From a musical standpoint, Norway is perhaps most recognized for its ever-frightening black metal scene, and to a lesser extent, its general contributions to jazz and electronic music. Given this fact, it’s easy to overlook the influence of Fra Lippo Lippi, the new wave band founded in Nesodden, Norway that was primarily active during the 1980s. The band’s charming and rather unintimidating (understatement) style garnered a significant following in the Philippines and elsewhere, and in 1988 they began a brief stint with Virgin Records. Now, Rune Grammofon, the label of Fra Lippo Lippi bassist Rune Kristoffersen, has released 4-CD and 6-LP box sets commemorating, well, more or less everything the band has ever formally recorded.
The 4-CD box set collects the last four studio albums, Songs (1985), Light and Shade (1987), The Colour Album (1989), and Dreams (1992), and comes in a limited edition of 1000. The 6-LP box set comes in 300 numbered copies on white vinyl and expands upon the CD collection to include all studio albums, including the band’s first two, In Silence (1981) and Small Mercies (1983). Both box sets include personal liner notes from Rune Kristoffersen and design by Magnus Voll Mathiassen. I’d venture to guess that the majority of these will be sold within a 15-mile radius of Manila.
• Fra Lippo Lippi: http://www.fralippolippi.com
• Rune Grammofon: http://www.runegrammofon.com