RADAR: Philco Fiction

Dark, chilly electro/pop dappled with sunny rays is the forecast for Philco Fiction, a Norwegian indie trio led by frontwoman Turid Solberg. Lush, plugged-in soundscapes, off-kilter rhythms and oddly engaging melodies set the broad stage for Solberg's airy vocals on tracks that are as unpredictably diverse as they are inviting. If Bjork had set up shop with Prince in Minneapolis we might get sounds like this: simmering beats, rich keyboard funk/pop and decidedly arty, usually twisty melodies that dart and flit in and out of moods and atmospheres with graceful ease. At turns fanciful and intently, artily intimate, the trio's impressive late-2011 album Take It Personally is a gloriously messy mish-mash of ideas and attitudes, from the echoing piano lines and ticking beats of "Finally" to the stuttering, lushly outfitted pop/funk (Janet Jackson meets Lykke Li?) of "Help!" to the 7-minute ambient prog/pop centerpiece "Portrait of Silence" . No U.S. release set -- stay tuned.

Philco Fiction - "Finally" (from Take It Personally)

Philco Fiction - "Portrait of Silence" (from Take It Personally)

Banner Photo Credit: Thomas Olsen