Serena-Maneesh (previously spelled Serena Maneesh, sometimes shortened to S-M) is a Norwegian

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

rock band from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

Biography

The team of musicians who each contribute to the band's sound is organized around songwriter Emil Nikolaisen. Important sources of musical inspiration have been

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

, AC/DC,

Amon Düül Amon Düül was a West German political art commune formed out of the student movement of the 1960s that became well known for its free-form musical improvisations. This spawned two rock groups, Amon Düül (sometimes referred to as Amon Düü ...

, Gainsbourg/ Vannier, many greats of bossanova and anything beyond.4AD - Serena-Maneesh
In late 2005, the band toured

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

in support of

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. H ...

. In early 2006, Serena-Maneesh landed the opening gig for British band Oasis during its UK tour. They supported Nine Inch Nails on the Australia/Japan leg of their 2007 world tour.NIN - Tour
The highly acclaimed self-titled debut album was released on the Norwegian record-label HoneyMilk in the autumn of 2005. In December of the same year, the Norwegian vinyl label Hype City released an LP print featuring two exclusive tracks, and the Spanish indie distributor Touchme Records published the CD. In March 2006, the band announced its transfer to the

Playlouder Playlouder was a digital music and media company. providing news, reviews, and other music-related content. It also claimed to be the world's first music service provider— an Internet service provider bundling access to music content along with ...

-branch of the

Beggars Group Beggars Group is a British record company that owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Young. History The companies’ roots stem from the Beggars Banquet record shops, whi ...

established in Europe (UK, Germany and Italy), North America (United States and Canada) and Oceania (Australia). In June 2006, the band released an international edition of its self-titled album (both CD and LP) through the international label Playlouder. The second album '' Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor'' was released in March 2010, on the British independent label

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD a ...

Band members

;Current members * Emil Nikolaisen – vocals, guitar *Ådne Meisfjord – electronics ;Former or associated members *Hilma Nikolaisen – bass * Øystein Sandsdalen – guitar *Tommy "Manboy" Akerholdt – drums *Lina (Holmstroem) Wallinder – vocals, percussion, organ *Sondre Tristan Midttun – guitar *Håvard Krogedal – organ, cello * Eivind Schou – viola *Anders Møller – percussion *Einar Lukerstuen – drums *Ann Sung-An Lee – vocals, percussion, organ *Marcus Forsgren – bass (ex- Lionheart Brothers) *Jennifer P. Fraser – bass (ex- The Warlocks) *Marco "Storm" Hautakoski – drums (ex-

Selfmindead Selfmindead was a hardcore punk band from Sweden. History Selfmindead formed in the winter of 1994–1995 in Eskilstuna, Sweden as a four-piece. Marko Hautakoski on drums, Timo Sillankorva on guitar, vocalist Ilkka Viitasalo and bassist Tap ...

)

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Serena Maneesh'' (2005) *'' Serena Maneesh 2: Abyss in B Minor'' (2010)

EPs

*'' Fixxations'' EP (December 2002 – CD; 22 September 2003 – 12", Norway) *'' Zurück: Retrospectives 1999-2003'' (20 June 2005, Norway) **Enhanced CD; HoneyMilk Records (HONEY019)

Singles

*" Drain Cosmetics" (12 June 2006, United Kingdom) **Enhanced CD; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR7CD) **7" vinyl; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR7S) **12" vinyl; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR7T) *"Sapphire Eyes" (2 October 2006, United Kingdom) **CD; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR12CD) **7" vinyl; Playlouder Recordings (PLAYR12S) *"Ayisha Abyss" (18 January 2010, United Kingdom) **12" vinyl, b/w: "Call-Back from a Dream"; 4AD (BAD 2941)

Split singles

*''Serena Maneesh / The Parkas: Singles Club No. 4'' 7" (2004) – Australia,

Low Transit Industries Low Transit Industries was an independent record label founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1999 bDarren SmallmanDez Dare)
and Simon Baird. The ...

LTID012 **"Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" *''Serena Maneesh / Blood on the Wall'' 7" (February 2006) – United States,

Insound Insound was a discounted, online music store. Insound carried CD, vinyl, hard to find items, music accessories and merchandise. The company was located in New York, New York. History Insound was founded in 1998 by Christian Anthony, Matt Wishn ...

**"Sapphire Eyes" (Serena-Maneesh Refix)

Appearances on compilations

*"Blues Like Beehive" on ''Ŏya Festivalen: Oslo 08-10 Aug 2002'' (1 May 2002, Norway) **CD; Øya Festival *"Leipziger Love Life" on ''The Pet Series Volume 1'' (20 July 2002,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) **CD; Sally Forth Records (SF1059) *"Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" on ''Counter Culture 05'' (23 January 2006, United Kingdom) **2CD; V2/Rough Trade Shops (VVR1037732)

Music videos

*"Drive Me Home the Lonely Nights" (1 May 2003), written and directed by Ola Bratt *"Drain Cosmetics" (4 June 2006) *"I Just Want to See Your Face" (12 March 2010) *"D.I.W.S.W.T.T.D" (7 Oct 2010)

References

External links

Official websiteUrban Pollution InterviewDrain Cosmetics PodCastOfficial MyspaceSubculture Magazine's review of "Serena Maneesh"Serena Maneesh@Indigo/Beggars Group (German label)

Media links

''Serena Maneesh'' LP
Drain Cosmetics promo
Hi-Fi QuickTime for Win/Mac "Drain Cosmetics" SP
Sapphire Eyes (Refix)
legal MP3 {{Authority control Shoegazing musical groups Norwegian alternative rock groups Norwegian indie rock groups Norwegian rock music groups 4AD artists Musical groups established in 1999 1999 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Oslo Low Transit Industries artists