. t r o l l .

"I'm so jaded that I rarely get an album that blows my socks off, but this did it! . Steve Hanson, Terrascope

Presenting: TROLL
Troll is a five-piece band from San Francisco. They recently released their second CD "Pathless Land", recorded and produced in Oakland, CA in the spring of 2003. Their first full length CD "Que Son Los Trolls Y En Que Nos Ayudan?" was released in 2001. Below are a few of the latest reviews:

Free City Magazine (December 2003)

The first Troll album ¿Que Son Los Trolls Y En Que Nos Ayudan? was a joyful Hawkwind meets The Pixies hybrid with a global flavor. Lotte Svennigsen (vocals, theremin, keyboards), John Koch (vocals, guitar), Scott Hewicker (guitar, piano, organ), Marina Moreno (vocals, bass) and Cliff Hengst (vocals, percussion, organ) take full advantage of their uncommon international heritage to create a brand new kind of psychedelic-influenced rock. This time the San Francisco-based band plays up the atmospherics on a new five-song EP. The results are quite pleasing if a little more subtle than the previous CD.

The specter of Enrico Morricone is ever present on these echoing, high desert tracks. The vocals are sung in a combination of languages against a backdrop of spacious guitars, deep bass, tight rhythms and burbling keyboards. "Mexicana" and "Western" don't particularly sound more Mexican or Western than the rest of the tracks but they sure are fun. "I Walk On Water" is a breathy Latin pop interlude. The darkly brooding "Li'l Lisa Slurry" uses its Simpsons-reference title for equal parts humor and repulsion (Li'l Lisa Slurry was the barreled product Mr. Burns produced by sweeping the ocean clean of all animals and grinding them into a pink sludge). "Tex Bossa Redux" gets into a heavy dub vibe new to Troll, and I smiled hearing my friend Marina warn the listener "Look out for those chilies - they're hot!".

Pathless Land is a worthy and enjoyable next step from Troll. Scott Hewicker's insert collage of western landmarks is about the coolest thing I've seen this year, too. Check out www.trolltrolltroll.com. Another new Troll song, the great Velvet Underground and Nico-style track "Shattered Venus", appears on our own Further Adventures compilation.
- Nick Bensen.

Taste e-zine (November 2003)

In an unassuming padded envelope from San Francisco arrives 'Pathless Land',
one of the most effortlessly atmospheric records likely to be released in this
or any other year. Within 5 relatively short tracks,
Argentinian-American-Danish sound cadets Troll conjure up a gaseous, rolling
reality that makes an odd, gently twisted sense. The woozy atmospherics
occasionally nod towards such luminaries as Galaxie 500 or Yo La Tengo, but
never to the extent of imitation. What marks Troll out are their complimentary
talents for subtlety and innovation, the brash melodics of 'Western' sliding
in and out of the mix almost imperceptibly. Across the record, the tender
trading of multi-lingual, unisex vocals add to the transcendent appeal,
leaving mere mortals grasping for inadequate comparisons- whilst 'Li'l Lisa
Slurry' may sound a bit like Sigur Ros relocated to the Mexican border, this
hardly does it justice. Sit back, float into the ether, and wonder what you
ever needed those paths for in the first place.
- Loz Pawley

Terrascope (Fall 2001 issue)
"The five piece group Troll's first full length CD "Que Son Los Trolls Y En Que Nos Ayudan" mingles sinister eastern-sounding psych with Japanoises and VERY strange songwriting. "Equilibrios" has a slow- burning dark afterglow, due to chilly minor key tremolo guitar playing and lyrics, (in Spanish?) whispered over subliminal omming. The Sonic Youthish rhythm playing and fuzz effects on "Love Song for Trixie" expand into a motorik groove which delivers the goods where S.Y's "Diamond Sea" only handed out IOU's. "Blue Skies" splits the paranoia up with a hungover lament sporting Nico cooing, the same girl singer then returns on "California Poppy" sounding like she's fronting Ectogram for the night. "El Vampiro" kicks in with dirty fuzz, funky but slinky and sinuous garage rock'n'roll and Hammer horror screeching. This is a GREAT, GREAT, truly Terrascopic record, book 'em for Terrastock!"
- Steve Hanson

Alternative Press (August/01 issue)
"In a town ostensibly ruled by laptop witticisms, Troll has gained a reputation as one of San Francisco's best kept secrets. Fronted by the modish Dane Lotte Svenningsen and Argentinean-born Marina Moreno, the quintet profess a distinctly arty international flair. Taking the best bits of Tropicalia, Japanese Psyche, Krautrock, and Indie music, Troll reference but eschew prog-rock indulgence in favor of a melodic, experimental tunesmithery. It would take a poly-linguist to understand what Que Son... is about ? as it's sung in Japanese, Spanish, English, and Danish, respectively ? but such concerns quickly evaporate in the wake of the joy that is the Fall-ish "Love Song for Trixie" and the lovely Japanese/South American hybrid of "Texas Bossanova". Effortless as it is assorted, Que Son... is one of the year's hidden gems."
- Alexis Georgopoulos

Devil In the Woods Magazine (August 2001 issue)
"Troll manage to capture a '60s-garage, psychedelic feel, but somehow give the music a fresh, sinister sound. Controlled open jams meander forward using Velvet-like guitar riffs, but just as things begin to fall apart the blurry vocals pull the songs back together. Given the correct dose of inspiration, these guys could play a weekend party the whole weekend. A '60s-garage version of early Jane's Addiction? Man, that's a stretch. Stoned-out garage-rock enthusiasts will enjoy this record immensely. (****)
- Michael Dammers

Aquarius Records (New release reviews)
"Local quintet Troll has made a delightfully ambitious record. Each song is a minor gem with multiple vocalists, epic harmonies, intensely simmering guitar, well-written unpredictable songs... dynamic pieces that grow and develop within themselves."