Serena-Maneesh
Encyclopedia
Serena-Maneesh is an alternative rock band from Oslo
, Norway
.
explained the word-constellation the following way:
band Extol
.
Important sources of musical inspiration are The Velvet Underground
, My Bloody Valentine, Amon Düül
, The Stooges
, Swans
, Spacemen 3
, Spiritualized
, Stereolab
, Royal Trux
, Neu!
, and Antonio Carlos Jobim
.
In late 2005, the band toured Europe
in support of The Dandy Warhols
. In early 2006, Serena-Maneesh landed the opening gig for British band Oasis
during its UK
tour. They supported Nine Inch Nails
on the Australia
/Japan
leg of their 2007 world tour.
The highly acclaimed self-titled debut album was released on the Norwegian record-label HoneyMilk in the autumn of 2005. In December of the same year, the Norwegian vinyl label Hype City released an LP print featuring two exclusive tracks, and the Spanish indie distributor Touchme Records published the CD. In March 2006, the band announced its transfer to the Playlouder
-branch of the Beggars Group
established in Europe (UK, Germany
and Italy
), North America (United States and Canada
) and Oceania (Australia
). In June 2006, the band released an international edition of its self-titled album (both CD and LP) through the international label Playlouder.
The long-awaited second album Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor
was released in March 2010 on the renowned British independent label 4AD
. According to Nikolaisen, it sounds like a "rock'n'roll chamber of magic."
Previous or associated members:
"Drain Cosmetics" SP
Fixxations EP
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Significance of the Name
In an interview with Village Indian, lead member Emil NikolaisenEmil Nikolaisen
Emil Nikolaisen is a musician and producer from Norway. He is frontman, bandleader, songwriter, guitarist & singer of the well-known Norwegian alternative rock band Serena-Maneesh....
explained the word-constellation the following way:
'Serena' is an adaptation of the Norwegian word for veil... The name came out from this veil you can see, you can see the melody through a stressful storm of noise. That's what I love about music – you can work with this veil. There is so much stress in the world, you know? Serena could also mean serenity, serene. There are all these connotations. Then you see glints -- you see something incredible, but it's in the moment. It's through this veil. 'Maneesh' is a rewriting of the Norwegian word 'manesje,' which is the area around a stage. Sirkus Merano, remember that? We later found out it was also the Hindu Lord of the Mind. But it is more a picture... If you look at a stage in a circus or opera, there's an area surrounding the stage containing a lot of elements. Small, subtle elements that make the stage presence that much more powerful. That's incredible. If you take that to the sound world... The whole thing is talking about the sound elements... For that reason, it's perfect. If ever two words conjured the elemental nature of this band's sound, they are Serena-Maneesh.
Biography
The team of musicians who each contribute to the band's sound is organized around its main protagonist and songwriter Emil Nikolaisen. Nikolaisen has previously appeared as a guitarist and songwriter in the indie band Royal, played drums in Norwegian punk rock band Silver, as well as in the retro-pop orchestra The Loch Ness Mouse. He also played guitar with the metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Extol
Extol
Extol is a Christian progressive extreme metal band from Bekkestua, Norway, that was formed in 1993. In 2007, they announced they were splitting up to work on separate projects. The band is known for playing a variety of different styles of metal which include progressive death metal, melodic death...
.
Important sources of musical inspiration are The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
, My Bloody Valentine, Amon Düül
Amon Düül
-External links:* - Extensive bio @ Perfect Sound Forever* mainly focussed on their collaboration with Robert Calvert of Hawkwind...
, The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
, Spacemen 3
Spacemen 3
Spacemen 3 were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce. Their music was "colorfully mind-altering, but not in the sense of the acid rock of the '60s; instead, the band developed its own minimalistic psychedelia"...
, Spiritualized
Spiritualized
Spiritualized are an English space rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Jason Pierce after the demise of his previous outfit, space-rockers Spacemen 3...
, Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
, Royal Trux
Royal Trux
Royal Trux was an American alternative rock band from 1987 to 2001, founded by Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema .-History:...
, Neu!
Neu!
Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...
, and Antonio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
.
In late 2005, the band toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in support of The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
. In early 2006, Serena-Maneesh landed the opening gig for British band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
during its UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour. They supported Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
on the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
/Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
leg of their 2007 world tour.
The highly acclaimed self-titled debut album was released on the Norwegian record-label HoneyMilk in the autumn of 2005. In December of the same year, the Norwegian vinyl label Hype City released an LP print featuring two exclusive tracks, and the Spanish indie distributor Touchme Records published the CD. In March 2006, the band announced its transfer to the Playlouder
PlayLouder
Playlouder is a digital music and media company. It is a music site which provides news, reviews, and other related content. It also claims to be the world's first Music Service Provider or MSP — a broadband, Internet Service Provider that bundles access to music content with broadband...
-branch of the Beggars Group
Beggars Group
Beggars Group is a British record company that owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, and XL Recordings...
established in Europe (UK, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), North America (United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) and Oceania (Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
). In June 2006, the band released an international edition of its self-titled album (both CD and LP) through the international label Playlouder.
The long-awaited second album Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor
Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor
Serena-Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor is the second studio album by Serena Maneesh...
was released in March 2010 on the renowned British independent label 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
. According to Nikolaisen, it sounds like a "rock'n'roll chamber of magic."
Band members
Current members:- Emil NikolaisenEmil NikolaisenEmil Nikolaisen is a musician and producer from Norway. He is frontman, bandleader, songwriter, guitarist & singer of the well-known Norwegian alternative rock band Serena-Maneesh....
– vocals, guitar - Ådne Meisfjord – electronics
Previous or associated members:
- Hilma Nikolaisen – bass
- Øystein Sandsdalen – guitar
- Tommy Akerholdt – drums
- Lina (Holmstroem) Wallinder – vocals, percussion, organ
- Sondre T. Midttun – guitar
- Ann Sung-An Lee – vocals, percussion, organ
- Håvard Krogedal – organ, cello
- Marco Storm – drums
- Eivind Schou – viola
- Anders Møller – percussion
- Einar Lukerstuen – drums
Studio albums
- Serena ManeeshSerena Maneesh (album)Serena Maneesh is the debut self-titled album by Serena Maneesh. The album was partly recorded in Steve Albini's respected Electrical Audio Recordings studio in Chicago as well as in various facilities in New York and Oslo...
(2005) - Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B MinorSerena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B MinorSerena-Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor is the second studio album by Serena Maneesh...
(2010)
EPs
- FixxationsFixxationsFixxations is the debut EP by Norwegian band Serena Maneesh. The songs were composed by Emil Nikolaisen, Lina Holmström and Håvard Krogedal.-Track listing:# Drive Me Home The Lonely Nights – 3:16# Blues Like Beehive – 3:23...
EP (December 2002 – CD; 22 September 2003 – 12", Norway) - Zurück: Retrospectives 1999-2003ZurückZurück is a retrospective enhanced EP by Norwegian band Serena Maneesh from the period 1999 to 2003. "Zurück" and "Sehnsucht" are German words respectively for "back" and "desire".-Track listing:#"Introspection" – 4:49...
(20 June 2005, Norway)- Enhanced CD; HoneyMilk Records (HONEY019)
Singles
- "Drain CosmeticsDrain Cosmetics"Drain Cosmetics" is the first enhanced single by Norwegian band Serena Maneesh.- ECD Track listing :# Drain Cosmetics – 3:41# Drain Cosmetics # Don't Come Down Here...
" (12 June 2006, United Kingdom)- Enahnced CD; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR7CD)
- 7" vinyl; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR7S)
- 12" vinyl; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR7T)
- "Sapphire Eyes" (2 October 2006, United Kingdom)
- CD; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR12CD)
- 7" vinyl; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR12S)
- "Ayisha Abyss" (18 January 2010, United Kingdom)
- 12" vinyl, b/w: "Call-Back from a Dream"; 4AD (BAD 2941)
Split singles
- Serena Maneesh / The Parkas: Singles Club #4 7" (2004) – Australia, Low Transit IndustriesLow Transit IndustriesLow Transit Industries is an independent record label founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2003.Artists:AlmaAviator LaneBatriderBlack MountainBlack NielsonBoddickerC.W. StonekingCo-PilgrimDisaster PlanDishpan FingersElf PowerFinishing School...
LTID012- "Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights"
- Serena Maneesh / Blood on the Wall 7" (February 2006) – United States, InsoundInsoundInsound is an online CD, vinyl, digital, and music related merchandise retailer that focuses primarily on the sale of indie rock and music from other similar genres. The company is located in Greenpoint in Brooklyn, New York.- History :...
- "Sapphire Eyes" (Serena-Maneesh Refix)
Appearances on compilations
- "Blues Like Beehive" on Ŏya Festivalen: Oslo 08-10 Aug 2002 (1 May 2002, Norway)
- CD; Øya Festival
- "Leipziger Love Life" on The Pet Series Volume 1 (20 July 2002, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
)- CD; Sally Forth Records (SF1059)
- "Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" on Counter Culture 05 (23 January 2006, United Kingdom)
- 2CD; V2/Rough Trade Shops (VVR1037732)
Music videos
- "Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" (1 May 2003), written and directed by Ola Bratt
- "Drain Cosmetics" (4 June 2006)
- "I Just Want to See Your Face" (12 March 2010)
Media links
Serena Maneesh LP- Drain Cosmetics promo Hi-Fi QuickTime for Win/Mac
"Drain Cosmetics" SP
- Sapphire Eyes (Refix) legal MP3
Fixxations EP
- Blues Like Beehive legal MP3 (DownloadRoom! from GrandRockStation.tk)
- Drive Me Home The Lonely Nights promo Quicktime for Win/Mac (Reactive Flyer from GrandRockStation.tk)
External links
- Official website
- Urban Pollution Interview
- Drain Cosmetics PodCast
- Official Myspace
- Subculture Magazine's review of "Serena Maneesh"
- Serena Maneesh@HoneyMilk (domestic label)
- Serena Maneesh@HypeCity (domestic label)
- Serena Maneesh@Beggars US (USA label)
- Serena Maneesh@Indigo/Beggars Group (German label)