Norwegian Arms
New York, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Norwegian Arms who are not from Norway but Philadelphia who made pleasant folk pop. - Brooklyn Vegan
Norwegian Arms who are not from Norway but Philadelphia who made pleasant folk pop. - Brooklyn Vegan
Sometimes you listen to someone’s work and you can feel what a labor of love it was, how much of the artists went into the pieces they have chosen to share. Wolf Like a Stray Dog gave me the exact visceral expereince that reminds me what kind of thoughtful creation a DIYer is capable of when left to their own devices and experiences. International influences give this Folk release sincerity and depth. Making music transportive is no easy task, but this experience will bring you to a different place, in a different time, and another mindset completely. - Dingus on Music
Sometimes you listen to someone’s work and you can feel what a labor of love it was, how much of the artists went into the pieces they have chosen to share. Wolf Like a Stray Dog gave me the exact visceral expereince that reminds me what kind of thoughtful creation a DIYer is capable of when left to their own devices and experiences. International influences give this Folk release sincerity and depth. Making music transportive is no easy task, but this experience will bring you to a different place, in a different time, and another mindset completely. - Dingus on Music
I fell in love with Norwegian Arms' 2012 album Wolf Like a Stray Dog, their unique, freak folk expression so progressive and appealing. The band is back with a live session video recorded at Brighton Sound Studio. "The Iceman", a retooled, bolder version of the track as it appears on their 2009 EP Louise, maintains the off-kilter cadences and strange tones that make Norwegian Arms a refreshing listen. At the 5:00 mark they smoothly transition into "Kiva Ikva" off of their last album. The video lends a nice visualization of the energy and tension in their music for anyone unable to catch them live. - No Fear of Pop
I fell in love with Norwegian Arms' 2012 album Wolf Like a Stray Dog, their unique, freak folk expression so progressive and appealing. The band is back with a live session video recorded at Brighton Sound Studio. "The Iceman", a retooled, bolder version of the track as it appears on their 2009 EP Louise, maintains the off-kilter cadences and strange tones that make Norwegian Arms a refreshing listen. At the 5:00 mark they smoothly transition into "Kiva Ikva" off of their last album. The video lends a nice visualization of the energy and tension in their music for anyone unable to catch them live. - No Fear of Pop
Edmund had a horrible habit of writing enigmatic notes, especially before flying. Before a trip out east, he left a note for May, for her thighs and for her forehead, on the table, weighted down by a banana. She got it when it was 10:33, the radio left perpetually on, murmuring: - Said the Gramophone
Edmund had a horrible habit of writing enigmatic notes, especially before flying. Before a trip out east, he left a note for May, for her thighs and for her forehead, on the table, weighted down by a banana. She got it when it was 10:33, the radio left perpetually on, murmuring: - Said the Gramophone
I’ve been entertained by Philly scenesters Keith Birthday and Dr. Awkward several times and am really enjoying this "long belabored Siberian album" of “minimalist weirdo-folk" that KB aka Brendan Mulvihill wrote while living in the boonies of eastern Russia. - YVYNYL
I’ve been entertained by Philly scenesters Keith Birthday and Dr. Awkward several times and am really enjoying this "long belabored Siberian album" of “minimalist weirdo-folk" that KB aka Brendan Mulvihill wrote while living in the boonies of eastern Russia. - YVYNYL
We are proud to announce that The Deli Philly’s Best of 2012 Emerging Artist is Norwegian Arms! It was a tight race from the get-go between the self-described “weirdo-folk” duo turned trio and power-pop outfit Hop Along with Lushlife solidly representing the local hip-hop community in third place. - The Deli Magazine
We are proud to announce that The Deli Philly’s Best of 2012 Emerging Artist is Norwegian Arms! It was a tight race from the get-go between the self-described “weirdo-folk” duo turned trio and power-pop outfit Hop Along with Lushlife solidly representing the local hip-hop community in third place. - The Deli Magazine
Discography
Trimmings of Hides EP - 2011
Wolf Like a Stray Dog LP - 2013
Photos
Bio
Three years, two EPs and one album since his Siberian sojourn, Keith Birthday of Norwegian Arms has turned his focus away from the confines of his tiny apartment in the Taiga which largely informed the songs on Wolf Like a Stray Dog. That doesnt mean that the sunny folk music generated by his time in Tomsk, Russia has become any less relevant, or that the sound has changed drastically. Instead, its morphed from real-time cultural awe and suffering to nostalgia, and while the memories remain, new ones have taken their place. That being said, nothing has, or perhaps ever will, replace the childhood mandolin on which these songs are written, perhaps the only constant in this ever-evolving project.
In the time since returning to his native Philadelphia, Birthday has found new beauty in the wreckage that surrounds his post-industrial warehouse apartment. Dilapidated buildings, shifting friendships, and late night bicycle rides inform this new batch of songs, a celebration of deeper personal understanding. Still deeply influenced by his continued travels, these new songs draw from trips to South America and Europe, and the sense of Wanderlust remains.
Still obsessed with languages and their systems, Birthday refers to these new songs as imperfective, referring to verb aspect present in Slavic languages, which focuses on the current process, not a past event or a future result. He still feels strongly that its about the journey, not the destination.
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