Coldplay, A-Ha and Mew Members Form Apparatjik

Posted on Nov 24th 2009 11:00AM by John D. Luerssen
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Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has always credited 1980s Norwegian pop band A-Ha for inspiring him to form his own band, but it's Martin's bandmate who is actually making music with a member of the 'Take On Me' troupe. Bassist Guy Berrynam has teamed with the Scandinavian group's keyboardist Magne Furuholmen and their producer Martin Terefe, along with Mew frontman Jonas Bjerre, to form a new project known as Apparatjik.

The group has emailed a new song, 'Electric Eye,' to approximately 30 fans and plans to make the tune available through its official website on November 30. According to the Guardian, Apparatjik -- who first appeared last year to lend one tune to the 'Amazon Tribe' benefit CD -- will unexpectedly release its debut album that same day.

Based on a sample of the track that was uploaded to the Internet by one of the 30 fans, the song meshes synthesizers with somber guitar tones. The vocalist on the track doesn't appear to be Mew's Bjerre, and since we haven't been privy to the singing style of Berryman or Furuholmen, the band's frontman is still unknown.

One thing that is known, however, is the Coldplay camp's devotion to A-Ha. In 2005, Martin referred to the long unfashionable (and recently disbanded) outfit as some of the greatest songwriters of all time. "I found myself in Amsterdam the other day and I put A-Ha's first record on," Martin said at the time. "I just remembered how much I loved it. It's incredible songwriting. Everyone asks what inspired us, what we've been trying to steal from and what we listened to as we were growing up -- the first band I ever loved was A-Ha."