Moddi
senja, Troms, Norway | INDIE
Music
Press
It's gorgeous… what a lovely song and very nicely done! - Damien Rice
It's gorgeous… what a lovely song and very nicely done! - Damien Rice
The music scene in Norway is currently putting the rest of the world to shame and Moddi has a lot to do with it as far as we're concerned. - The 405
The music scene in Norway is currently putting the rest of the world to shame and Moddi has a lot to do with it as far as we're concerned. - The 405
Irrevocably a heart-warming and beautifully constructed piece of melancholic folk-pop. - Q Magazine
Irrevocably a heart-warming and beautifully constructed piece of melancholic folk-pop. - Q Magazine
Irrevocably a heart-warming and beautifully constructed piece of melancholic folk-pop. - Q Magazine
Irrevocably a heart-warming and beautifully constructed piece of melancholic folk-pop. - Q Magazine
Quietly intense acoustic guitar, smoldering strings, and a haunting Norwegian-accented voice caught my ear like a tractor beam. This was Moddi, who hail from some tiny island in the north, and who nobody I spoke with knew much about but everyone seemed impressed with. While I enjoyed the National’s dark, rootsy take on U2 (...), I enjoyed Moddi’s modest quietude even more. - Pitchfork
Quietly intense acoustic guitar, smoldering strings, and a haunting Norwegian-accented voice caught my ear like a tractor beam. This was Moddi, who hail from some tiny island in the north, and who nobody I spoke with knew much about but everyone seemed impressed with. While I enjoyed the National’s dark, rootsy take on U2 (...), I enjoyed Moddi’s modest quietude even more. - Pitchfork
"...and it was en route from the Okkervil River stage toward the press area that I made my first of two discoveries of great Norwegian bands-- quietly intense acoustic guitar, smoldering strings, and a haunting Norwegian-accented voice caught my ear like a tractor beam. This was Moddi , who hail from some tiny island in the north, and who nobody I spoke with knew much about but everyone seemed impressed with. While I enjoyed the National 's dark, rootsy take on U2-- terse, powerful dynamic shifts in songs that stayed close to the ground but moved fast-- I enjoyed Moddi's modest quietude even more." - Pitchfork
"...and it was en route from the Okkervil River stage toward the press area that I made my first of two discoveries of great Norwegian bands-- quietly intense acoustic guitar, smoldering strings, and a haunting Norwegian-accented voice caught my ear like a tractor beam. This was Moddi , who hail from some tiny island in the north, and who nobody I spoke with knew much about but everyone seemed impressed with. While I enjoyed the National 's dark, rootsy take on U2-- terse, powerful dynamic shifts in songs that stayed close to the ground but moved fast-- I enjoyed Moddi's modest quietude even more." - Pitchfork
"I would first have to check out Moddi (...) and the Norwegian didn’t disappoint. Pål Moddi Knutsen captivated the audience with his soft voice and magnificient presence. This guy is great, a gentle shake-up of any singer-songwriter that drew inspiration from Jeff Buckley and a fan of sonic landscape creation (along the lines of Beth Orton) to accompany his distinctive voice. Even with an accordion in his hand (which appears to be a big deal in Norway – I am fine with that), Moddi works magic. Check out “Rubbles” on his MySpace page for a taste of the great potential he exhibits." - Radio Exile
"I would first have to check out Moddi (...) and the Norwegian didn’t disappoint. Pål Moddi Knutsen captivated the audience with his soft voice and magnificient presence. This guy is great, a gentle shake-up of any singer-songwriter that drew inspiration from Jeff Buckley and a fan of sonic landscape creation (along the lines of Beth Orton) to accompany his distinctive voice. Even with an accordion in his hand (which appears to be a big deal in Norway – I am fine with that), Moddi works magic. Check out “Rubbles” on his MySpace page for a taste of the great potential he exhibits." - Radio Exile
Discography
"Rubbles EP"
Propeller Recordings, 2010.
"Floriography"
Album, international release 2011.
"Set the House on Fire"
Album, release March 2013
Photos
Bio
After playing no less than 250 concerts to support his debut album, 25-year old Pl Moddi Knutsen from the remote island Senja in Northern Norway had announced that 2012 would be a year of rest, feeling quite simply that hed worn the melodies out.
However, between the trees of Telemark, as far away from both the continent and the sea as he could get, Moddi found peace of mind and announces a follow up to his double Norwegian Grammy-nominated debut, in the form of Set the House on Fire, to be released worldwide on 8th March 2013 through Propeller Recordings.
Moddi is known for turning down a 100.000 grant from the Norwegian Statoil because of their intentions of oil drilling in the North of Norway. The same year, in 2010, he received an equally large grant from the Norwegian pop group a-ha and toured as support for Angus and Julia Stone. His debut album Floriography was recorded in Iceland with producer Valgeir Sigurdsson (Bjrk, Cocorosie, etc.) and was released in the UK in 2011.
Moddi says about the album:"When we recorded Floriography everything was planned and prepared months in advance. This time it was more like playing around with sounds. A little poppier and at the same time stranger than the last album."
Set the House on Fire was recorded in a rebuilt boat house in Giske on the west coast of Norway. It contains duets with post-pop prodigy Einar Stray and London-based Farao. The first single from the album is called House by the Sea, and is accompanied by a video from the band's drummer Jrgen Nordby.
Band Members
Links
