Anna Ternheim "Psalmer från sjunde himlen" (2025)

Psalmer från sjunde himlen

udgivet: 17. jan. 2025

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[vurdering: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Joakim Berg, Martin Sköld

selskab: Universal - nationalitet: Sverige

Udvalgte numre: 1. "Kom tilbaks" - 2. "Nära dig" (4 / 5) - 3. "Orkanen" - 4. "Hit men inte längre" - 6. "Lämnar alla bakom" - 8. "Kalifornien" - 9. "Sjunde himlen" - 10. "Små mirakel"

[ Promo-video ]

8. studiealbum fra Anna Ternheim, som følger op på albummet A Space for Lost Time fra 2019, byder på noget markant anderledes end det, hun hidtil har udgivet som solist. Den tidligere Kent-frontfigur Joakim Berg er her krediteret som komponist på samtlige numre, og den tidligere Kent-bassist og producer Martin Sköld er ligeledes krediteret som medkomponist på halvdelen af disse ti nye sange. Berg og Ternheim udgør desuden 2/3 af projektbandet Dead People, som gav i 2022 albumdebuterede med We Love - et album, der afspejler en stil, som blander folk-pop og synthpop, hvilket i bund og grund også er det, der møder os på albummet her fra Ternheim. I den forstand markerer det et stort skifte fra hendes mere nøgne folk-udgivelse fra 2019. Berg arbejdede tidligere sammen med Veronica Maggio på hendes Fiender är tråkigt (okt. 2019), hvor Berg var medkomponist på 9 sange, og det er fristende at pege på netop dét album, når man lytter til Psalmer från sjunde himlen. Vokalisten er skiftet ud, men Bergs fingeraftryk er overalt på dette album, og han har virkelig en gave for at kunne skrive melodiske popsange. For at færdiggøre den fristende sammenligning med Maggios soloudgivelse, så er den holdt i mere uptempo synthpop-arrangementer, hvilket på mange måder passer bedre til hendes vokal, hvorimod Ternheim i højere grad fremstår som en sangerinde, der har det med at brillere i de blå toner. Når det er sagt, er albummet bemærkelsesværdigt uptempo sammenlignet med Ternheims øvrige diskografi, og det er samtidig hendes første, som udelukkende er med tekster på svensk.

Alt i alt er albummet et forfriskende nyt træk på Ternheims musikalske sti. Til tider fornemmer jeg referencer til Kents bagkatalog, og visse sange oser af en vis forenklet naivitet - men omvendt er der netop eksplicit tale om "salmer fra den 7. himmel", og det bør ikke komme som et chok for nogen, at det primært indebærer positive melodier. Det er mest af alt bare honning for ører og sind, og i sidste ende føles hele albummet som et frisk pust. Og har vi ikke allesammen brug for det? Psalmer från sjunde himlen hører til blandt Ternheims bedste albums, og det får en varm anbefaling herfra.

[ Aftonbladet.se 4 / 5 stjerner ]

Dead People "We Love" (2022)

We Love [debut]

release date: Nov. 11, 2022

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Dead People

label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Safety Lines" - 2. "River" - 3. "Stay Dead" - 4. "We All Fall" - 5. "Black Hole" - 6. "Life Is Good" - 7. "Kiss This Goodbye"

Studio album debut by this Swedish 'super-group' consisting of the three Swedes, Joakim Berg - former frontman of Kent, Anna Ternheim - alt. folk and singer / songwriter soloist, and Malcolm Pardon, producer, composer and former bassist of British band Kinky Machine, member of Swedish band, Girlsmen, and part of the duo, Roll the Dice. Apparently, this project is one of the many established collaborations that has come about due to COVID-19 restrictions and via networking from a personal home base. Under his own name, Pardon released his ambient and electronic solo album Hello Death in Juli '21. Berg had been writing songs for movies and other artists, and he also launched his first actual solo album Jag fortsätter glömma (May this year), and Ternheim released her most recent album A Space for Lost Time in 2019. As Dead People, the three managed to issue several singles from mid '21 until late '22 without revealing their actual identities. They were known as Mother and Two Sons, and they wrote and composed music for the Netflix film "Black Crab" by Adam Berg (Joakim's brother).

Musically, this sounds like nothing else the three have previously been involved in. Perhaps, Berg comes closest with the synthpop sound of late Kent, but here all songs have vocals by Ternheim with occassional male backing vocals by Pardon, and the music is by the three together. Stylewise it's something you would refer to as light indie pop, and the singles that were released individually from mid-'21 to mid-'22 are all included on the album.

We Love is not new musical territory. In fact, it sounds a bit like a lot of other artists, and with a style of light mainstream pop it doesn't appeal all that much to me, but it's well-executed and nicely produced music. The album contains 10 tracks and has a rather short total running time at just under 35 minutes.

[ 👍Aftonbladet 3 / 5 stars ]

Anna Ternheim "A Space for Lost Time" (2019)

A Space for Lost Time

release date: Sep. 20, 2019

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Thom Monahan

label: BMG - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "This Is the One" - 2. "You Belong to Me" - 3. "Everytime We Fall" - 5. "Remember This" - 6. "Lost Times" - 8. "All Because of You"

7th studio album by Swedish singer / songwriter Anna Ternheim following two years after All the Way to Rio (Nov. 2017).

The album comes with ten compositions of which one half are co-composed by Björn Yttling - the rest are exclusively by Ternheim. The album is releatively short in total running time hitting just above 34 minutes. All songs represent a strict folk outing and these songs are generally a more naked collection than some of her previous albums, which have had a slight tendency towards art pop, although, Ternheim strikes me as a songwriter who apparently feels much at home in more simple arrangements and often accompanied with a distinct acoustic guitar, although, she does shine in more complex songs.

A Space of Lost Time comes out as one of Ternheim's absolute best. She hasn't always been able to find her own personal style but here, she succeeds quite well, I think.

Recommended.

Anna Ternheim "Leaving on a Mayday" (2008)

Leaving on a Mayday

udgivet: Nov. 12, 2008

format: digital (US)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]

producer: Björn Yttling

label: Verve Forecast - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "What Have I Done" (live) - 3. "Terrified" - 4. "Let It Rain" - 5. "My Heart Still Beats for You" - 6. "No I Don't Remember"

3rd studio album by Anna Ternheim released two years after the slightly disappointing Separation Road (Sep. 2006) is originally released on Universal Music - the release here on Verve is a US edition with a single bonus track (track #7) and a total running time at 44 minutes.

Stylistically, Ternheim's releases are found in the softer end of the art pop register, but on this she has moved further into a territory where she distances herself from what could rightly be labeled singer / songwriter. By doing so, she is now closer to artists such as Lykke Li, Emilíana Torrini, Anna Persson, and Danish Oh Land without artistically showcasing something entirely original. However, it's her music in particular that has improved significantly since Separation Road. The musical arrangements and Ytling's production add a grandiose quality and ethereal sensation to her songs and clearly elevates the album above the ordinary. Ternheim's vocal, on the other hand, is not a sparkling instrument that presents us with great qualities, and she still has a distinct Swedish-English intonation, which doesn't exactly improve things, and then the lyrics are occasionally characterised by bilingual banalities like "I'm losing you - what can I do?" ["Losing You"]. One may only wonder why Ternheim, as so many other Scandinavian artists, insists on singing in English when the language doesn't flow naturally? Overall, progress can be traced on an album that simply lacks catchy ear hooks. Without signs of remorse, Ternheim continues to release music and she also has stable support in the Scandinavian market, but it seems a bit like she's on an artistic dead end, where many other talents shine brighter in the genre - Ternheim has, however, proven that she possesses a talent and has the skills in place, so perhaps she will hit it better next time.

Well above average but not an immediate favourite.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, UnderTheRadar 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Anna Ternheim "Separation Road" (2006)

Separation Road

release date: Sep. 27, 2006

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,88]

producer: Andreas Dahlbäck & Anna Ternheim

label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Girl Laying Down" - 3. "Today Is a Good Day" - 8. "Feels Like Sand" - 11. "Halfway to Fivepoints"

2nd studio album from Anna Ternheim released two years after the debut Somebody Outside. The album simply topped the Swedish albums chart, while the single "Girl Laying Down" ended up somewhat in the shadow at number #48 on the singles list. The album came out to a mixed reception in the Swedish music press.

Compared to an uneven debut with highlights, there isn't much innovation found on her follow-up in terms of style - perhaps it's slightly more of a coherent collection of songs of similar colour and style. However, I do miss the really fine compositions, and after several spins, I think most of all that Ternheim on this sounds like a Swedish version of Danish singer / songwriter Tina Dickow. And I don't think of that as a compliment. Both artists have large fan bases throughout all of Scandinavia, but I'm not one of them. I can't help but feel left with a feeling that it's mostly a poor copy of better, especially American artists, and really, if an artist insists on singing in English, it just has to be more convincing, as for instance Ane Brun much more successfully unfolds songs in English, because otherwise: why not sing in your mother tongue?! Perhaps, it would be a considerable improvement. With this, Ternheim fails to live up to the expectations that many had for a sequel.

Not recommended.

[ 👎Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Anna Ternheim "Somebody Outside" (2004)

Somebody Outside [debut]

release date: Oct. 12, 2004

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]

producer: Anna Ternheim; Andreas Dahlbäck

label: Stockholm Records - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "To Be Gone" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Better Be" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "I'll Follow You Tonight" - 4. "Bring Down Like I" - 9. "My Secret" - 10. "Shoreline" (live)

Studio album debut from Swedish artist Anna Ternheim (aka Anna Alexandra Ternheim) produced by Ternheim herself and Anders Dahlbäck as co-producer on eight tracks, Daniel Jansson on two, and with Mattias Areskog and Åsa Jacobsson as co-producers on one track. The album peaked at a high No. #3 on the Swedish albums chart and the first single "To Be Gone" only made it to No. #40, whereas the track "Shoreline", released nearly one year later, landed at No. #5 on the Swedish singles chart.

Somebody Outside starts off really well with two catchy tracks, after which the quality drops a bit and some compositions are a bit more on an adequate to the mediocre. I don't know anything about the story behind the album, but it definitely contains songs of high quality but also some flaws. Ternheim's occasional English-Swedish accent is somewhat thick, which on the one hand brings memories of Björk or Danish artist Tina Dickow, and on the other hand it's not a thing that should take focus away from the music, but it still does, especially on songs ["I Say No", "A Voice to Calm You Down", "Somebody's Outside"] where the lyrics sound tend towards Swedish high school music... in other words: album fillers that could have been replaced. And it's a bit of a shame, because Ternheim writes and composes really solid songs, which stylistically could fall in an admittedly crowded field somewhere in between Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, and Suzanne Vega - a field of female singer-songwriters who may fill entire ball rooms - but: Ternheim does it better than many others and in any case, the album is clear proof that you should keep eyes and ears open for releases from this artist.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]