Minor Majority

Norway's Minor Majority play gentle, polished acoustic folk-pop with a sophisticated, sometimes country-tinged vibe. Like their similarly hushed countrymen Kings of Convenience, Sweden's Nicolai Dunger (circa Tranquil Isolation), and Iceland's Funerals, they manage to assimilate a distinctly American strain of rootsy melancholia into a style that only subtly hints at their Scandinavian origin. Formed in 2000 as a studio project of Pål Angelskår and Andreas Berczelly, the group has steadily gained members, acclaim, and commercial success over the course of several albums released throughout the 2000s. The retrospective Candy Store, a two-disc set including a greatest-hits compilation, debuted at number three in August 2007. ~ K. Ross Hoffman