PING-The Castle Massacre-Prog-Electro-Jazz-Norway LP

PING

The Castle Massacre

Norway 2005

NEW LP 

(QDK-MEDIA 048)

Ping aren't short of creative ideas at all. Founded by Jørgen Greiner (Bass, Vocals) and Mattis Janitz (Guitar) in 1999 in Bergen, Norway, Ping offers on their most recent album a variety of different styles feeling like a hell of a roller coaster ride. No song like the other, one glides past boundaries of musical styles, sees the laws of harmony turned upside down and put on their feet again and looking for a common form of songs is of no avail. The unusual use of different instruments and the elctronically altered voice is explicitly desired.
Looking for possible resemblance's with Ping's Prog-Electro-Punk-Jazz-Mix, you won't be able to find one name working for all of the 15 songs. The opening song ¿Bow To The Beagle¿ seams to quote electronic pioneer Bruce Haack. ¿Anyway But Now¿ juggles around Progrock motifs like Ween used to. ¿Blue Velvet Rope¿ dances in a 70's-Funk pace. The title song reminds of early Genesis, ¿The Skating Hall¿ of 10CC and ¿Comoneverybody¿ with a jazzy flute and Space-Funk-Grooves of Captain Beefheart. Of course, Frank Zappa peeks around the corner quite often, for instance in ¿The Dog¿. All these quotes, together with a powerful distinguished sound, makes this Ping album a true certified experience.
Yet this isn't enough. ¿Manuales¿ quotes Kraftwerk , ¿Inside A Rock¿ swings with a Reggae vibe and ¿Konstantinopel¿ recycles even old Vaudeville traditions. But in spite of all these daring combinations of different styles, Ping don't drift away into artificial avantgarde spaces. The core of their songs is almost always an outstanding pop melody. This is why some Norwegian critics came up with another comparison: Beck (USA) and Cornelius (Japan).
Like the US American style juggler, Ping also emphasise on humour and spontaneity. This is exactly how the Duo started way back then, realising their first musical experiments in a small room with an Amiga 1200 and a 4-track recording system. One year later, these first steps were released on their debut album ¿It¿s A Picnic¿. By now, Ping have moved to Oslo, built themselves a real good modern studio and have been joined by Alexander Lindbäck (drums) and Tore Hofstad and Hans Fredheim (both keyboard specialists). Since the, the band earns enthusiastic critics all over Scandinavia for both their soundtracks for short films by Gaute Hesthagen (¿Love Game¿) and Maria Trovatten & Karin Jacobsen (¿Tell Me Not To Worry¿), and their concerts. The release of ¿The Castle Massacre¿ finally gives us the chance to get to know this extraordinary band.