The Lionheart Brothers

Named after Astrid Lindgren’s fantasy novel The Brothers Lionheart, the Norwegian group came together in 1999 when Marcus Førsgren (b. 11 September 1981, Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway; guitar/vocals) and Audun Storset (b. 18 March 1982, Molde, Møre Og Romsdal, Norway; organ) launched an organ-driven project that blended upbeat psychedelic pop with textures drawn from the UK shoegazing indie scene of the late 1980s.

In its earliest phase the act operated primarily as a duo, although Fred Strand (b. Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway) served as the preferred drummer until 2003, at which point he transitioned into band management. The pair’s Ride- and Slowdive-influenced debut album White Angel Black Apple appeared in 2003, followed the next year by the EP Colour Contrast Context; both releases were recorded almost entirely by Førsgren and Storset alone.

By the time sessions began for the buoyant 2007 breakthrough Dizzy Kiss, three additional musicians had joined and left a permanent mark on the band’s guitar-based sound: Frantz Andreassen (b. 11 April 1978, Drammen, Buskerud, Norway; bass), Peter Rudolfsen (b. 12 December 1983, Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway; drums) and Morten Øby (b. 20 April 1983, Drammen, Buskerud, Norway; guitar/vocals). Co-produced by Christian Engfelt of fellow Norwegian garage rockers Cato Salsa Experience, the album drew on the sunshine pop of the mid-1960s Beach Boys and used artwork taken from a painting discovered in Storset’s uncle’s house. Andreassen’s pulsing, fluid bass lines, combined with Storset’s incisive retro organ textures on tracks such as “Hero Anthem” and “Bring It Down,” evoked the approach of UK space rockers Spiritualized, while the single “50 Souls And A Disco Bowl” echoed the smart pop sensibility of fellow Scandinavians the Cardigans. The resulting record stood out for its assured handling of disparate styles.