PANZERVEPS BASTARDLOVE ALBUM ANGEL PRODUCTIONS RELEASE: MAY, 2003 REVIEW: JUNE 5, 2003

Norway currently seems to host the biggest plant school for electronic music. Artist after artist in a seemingly endless stream of talented musicians. Panzerveps is a new acquaintance for me, but they are in no way an exception to the rule of Norwegian greatness.
The duo of Halvard Djupvik and Alex Jarlev have produced an album of eight tracks entitled "Bastardlove" on the tiny Norwegian label Angel Productions (home of X:Machina and Code 64 among others) and have done so very well. It all sounds very crisp and fresh, right from the start with "White Noise", a song with layers of both Depeche Mode and Covenant. It is electronic and it is, to some extent, pop music, but very much on the mellow side of things. Darkwave-ish synthpop, maybe?
While most of the tracks are rock solid, "Bastardlove" does lack a proper "bull's eye" to kick things off, a strong single candidate. Be that as it may, Panzerveps certainly deserve attention for their professional image and strong songs overall. If you haven't yet discovered Norway's electro scene, this is as good a start as, say, Echo Image or Erlend Øye.

NIKLAS FORSBERG