Madrugada (which in Spanish and Portuguese and means “dawn”, “the blue hour” and was suggested to the band by poet/writer friend Øystein Wingaard Wolf) is a Norwegian rock band formed in 1995 hailing from a little place called Stokmarknes in Vesteraalen. The band’s members include Frode Jacobsen (bass), Sivert Høyem (vocals) and Robert Burås (guitar).
On July 12, 2007, guitarist Robert Burås was found dead in his apartment in Oslo. He was 31 years old.
A new, self-titled album was released on January 21st 2008 after having released the single “Look Away Lucifer” on December 10, 2007. All tracks of the album were recorded before Robert Burås died. After his death, they continued recording the album to honour Robert. In the spring of 2008, Madrugada embarked on a tour throughout Europe and Norway, playing material from the Madrugada album as well as material from previous albums. In late October 2008, their farewell tour began. The 11th and final concert of their last tour was held in a sold out Oslo Spektrum November 15, 2008.
Madrugada always surprised me with their anti-love songs and their thought provoking lyrics (check out the videos, “Majesty” and “Look Away Lucifer”, respectively), as well as their often discordant music (which any Mother’s fan cannot help but enjoy). Unfortunately, I discovered them too late to ever see them live, though.