix) 5.00
2. Saved (Demo Version) 4.15

Tell Me Where You Wanna Go

Free 3" Promo CD (Columbia February 2006)

1. Tell Me Where You Wanna Go 4.16

I Feel It (Columbia 10 April 2006)

CDS

1. I Feel It 3.05
2. K-19 3.46

Maxi

1. I Feel It 3.05
2. Italian Girlfriend 4.45
3. I Feel It (Cicada Remix) 7.31
4. I Feel It (Video)

Spearmint 7"

1. I Feel It 3.05
2. Confetti 4.25

Transatlantic Flight (Columbia 31 July 2006)

12"/Digital E.P.

1. Axwell Mix 7.33
2. Rize & 7th Heaven Dub 8.20
3. MHC Dub 6.02

Heaven (Columbia 23 October 2006)

E.P.

1. Heaven 4.03
2. Saved (Demo Version) 4.15
3. When I Return To The World 4.01
4. Confetti 4.25

Clear 7"

1. Heaven 4.03
2. Saved (Demo Version) 4.15

Saved (Waterfall 10 December 2007)

7" Ltd. to 1000 copies

1. Saved (New Version)
2. The Mess That We Are

When I Return To The World (Waterfall 19 May 2008)

White 7" Ltd. to 1000 copies

1. When I Return To The World
2. Beyond The Sky

Miscellanea

• Winsents and Gundersen met in a guitar shop when they both started playing Stairway to Heaven at the same time.^[6] They later discovered Haaland drunk at a bus stop.
• At age 11, Winsents won the gold medal in a Scandinavian speed walking competition.
• They first began recording music in Haaland's bedroom, later moving to a decaying factory outside Bergen.
• They now have a drummer, who though not an official member of the band joins them on stage at live shows.
• Their first record was recorded by Bjarte Ludvigsen at Tinnitus recording studio and was well received by the critics.
• Their music Heaven (EP version) is the first song of 2007 Hollywood movie I Could Never be Your Woman, with Michelle Pfeiffer.

Other Recorded Tracks

• I'll Never Give You Up
• Remind Me (Unreleased)
• Touch Me (Free download)
• Heaven (Sebastian Leger Remix) (Promo only)
• Beautiful Thing (MHC Remix) (Free download)
• Tell It All (aka Tell Them All)
• Return Beat
• Gasoline
• Falling Down
• Home
• Ecstasy
• Control
• Angel

References