More goodness from Norway. I really cannot explain why my inbox has been flooded with Norse music. But I do know why so much of it has been of a high quality. That's just simple economics. Despite the vast reach of the Internet, you've got to be pretty good to marshal the resources that allow you to get foreign publicity.

Sauropod 2 EP (Propeller Records)

And Sauropod is more than pretty good. I suppose these five songs meander around some sort of indie pop-punk ideal, but this trio is much more rock oriented than most bands are these days. And the sound is quite lovely and thick for a three-piece. Almost power trio-esque at times.

This is the second EP the band has released in the last year, but I don't think there was much of a difference in the approach to shorter releases. All five songs sound vaguely familiar, but Sauropod really doesn't stick to a particular style. NME compares these folks to the Pixies, Weezer and King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. Um, sure, but not exactly. Well, not really at all.

I suppose Sauropod would not have stood out quite so much back in the late 80s or early 90s, but the quality of the writing and energy of the playing would still have turned ears. This five-song set is a fine intro to a band that just might find a much wider audience very soon. The Norwegian invasion continues, and our shores must be loving the ravaging.

Jon Worley