This is how the song came about: "Are you with me?"

Kråkesølv from Bodø has carved out a unique position on the Norwegian music scene. But sometimes, like with the song "E du med mæ", the band's guitarist, vocalist, lyricist and co-composer Fredrik William Olsen can get the feeling that their music is becoming too simple and compatible with P3, a radio station he never listens to. Then he has to take some steps to compensate for it.

Text: Kai Lofthus

Sometimes the stories about songs are buried deep inside. When TONO-Magasinet does research for articles in this column, several younger and more experienced songwriters say that there is nothing to tell about some of their big hits. Probably because the lyrics and music just come. It was a bit the same with Fredrik William Olsen in Kråkesølv when we got in touch to talk about their song "E du med mæ". But we still got to know a little about what happened and how he and the rest of the Bodø band work on their distinctive songwriting.

"E du med mæ", which was on P3's playlists for a while in late summer, was composed by the entire band; Petter Waldemahr Nohr Unstad (bass/vocals), Kristoffer Magnus Nohr Unstad (guitar/vocals), Jørgen Smådal Larsen (drums) and Olsen, who also wrote the lyrics. The song is from the self-titled fourth album, which was released on Jansen Plateproduksjon this spring.

– The best songs are often the ones that come quickly, says Olsen, adding that this song didn't come so quickly: – That's actually true for all of our songs, and there aren't any super interesting stories about them. Ideally, the songwriting should just happen on its own. Sometimes I just have to sit down and decide to work. The idea for this song came easily, but the completion took a while.

Uses digital tools
He says that he usually films what he strums and plays on the guitar, to make it easier to remember what comes next. He uses the program Photobooth on his Mac, and then transfers the files to his phone. Then it's time for the studio and rehearsals where the entire crew helps jam out the arrangements. These are also recorded on his phone so he can listen to them on repeat at home.

– On “E du med mæ” there are such simple riffs that I remember them easily,” says Fredrik. I had the melody for the chorus early on. I haven’t really allowed myself to make something so pop-ish before, so I had to legitimize the cheapness with good lyrics. That’s probably why it was listed on P3, because it triggers something in your head, that you’ve heard something similar before.

P3: The paradox of success for Kråkesølv
P3 and Urørt were very important in getting the band known during by:Larm in 2009, but Fredrik says he doesn't listen to P3 himself. He emphasizes that he fully supports the song, but does not aim for their music to be adapted to be played on state channels.

"P3 has a lot of power in today's Norwegian music, but I think you should be very careful about following what you think they want to play. Then you quickly become a stumbling block for innovative music, and you contribute to pop music becoming increasingly homogenous," he says.

Poetic sources of inspiration
Text editing can take a while.

– I write quite a lot and delete a lot. It's embarrassing to read lyrics I'm not happy with, he says. For the creative boost, he tends to take on one artist or author at a time, and listens to or reads everything by that artist or author. Joni Mitchell is among those he holds in high regard. – And Agnar Mykle is incredibly inspiring. There's so much he's written that's so good. Every line is poetic. But the fact that he wrote so much good when I can struggle with a song lyric is demotivating.

Slyngstad: – I don't think we've heard the best yet
Avisa Nordlands music journalist Rune Slyngstad has followed the band from the start and says the city of Bodø was hungry for a new band that could make a national mark.

“The attention surrounding their debut album Trådnøsting was huge. Their lyrics were full of colorful wordplay that made you listen with extra intensity. This helped create their distinctive character. Bands that sing in dialect were in short supply then, and perhaps still are, many would say,” he says. The great thing is that Kråkesølv didn’t just become a hit, but a band to be reckoned with, and that has gradually developed from album to album. The two best songs in my opinion are the Kent-like and very melodic Sjalusien som driv dæ, and the catchy and superb P3 hit Ikke rard vi blir sprø. Kråkesølv has shown the way for many other bands and artists from Bodø. Now it’s cool to sing in dialect. One of those who is most inspired by Kråkesølv is probably the artist Lamark, who released his debut album early this fall. The great thing is that the band shows perseverance and development, and I don’t think we’ve heard the best from them yet.

Wimp: https://wimp.no/wweb/track/26163548
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/1VfN0Il1uDzWHUZWLnumUS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krakesolv