Fra Lippo Lippi

Fra Lippo Lippi originated in Norway when Per Oystein Sorensen, responsible for vocals, synthesizer, and keyboards, joined Rune Kristoffersen on guitar, bass, keyboards, and piano along with Morten Sjoberg on drums and keyboards to form the band in 1978. Their opening release, In Silence, relied on heavy bass patterns, percussive rhythms that evoked a funeral march, introspective keyboard textures, and vocals that sounded both ominous and nearly impossible to decipher. By the time Small Mercies appeared in 1983, however, Sorensen’s background in pop had steered the music toward greater melodic clarity. The group then secured a deal with Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and issued their third album, Songs, in 1985. Abandoning the earlier atmosphere of gloom, they pursued synth pop and sentimental ballad styles that highlighted Kristoffersen’s piano playing. The new direction produced modest chart placements in England and Canada, yet in the Philippines numerous tracks became fixtures on local new wave stations, where “The Distance Between Us” and “Come Summer” repeatedly led request rankings. Released in 1987, the jazz-inflected Light and Shade propelled Fra Lippo Lippi to unexpected stardom within the Philippines. Although they remained largely unknown across most of the world, the band filled large venues with thousands of fans during 1989 concerts in Manila. Two additional albums followed—The Colour Album in 1989 and Dreams in 1991—before commercial disappointment prompted an indefinite break from recording. Since that time Kristoffersen has issued the instrumental projects Elephant Song and Monolight while founding his own imprint, Rune Grammofon, and Sorensen has collaborated with fellow Norwegian artist Trine Rein.