Sign of the Times: Edendale - or "Echo Park/Silverlake" as it is known in Norway - has a following from the far northern reaches of Europe.

This from a press release for the Norwegian rock band Bigbang.

[Bigbang's] new CD, Edendale, has strong ties to Bigbang's adopted home in California.  Front man and founder Øystein Greni explains: "The area of Los Angeles today known as Echo Park/Silverlake used to be called Edendale around the time when the silent movie industry took off. Charlie Chaplin's studio -now a storage place - is on my block, and Walt Disney's first film studio was across the street from the local Trader Joes.  In Europe we tend to romanticize things and people from the past; here it's all about moving on to the next project."

Released internationally last year...the Stateside version of Edendale, due out January 19 [yesterday] ... was co-produced at Los Angeles' legendary Sound City Studios by Bigbang's founder Øystein Greni and Greg Richling (Wallflowers and Black Flag).

They are playing at the Roxy on Thursday.