Mathilde Falch "Som børn på ny" (2017)

Som børn på ny

release date: Oct. 30, 2017

format: cd (MatFal2017 - digipak)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]

producer: Christian Ki Dall

label: Just For The Record - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Tusindvis" - 3. "Som børn på ny" - 4. "Alle veje" - 8. "Lykken vender"

4th studio album from Mathilde Falch following two years after Alle taler (Oct. 2015) is like the predecessor produced by Christian Ki Dall, who also plays guitar on the album.

Som børn på ny doesn't appear as the most natural follow-up to her so far boldest rock-release, which could have been a natural step to follow a successful release, but it's much more of a melancholy-driven and emmotional soft rock album with focus on personal stories. There's an underlying tone of hopelessness in between themes of hope and dreams - perhaps aided by slower tempo and electronic bits instead of a more classic line-up and her repetitous notions of demons and emptiness.

Compared to previous releases, this is both more subdued, without strong singles but also comes out as her most personal album to date, which appears quite coherent. "Lad det boble" and "Lykken vender" are obvious attempts to satisfy fans of her more uptempo songs but these mostly turn out as recycling of older songs and they stand a bit alone as her only rockin' attempts on this. Critics would perhaps note that the album stays much on the same path without contrasts as proof of absent understanding of how to incorporate dynamics as a means to colour a full album.

Som børn på ny probably still feels like her best - for some, who really enjoy inner-felt ballads, and then it apparently signals some kind of rebirth to the artist. Falch has publicly revealed having fought with drinking abuse - much like har father did, and then this new album is her first after leaving behind her alcohol abuse thanks to her desire to become a mother. In that way, the album is an honest and most personal one, and you should perhaps know how to appreciate the strong willed process behind some of the lyrics, which on the other hand also comes with an appeal to dig into. I mostly find the arrangements too grey and without much else than an opportunity to tell personal stories, which on a musical side don't come around as new. Best song here is the uptempo rocker "Lykken vender", which was her best faring single from the album (the other two being the title track and track #2, "Tiden"), and after that I found myself yearning for more of that sound and for me it remains the only real sunbeam on a grey and somewhat easily forgettable album, if you don't appreciate the personal journey they also contain. In that way the album is a difficult collection of songs. I really would like to praise Falch's honesty and her openness about a private process, but as an original work it does fall a bit in the pit of really serious (master-)works that deal with exsistential issues and in the end, I think it could both have turned out as Falch's peak product to date as well as her least favourable one. Given her personal angle and her honesty, I land my personal verdict somewhere in between, although, it's not an album I return to only because of the music simply because I don't find her songs here are backed by obvious great musical support.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, GFRock.dk 5 / 6 stars]

Mathilde Falch "Alle taler" (2015)

Alle taler

release date: Oct. 22, 2015

format: cd (MATFA15)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: Christian Ki Dall

label: self-released - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Det eneste du skal sige" - 2. "Det jeg ville se" - 3. "Alle taler" - 4. "Det jeg allerede har" - 5. "Ild i min røg" (4 / 5) (live) - 9. "Stikkende savn"

3rd full-length studio album by Mathilde Falch following Bag mine øjenlåg (Mar. 2014) is made with a new producer, just like her two previous albums has been made with unique producers. This approach secures some kind of progression in terms of soundscape and focal point in the arrangements. Like the predecessor, the album isn't a lengthy one as it consists of ten tracks with a total running time just exceeding 33 minutes.

Stylewise, the album is Mathilde Falch's most rocking album to date, although, it contains a few slow ballad-like singer / songwriter tunes, and despite already being an artist in her own rights, the album stands as her national breakthrough, and especially the song "Ild i min røg" was an instant radio hit.

Not unlike her father, Michael Falch, she makes music with obvious bonds to the music by one certain Mr. Springsteen, but imo, Mathilde doesn't sound like a mere copy of an American idol but actually performs with much original confidence, and on Alle taler she understands to balance the quiet, sincere, personal, and the dirty, and the album is easily represents her so far best collection of songs.

Recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk, BT.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Mathilde Falch "Bag mine øjenlåg" (2014)

Bag mine øjenlåg

release date: Mar. 8, 2014

format: cd (MatFa14)

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

producer: Søren Christensen

label: Just For The Record - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "En sidste gang" - 3. "Hårde ord" - 4. "1000 grunde" (live) - 6. "Et kys i mørket" - 8. "Fører selv"

2nd studio album by Mathilde Falch following Lad mig gå fri (Feb. 2012) is made with producer and musician Søren Christensen (multi-instrumentalist in Danish act The Blue Van and producer for Reptile Youth - later also producer for Carpark North, Fallulah, Jacob Bellens, etc.), and the album is her first on own label, Just For The Record.

The album continues in the same style as her debut with an addition of more nerve and more uptempo tracks, and then I think the production side has improved with general better dynamics. Two singles were released from the album: "En sidste gang" released in 2013 and her so far best song: "1000 grunde", which also became biggest radio hit. The album was generally, and a bit undeservedly, met by lukewarm reviews in the national press. It's not the most coherent release, and it comes with several fillers and songs that sound too familiar. Especially the second half appear less appealing, but on the positive side several tracks stand out as some of her best compositions.

All in all, Bag mine øjenlåg betters a good but half-baked debut, but it still reminds us all of other artists, e.g. Nena and Gianna Nannini, but then again: we don't have anyone else doing it that well in Danish.

[ Gaffa.dk 3 / 6 stars ]

Mathilde Falch "Lad mig gå fri" (2012)

Lad mig gå fri [debut]

release date: Feb. 23, 2012

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]

producer: Lars Skjærbæk

label: Gateway Music - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Lad mig gå fri" (acoustic live) - 2. "Nætter under stjernerne" - 3. "Væk fra denne virkelighed" - 4. "Sådan er du" - 6. "Du kan ikke sove" - 8. "Tving følelserne frem"

Full-length studio album debut by Mathilde Falch (aka Mathilde Juhl Lyneborg-Falch) following her 4 track EP debut Kom med mig (2010), from which three songs reappear here (tracks #3, #4, and #10). Mathilde is the daughter of Linda Lyneborg and vocalist Michael (Ehlert) Falch of Malurt and with a long career as soloist.

Mathilde follows closely in the footsteps of her father playing a type of pop / rock that owes a great deal to one Mr. Springsteen, although, Mathilde, quite naturally distances herself from the masculin centre of attention. You could add Patti Smith and Lucinda Williams to a long list of presumed influences. I cannot help thinking of both Nena and Gianna Nannini as artists with a similar soundscape - someone who narrates about personal experiences with existentiality, and where insecurity, anxiety, and unhappiness appear to be lurking in the dark.

Lad mig gå fri ['Set me free'] is a fine first album out, which contains a lot of energy and vitality, but also appears like a somewhat grey album in the sense that it doesn't bring much new to the altar. Mathilde Falch is, however, certainly someone to keep ears and eyes for.