The Last Hurrah!! - Modern Nostalgia

Modern Nostalgia – indeed!
The Last Hurrah !! is the brainchild of Norwegian music connoisseur, producer and musician HP Gundersen.

Or as Winter Lazerus (mastering) said: 
‘Modern Nostalgia’. Has there ever been a more perfect title for a Concept Album? 
Listening to the newest evolution of ‘The Last Hurrah’ you’ll discover the musical roots and inspiration of its creators.  
Modern Nostalgia takes the listener on a loving yet original journey. Along the way you’ll find echoes of John Barry, Serge Gainsboug, Marianne Faithful (Europe) then travel to the heart of Laurel Canyon, where artists such as Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and Fleetwood Mac await and inspire. ‘Modern Nostalgia’ truly says it all.  

When the pandemic started in 2020, HP Gundersen moved to the countryside with Cecilie Leganger and set up a studio in the basement, another era began. All normal musical activity stopped, but he had a close circle of friends of wonderful musicians, who suddenly had a lot of time, and were on frequent visits, both to jam and socialize and created a musical expression together, for social reasons. 

This has been HP's main activity since 2020 and is the essence of today's The Last Hurrah. Drummer Stein Inge Brækhus, guzheng player Nora Yuyue Zheng, bassist Andreas Nausdal, violinist Mari Persen in addition to wife and partner Cecilie Leganger on piano. In that group, the music developed more towards European traditions with inspiration from sixties French pop, sixties film music, sixties baroque pop, psychedelic folk. Maria Due, with whom HP has previously produced 3 albums, 2 solo and one as a member of the Chinatown blues band) gradually emerged as the optimal vocal mediator in this new edition of The Last Hurrah. 

HP has also invited three of his own favorite songwriters as guest singers on 4 of the tracks, Americans Tim Scott McConnell (Ledfoot) (Paradise, Internet troll),  Foster Timms (Dusty road) and Shane Alexander (Healing). 

As the first two Last Hurrah albums were long, meditative journeys and the other two more in a pop harmonic, song-based direction, Modern Nostalgia is a combination. The songs flow into each other on a subtle journey. The ambition with the music is that it should fit the mood HP surrounds itself with in Bøvågen. That it should fit the mood and the needs that arise in such a situation, where you also have a lot of time to think back on a wonderful era in the history of the world that can never return in the same form. An era of rock,n roll and all the lovely side effects.

Modern Nostalgia is the fifth album HP Gundersen releases under the name "The Last Hurrah". Several slightly legendary musicians have been involved in this journey which started with two albums founded on drone-tuned guitar and fronted by singer Heidi Torsvik. On the other two he has focused on Americana in its fullness, from country to jazz. These records have been fronted by vocalist Maesa Pullman, Nils Einar Vinjor, Nora yoyue Zheng, Marty Rifkin (Bruce Springsteen) John Thomas (Captain Beefheart) Miranda Lee Richards, Jon Irabagon (Monk award winning Jazz musician) and Rosa Pullman are among other greats who have participated with The Last Hurrah.