SISSY WISH

Poor Norway. Proud land of fjords, Vikings, and trolls. Yet always playing a distant second-fiddle to their hated neighbor, Sweden. In music, hockey, war, you name it. Come to think of it, maybe we'd better make that THIRD-fiddle. Give Finland the silver. (And don't look now, but Denmark's looking to bogart the bronze.)

Checking my "records," I see that -- in two years of maintaining this itty-bitty blog -- I have featured exactly FOUR Norwegian artists (compared to some 20 or so Swedes). SONDRE LERCHE. MADRUGADA. ROBERT POST. DATAROCK. These would be my Norwegians. What a positively puny array. And, for that, I apologize, Norway. Poor Norway. Proud land of fjords, Vikings, and trolls.

I pledge to do better. I will dedicate myself to an exhaustive study of your culture. I will breakfast on geitost and waffles. Lunch on lapskaus and cod crisps. Sup on meat cakes and lutefisk. I will endeavor to write in Bokmal on even-numbered days; Nynorsk on the odd. I will read nothing but Ibsen. Listen to nothing but "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "Ja, vi elsker dette landet." I will pen a letter (in Bokmal, this being an even-numbered day) to President Bush, imploring him not to invade your nation for oil. I will -- whoa, hold on a minute here... I've just learned that Norway is the "most sober nation in Europe." Well, that certainly puts an end to THAT. (Ireland, here I come!)

But before I venture to the Emerald Isle in quest of rivers of whiskey, I proudly present to you my fifth Norwegian: SISSY WISH. Sissy Wish is the "aka" of one SIRI WAALBERG, she of Bergen, Norway (approximately 342 miles NW of Jonkoping; approximately 311 miles NW of Falkoping). Ms. Waalberg is a purveyor of helium-piped pop a la THE SOUNDS (see: "DWTS") and THE PIPETTES (see: "Beauties Never Die").

Sissy Wish's second LP, BEAUTIES NEVER DIE, was released in Norway in March. No word yet on when it will be available elsewhere.

SISSY WISH on MySPACE.

SISSY WISH in Scandinavian-sounding places >>>

Jul 13 2007 8:00P/Midnattsrocken/Lakselv
Jul 20 2007 8:00P/Vikafestivalen/Mo i Rana
Aug 2 2007 1:00A/Lost Weekend/Askøy
Aug 4 2007 8:00P/Malakoffestivalen/Nordfjordeid

[MP3] "DWTS"

[MP3] "Beauties Never Die"