I love the old playful quote about the difference between knowledge and wisdom:
Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein isn’t the monster.
Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein is the monster!
A similar thought could be applied to Norwegian band Royal:
Knowledge is knowing Royal isn’t punk.
Wisdom is know Royal is punk.
If punk is about shedding notions of convention and rules, then Royal was as punk as they come. Royal blended genres like chefs blend fancy soups. They were simultaneously indie rock, jazz, post-hardcore, emo . . . the list goes on. And yet, they were also none of those things. The band formed in 1997 in the town of Moi, Norway; or rather changed names at that time. They started in 1994 as Bouquet, playing a primitive form of folktronic (a blend of acoustic and electronic instruments) or “cafe pop” as they called, but as the band’s sound progressed (and some members changed), a name change felt appropriate.
The band’s lyrics focused on love–both between God and people, as well as between people themselves. They released only one album, 1998’s My Dear, which was originally released on the Swedish Soulscape Records, and subsequently picked up by Tooth and Nail for wider distribution. The album features weird time signatures and even weirder song structures, offset by the serene female vocals of Elvira Nikolaisen (later of Serena Maneesh, and Silver). A good analogy is that Royal is kind of like a Scandinavian, female-fronted counterpart to Roadside Monument.