Real Ones

Norway's musical landscape harbors remarkable breadth that often escapes notice, spanning the stark intensity of black metal, the inviting textures of electronica, and the earthy textures of folk and rock. Beginning in the early 1990s, the more mainstream currents of electronica and rock advanced rapidly, introducing global audiences to Royskopp, Annie, and Kings of Convenience. Toward the close of the century, Bergen's the Real Ones joined this expanding roster. The ensemble merged the psychedelic expanses favored by their compatriots with the roots-oriented approach of the Band and the euphoric textures associated with Flaming Lips. Starting with the 2003 release This Is Camping, they issued a sequence of folk-pop recordings that proved both infectious and widely praised by critics and listeners alike. Prior European and North American touring helped the debut elevate the band's rising profile. Home with the Girls in the Morning appeared in 2005 and earned a song-of-the-year nomination for the single "Ballad of an Old Man" plus a By:Larm Award. The next year the group—comprising Ivar Vogt on vocals, guitars, and mandolins; Jorgen Sandvik on vocals, guitars, sitar, and banjo; David Vogt on vocals, guitars, and violin; Oystein Skjaelaaen on bass; and Kare Opheim on drums—performed at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. Buoyed by fresh impetus, the Real Ones returned home to prepare All for the Neighborhood, issued by Warner in 2008, the same year they unveiled their initial U.K. single, "Outlaw."