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Norway is a nation with a proud history of farming and all the rural charm that comes along with it. We have a lot of tractors, a lot of farms, and a whole lot of cows. We are a nation of peasants. No wonder country music is so popular. Let’s not mention the top selling Norwegian country stars, since most of them would make Alan Jackson sound like Nirvana, but luckily we have a whole bunch of good folk and alt-country artists. Recent years, the most popular Norwegian band in the category has been the legendary rockers in Motorpsycho’s side project “The International Tussler Society”. The project was however aborted by the Motorpsycho boys themselves when the side project took the time and focus away from their “real” band.
The Tusslers aren’t the only good alt-country artists – Sergeant Petter belongs to the upper half of the scale too. Behind the pseudonym hides Bergen musician Petter Folkedal, and his album “Stg Petter” is the fourth in line under the DIY banner “It’s a label”. The album starts off well with “We’re not gonna miss you”. Petter’s nasal country voice and a beautiful steel guitar make a promising opening track. And even though the lyrics may not qualify for a Pulitzer, songs about booze and women will never go out of style when it comes to country music (or rock’n’roll and hip hop for that matter).
Unfortunately it doesn’t get more edgy than this. A nice country ballad about drinking wine. The country parts on the record are nice and smooth, and doesn’t harm a fly, and I miss the whisky reeking, dirty-sounding songs. When it comes to the alternative parts… well, they’re not very alternative. It’s just pop. Futile pop. And after listening to the album five times, the chance that you are able to remember two songs or more of the album is small. It just doesn’t stick.
When Pitchfork rated the album of Norwegian band I Was a King earlier this year, one of the accuses from the reviewer was that the US of A shouldn’t import 60s mining bands like IWAK, since they have so many good bands of the sort as it is. Well, America for sure has better alt-country artists than Sergeant Petter. And if I was to put it like Hank III, (and pardon my French on this one) Sergeant Petter doesn’t exactly put the cunt back in country. Not that we need a Norwegian Hank III, but is a little more bourbon and bar fights too much to ask for?
I know Sergeant Petter can do better than this. His debut album “It’s a record” is a memorable one. This one however is nice. And who wants to be just nice?
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