music: 120 Days

Picked it up on a recommendation from my man Malik and was not disappointed (Malik never disappoints, which is why he is sometimes called THE GRANDMASTER).

I take my electronica the same way I take my rap...cautiously, in small doses, and preferably well aged an Oak cask. But these cats use the tools of late 80's/early 90's synth-dance-pop-rock in the services of a higher cinematic overlord, crafting long, flowing tracks that dive and soar on synthesized wings, augmented with outrageously distorted guitars and impassioned vocals.

Playing the 'sources' game, my first listen generated names like Kraftwerk, New Order, Shriekback & a soupcon of smokey Bauhaus flavor. But they're no carbon copy, they're putting all those old styles out on the street to earn money for their own agenda.

I see they're from Norway...man, Scandinavia has been putting out some great music lately.

Eyeing the review on Pitchfork, I find myself in total agreement:

Norway's 120 Days are proponents of the house-of-cards style of songwriting-- from ephemeral elements, they build towering edifices that seem a breath away from toppling. But those structures never topple, thanks to the band's deft hands and measured pace, not to mention the loaded deck from which they're drawing: New Order synths doppler over Kraftwerk's motorik throb. Primal Scream's propulsive electro-rock tangles with Neu!'s gridded tableaux and Ådne Meisfjord's Bonoesque voice. If it sounds overstated, it is-- these guys go big on everything, from the long transitions to the incandescent crescendos. But whether they're hunkered down in a patient whirr or exploding in a fountain of sparks, 120 Days exude audacity, and their U.S. debut's ambition is ratified by its realization.

3/4ths of the disc is brilliant. There are a two tracks where invention fails and things get a bit too monochromatic and repetitive, but they're still listenable.
This one is officially 'recommended'.