A rock band from Norway which is releasing their first album after 17 years… That’s about the story when I quickly scanned the press release of Closer to the Light, the new album by the Ricochets. I finally had a deeper look into the promo package and felt that this one is indeed an album worth sharing with you – here is my review of the 3rd February 2023 release.
Ricochets – About The Artists
The Ricochets are a rock band from Frederikstad, a city South of Oslo and close to the Swedish border. Their current lineup consists of Trond Andreassen (vocals), Knut Oyvind Olsen (bass), Svenn Poppe Jr. (piano), Fredrik Gretland (guitar) and Johan Edvarsdsson (drummer). Andreassen and Olsen have been part of the band when the band has been founded and Poppe Jr. has already been part of it when the band split up in 2009. You shouldn’t mix them up with a British psychobilly band or with a US country music band, by the way. The Norwegians have released three albums so far. So-Mo Suicide (2000) has received quite a lot of good critics after its release and paved the route for quite some popularity of the band – their 2023 tour in Norway has already been sold out. The two other releases are The Ghost Of Our Love (2003) and Isolation (2005).
Ricochets – Closer to the Light – Track by Track
The ten song album lasts 44 minutes.
1. Time to Go
The five minute opener Time to Go feels like blues and rock. The song comes with a great groove and – last, but not least – a very catching chorus. A rock blast at moderate speed as the starter to this ten song experience – it simply feels really good!
2. Backseat Drivers
The second song is a great rock’n’roll song. While the first notes could also introduce a surf rock track, Backseat Drivers has just the level of “dirtiness” to make it a treat for rock music lovers. Classic rock with a nice extra.
3. Shooting Star
Shooting Star has been the first single release of the album and teased Closer to the Light in November 2022 already. The track feels like the 1980’s, it reminds me of Billy Idol recordings, while the more angry parts could also emerge from a Meat Loaf album Lovely rock’n’roll.
4. Closer to the Light
In between the two single releases, the Ricochets have placed the title track. The song is comparably fast and is nicely driven by drums as well as lovely melodic themes from the electric guitar. That work feels to be a bit of monotonous, but it just works out perfectly.
5. Galaxies (Dead End Street)
The fifth song of the album (and also its latest single releases) is slower and rather focuses on its melodic sides. The chorus is a great sing-a-long. Overall, the song is significantly profiting from excellent work on the keys.
6. That’s How It Goes
This song is another one on my “If you like rock’n’roll, you have to listen to it”-list. The song has rather slow verses and feels like a rock ballad. The chorus, however, is taking the full speed and has a slight rockabilly touch. The most fun listen of the album, indeed.
7. Figure It Out
Figure It Out is a great listen, especially for hard rock lovers. The Norwegians do not just show their great talent on the strings, though – the song is also a treat on the strings as well. Trond Andreassen presents quite a wide vocal range as well, so that this one is one of my favorites in this collection.
8. See Me Change
The guys keep on pushing for rock power. See Me Change comes with a lot of energy from the guitars, which also have some really great instrumental parts. The chorus is simple, but gets it’s job done very decently. These Scandinavians making me smile.
9. Instincts
The second last song adds a slow, very intense, sometimes a bit of whiny style to the album. However, Instincts also has these moments, in which the anger is breaking out. Cool listen.
10. True to Love
The ballad True to Love initially felt a bit too kitschy to me. But the more I listen to it, the more I feel it is not a bad final song at all. Nice style.
Ricochets – Closer to the Light – Spotify
Here is the album on Spotify:
Ricochets – Closer to the Light – My View
Regardless if you have some memories to the band one and a half decades ago or not – Closer to the Light is simply a really nice rock album. The songs tell different stories and come with different styles, you can just enjoy the music or listen to the tracks more deeply. It works and it is fun. Thus, I really like it – even though it lacks some very good songs, maybe.
2023 Rock Music Reviews
Here are all my Media Reviews related to rock music in 2023:

Alex Diehl – Das ist keine Übung

Collapse Unter The Empire – Recurring

Joe Leila – Breathing EP

Soccer Mommy – Karaoke Night EP

Manntra – War of the Heathens

Thirty Seconds To Mars – It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day

Danko Jones – Electric Sounds

The Blackwhitecolorful – Brace for Impact

Low Cut Connie – Art Dealers

Durry – Suburban Legend

The Glorious Sons – Glory

The Paper Kites – At The Roadhouse

Paerish – You’re In Both Dreams (And You’re Scared)

Madsen – Hollywood

The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

Skindred – Smile

Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – Hope

Later Sons – Rise Up

Kezia Gill – Misfit

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones

1476 – In Exile

Annie Taylor – Inner Smile

Crown of Things – Louder Love

Lucinda Williams – Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart

Lloyd Cole – On Pain

Ayron Jones – Chronicles Of The Kid

Hannah Aldridge – Dream of America

Steve Lukather – Bridges

Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts

Tenhi – Valkama

Extreme – Six

Milky Chance – Living In A Haze

Ron Pope – Inside Voices

Grenzenlos – AntiXtrem

Palila – Mind My Mind

Marathonmann – Maniac

Yes – Mirror To The Sky

Parker Millsap – Wilderness Within You

Indecent Behavior – Therapy In Melody

Andreas Diehlmann Band – Long Way To Go

Sebel – Der Boxer

Tino Z – Bluesman

Storm Seeker – Nautic Force

Dave Hause – Drive It Like It’s Stolen

Grand Design – Rawk

Dirty Heads – Midnight Control Sessions: Night 2 EP

Emm Gryner – Business & Pleasure

The Wood Brothers – Heart is the Hero

Musa Dagh – No Future

Zartbitter – Hier und Jetzt

Welshly Arms – Wasted Words & Bad Decisions

Beyond Frequencies – Me Megalomaniac

The Hold Steady – The Price of Progress

VIVA – Das ist die Wahrheit

John Diva & The Rockets of Love – The Big Easy

The Nude Party – Rides On

Manchester Orchestra – The Valley of Vision EP

Mael & Jonas – Rocket Science

Tanzwut – Silberne Hochzeit

Lucero – Should’ve Learned by Now

Those Damn Crows – Inhale/Exhale

You Me At Six – Truth Decay

The Legendary – Warlord

Donots – Heut ist ein guter Tag

Eamonn McCormack – Eamonn McCormack

Pristine – The Lines We Cross

Laura Cox – Head Above Water

Keimzeit Akustik Quintett – Schon gar nicht Proust

Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On

Black Star Riders – Wrong Side of Paradise

Circa Waves – Never Going Under

Iggy Pop – Every Loser

Anti-Flag – Lies They Tell Our Children
2022 Travel Top Pick!s
Here are all my Travel reviews leading to a Top Pick! rating in 2022:

Madame Tussauds New York

Top of the Rock Observation Deck

Museum of Graffiti (Miami)

Senator John Heinz History Center Pittsburgh

Crazy Putt London

Hampton Inn @Aviation Plaza Linden (New Jersey)

Panorama Pergamonmuseum Berlin

Sea Life Oberhausen

German Rail Museum (DB Museum) Nuremberg

TWA Museum Kansas City

St. Pauli “Kult Kieztour” with Barbie Stupid and Lee Jackson

Millerntor Stadium Tour – Home of the FC St. Pauli

Lufthansa Bistro Lounge Frankfurt (FRA) C14/C15

Hampton Inn & Suites Poughkeepsie

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Nashville)

Sleep Inn & Suites Tampa South

High-Speed Train Rides in Florida with Brightline

Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience (New York City)

Aspire Lounge Inverness Airport (INV)

Landeszeughaus Graz – The World Largest Weaponry

Dutch Open Air Museum Arnhem (Openluchtmuseum)

Brightline Premium Lounge Miami

Panagia tis Asinou Church

Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy (Limassol)

MAP Boutique Hotel Nicosia

Madame Tussauds Nashville

Sharjah Archaeological Museum

Radisson Red Oslo Airport

Staying Overnight at the VIWA Private Spa Wuppertal

Phänomenta Lüdenscheid

Riding the Kansas City Streetcar

INNSIDE Dusseldorf Derendorf

Glen Campbell Museum

Car Rental Review – Alamo Nashville Airport (BNA) – Toyota Camry

Holiday Home Wonderland (Ralingen)

German Röntgen Museum Remscheid

DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai – Business Bay

Ystafell Auto Museum (Iceland)

Red Roof Plus+ Nashville Airport

Polish Aviation Museum (Krakow)

Tawern Roman Temple District

Hampton Inn & Suites Kansas City Downtown/Crossroads

Paola Inn and Suites (Paola, KS)

KölnTriangle Cologne View – a great View of Cologne

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Icelandic Aviation Museum (Akureyri)

Car Rental Review – Avis Nashville Airport (BNA) – GMC Acadia

Tennessee State Capitol (Nashville)

Graz Coin Cabinet (Münzkabinett)

Hampton by Hilton Warsaw Airport

Premier Inn London Paddington Basin

Ryman Auditorium Self-Guided Tour

Pig Museum (SchweineMusuem) Stuttgart

Halton County Radial Railway / Streetcar Museum

Museum at Bethel Woods – The Original Site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival

Museum of The Story of Alfa Romeo

Comfort Inn Nashville – Opryland Area

Le Belgrand Hotel Paris Champs Elysees (Tapestry Collection by Hilton)

Sharjah Off Road History Museum

Cruising on the Herjolfur Vestmannaeyjar Ferry

Epsilon Hotel London-Stratford

Zotter Chocolate World & Edible Animal Park (Riegersburg, Austria)

Patsy Cline Museum (Nashville)

Grenjadarstadur Turf House Museum

Deutsches Museum Traffic Center (Verkehrszentrum)

Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre

Johnny Cash Museum (Nashville)

Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport South

The VIP Circle Room Experience at the Grand Ole Opry

Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion (MWA)

Hilton Garden Inn Mannheim

Last Exit Al Khawaneej (Dubai)

Milan Cathedral Museum

Automobile & Toy Museum North Sea (Norden, Germany)

Driving Up Jebel Jais Mountain

La Valette Club Lounge Malta Airport (MLA)

Adria Hotel & Conference Center (Queens, NY)

Car Rental Review – Panek Krakow (Skoda Fabia)

Hilton Gdansk

Cooter’s Place Nashville

Premier Inn Hamburg City Millerntor

Tennessee Judiciary Museum Nashville

Riding the Stadler FLIRT Train of Swiss Südostbahn (IR 26 Treno Gottardo)

Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen Helsinki Vantaa (HEL)

Watching the New York Islanders at UBS Arena

Fassberg Airlift Museum

DoubleTree by Hilton Sharjah Waterfront

Gasometer Oberhausen

House of German History (Haus der Geschichte) Bonn

Floorball Final4 Semifinals at Max-Schmeling-Halle Berlin

Brewery Museum (Brauerei-Museum) Dortmund

The F35 Kjölur-Route in Iceland

Visiodrom Wuppertal

Porsche Museum Stuttgart

Premier Inn Cologne City South

Hampton by Hilton Munich City Center East

Bellver Castle & Palma Municipal Museum

Rokksafn – The Icelandic Rock’n’Roll Museum (Reykjanesbaer)

Holiday Inn Express Oberhausen

Exploring Munich With Tram Line 19

Gdansk Airport (GDN)

VfL Gummersbach (Handball) at SCHWALBE arena

Egilsstadir Airport (EGS)

Stuttgart Funicular (“Standseilbahn”)

Lokwelt Freilassing

Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavic – Church and View from Tower

TownePlace Suites Mississauga-Airport Corporate Center

Jet Age Museum Gloucester

German Spy Museum Berlin

Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization

Flying With Porter Airlines from Toronto (YTZ) to Ottawa (YOW)

Arnhem War Museum 40-45