Damien Dempsey "Seize the Day" (2003)

Seize the Day

udgivet: 16. maj 2003

format: cd

[vurdering: 4 / 5] [3,78]

producer: John Reynolds

selskab: Clear Records - nationalitet: Irland

Udvalgte numre: 1. "Negative Vibes" - 2. "Ghosts of Overdoses" - 3. "It's All Good" (live) - 4. "Factories" - 5. "Jar Song" - 6. "Celtic Tiger" - 7. "Apple of My Eye" - 11. "Seize the Day"

2. studiealbum fra den irske sanger og sangskriver Damien Dempsey som efterfølger til They Don't Teach This Shit at School (mar. 2000). Albummet er udgivet på Dempsey og producer John Reynolds' eget, nu hedengangne, pladeselskab. Navnet Damien Dempsey ringer måske ikke en klokke hos mange, men han er blevet intet mindre end et nationalikon i Irland. Det skyldes hans mange albums, der blander traditionel folkemusik og historiefortælling med et moderne livssyn samtidig med, at han har forstået at bygge bro mellem moderne folk-pop og en mere traditionelt funderet sangskrivning. Sinéad O’Connor er med på kor på tre af sangene (numrene #1, #3 og #6). Forud for indspilningen albummet inviterede O’Connor Dempsey med som opvarmning på en turné, hvor hun optrådte med noget af det materiale, der senere kom til at fylde hendes irske folk-album Sean-Nós Nua (okt. 2002). John Reynolds har produceret og / eller spillet på størstedelen af O’Connors albums, og han fik efter sigende øjnene op for Dempsey, da O’Connor havde rost hans talent som sangskriver. Dempsey spiller en slags moderniseret irsk folkemusik, der trækker tråde til både The Dubliners og The Pogues, eller rettere: Shane MacGowan - endnu en kunstner med hjertet bankende for irske traditioner og et irsk ikon i egen person, selvom han blev født og opvoksede i England.

Seize the Day er et fremragende album med sange om arbejderklassens moderne liv og sange om det, der virkelig betyder noget i livet - og så har Dempsey en fin og blid vokal. Sangen "It’s All Good" er også med på O’Connors album Collaborations (2005). En anmeldelse i Paste Magazine af Andy Whitman (fra 2004) siger en del om Dempseys status: "Den irske sjæl er en notorisk flygtig størrelse. Van Morrison har den - i hvert fald når han stadig gider. Sinéad O’Connor har den. Bono - trods alle hans mange ubestrideligt musikalske kvaliteter - har den ikke. Den 29-årige Dublin-indfødte Damien Dempsey, han har den, og hans næsten tøjlede passion og råstyrke løfter sangene på hans andet album 'Seize the Day' fra det gode til det ofte sublime."

Varmt anbefalet.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, 👉Paste Magazine 3,5 / 5, Sputnik Music 4,5 / 5 stjerner ]

alt. 2004 cover

Signe Svendsen "Hvem vil ikke elskes igen" (2022)

Hvem vil ikke elskes igen

udgivet: 14. okt. 2022

format: vinyl (LGLP2201) / digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[vurdering: 4 / 5] [3,86]

producer: Lars Skjærbæk

selskab: Lydia Gramophone - nationalitet: Danmark

Udvalgte numre: 1. "Tiden" - 2. "Du fik hendes øjne" - 3. "Hvem vil ikke elskes igen" - 4. "Sig at solen rejser sig" - 6. "Ville give dig alt" - 7. "Hun sagde det" - 9 "Lydia" - 10. "Uden aftale"

5th studiealbum af Signe Svendsen følger lidt mere end 2½ år efter Det forlyder (jan. 2020). Albummet er som alle hendes udgivelser produceret af Lars Skjærbæk, som også medvirker som instrumentalist på guitar, mandolin, synthesizer og som korsanger - hans yngre bror Troels spiller bas, og Lars' datter Sofie Juliane er ligeledes med på kor. Albummet er blevet til i selskab med en tæt række kendte musikere, som også inkluderer multi-instrumentalisten Christoffer Møller, som i øvrigt ofte har dannet musikalsk partner med Skjærbæk i deres roste producer-duo Mahler & Bir. Signe Svendsens eget selskab Lydia Gramophone er i øvrigt opkaldt efter hendes bedstemor, som også er centrum for den stærke "Lydia" (sang #9), hvor Svendsen gendigter noget af den barske skæbne bedstemoren gennemlevede.

Hvem vil ikke elskes igen følger i Svendsens melankolsk-stilede folk og ballade-orienterede singer / songwriter udgivelser. Svendsens pen er gennem årene blevet skarpere, og sangene her står mere personligt skarpt og passer virkelig flot i det musikalske udtryk der manifesteres her, og albummet fremstår ganske enkelt som Svendsens hidtil bedste. Det er et album uden overflødigt fyldstof og efter min mening, kandiderer det til årets bedste danske udgivelse.

Stor anbefaling.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, Politiken, BT 5 / 6 stjerner ]

Illeborg & Lysdal "Hjertekamre" (2004)

Hjertekamre

release date: 2004

format: cd (APCD 60067)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: Jens Lysdal

label: ArtPeople - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Hjertekamre" - 2. "Kan ikke huske" - 3. "Den mælkehvide måne" - 5. "På må og få" - 9. "Alt kan gå i stå" - 11. "Paradis"

Collaboration album by the two folk and singer / songwriter soloists Laura Illeborg and Jens Lysdal. Admittedly, neither have taken up much space in my music collection, as I have always found it difficult to listen to Danish contemporary soft folk which mostly comes with bonds to a schlager genre I associate with kitch and an indefinable ingredient of something non-professional, which of course is completely ungrounded and also is an undeserved criticism. I have no idea from where that has its foundation, but when consciously approaching music you tend to reject, for whatever reason and all because of a judgemental position, not to forget (ugly) double-standards - meaning: the poorest reasons of all, then you should instead try to be more open-minded and focus on a want to dig out an understanding of the obvious qualities that many others see so easily.

The sudden death of Laura Illeborg early October this year made me curious about her music, as I simply had no idea of what she had produced. Illeborg only lived to be 55 years of age but she has made a solid list of releases in what I understand is a varied discography. Initially, she performed as backing vocalist on various releases for a vast number of artists from all genres and styles, and from 1996 as soloist - her debut album is Lyv mig natten lys (1996) - as collaborator, and featuring vocalist, she has long gone ensured her name in Danish music history. Jens Lysdal is likewise an artist who started out accompanying others, primarily as guitarist and backing vocalist, after which he initiated a solo career with A Matter of Time (1995). Lysdal is a multi-facetted musician with roots in jazz, folk, country, and everything in between and close by, and in company with Illeborg the two showcase a wide repertoire in a soft corner of contemporary Danish folk. And I do enjoy it. The album contains 11 songs of which nine have lyrics by Illebord and music by Lysdal. Track #8 is co-written by Lysdal, and the end-track is exclusively credited Lysdal, who also performs as multi-instrumentalist and as producer. Stylewise, you could label it ballads with elements from jazz, pop, and folk, and it's music arranged with a classic set of minimal instrumentation, focusing on vocal, electric (jazz) guitar, bass, percussion and a small doze of keyboard. It's music made with melancholy as a centre point but balanced with a lightness running through the whole album. Some songs stand more alone as quiet vocal performances, while others engage with more tempo without being uptempo arrangements.

Laura Illeborg performs with her strong original vocal, and she obviously masters the slow intimate parts as well as more uptempo pop variants. No wonder, she has a long record as featuring vocalist in the studio, and together, Illeborg and Lysdal appear like a strong duo. In Illeborg's discography, the album follows what may be regarded as her national breakthrough, the album Lidt in Love (2002), and it's succeeded by the well-received album God vagt (2007).

Hjertekamre is a solid and well-executed album in the soft corner of folk that should appeal to fans of jazz, ballads, and folk.

Jessica Pratt "Here in the Pitch" (2024)

Here in the Pitch

release date: May 3, 2024

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Jessica Pratt & Al Carlson; Peter Mudge; Matt McDermott

label: City Slang - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Life Is" (TV performance) - 2. "Better Hate" (4 / 5) - 3. "World on a String" (4 / 5) - 4. "Get Your Head Out" - 7. "Empires Never Knows" - 9. "The Last Year"

[ Live on KEXP ]

4th studio album by Californian folk artist Jessica Pratt, which follows more than five years after Quiet Signs (Feb. 2019), and just like that this new album counts nine tracks and a total running time of just under 28 minutes.

It's not far from her 2019 album, but that doesn't necessarily mean lesser. Listening to Pratt in 2024 is like being transported on a time machine revisting the 1960s easy listening / baroque pop-period where she could have listened to Phil Spector, The Carpenters, Nick Drake, and / or Stan Getz and João Gilberto. It's... oh so quiet, a bit other-worldly but altogether very relaxing and comforting like a plaid gently swept over your cold legs on a Winter's night. Pratt has a distinct laid-back alto vocal. At times she reminds me of Richard Hawley but mostly she sounds like no one else, and Here in the Pitch is simply Pratt's best album to date, and what a wondrous release that is.

Here in the Pitch is no less than one of this year's absolute best and a highly recommended release.

[ allmusic.com, Under the Radar 4,5 / 5, Pitchfork 8,8 / 10, 👍The Line of Best Fit 4 / 5 stars ]

Bedste i 2024: Adrianne Lenker "Bright Future" (2024)

Bright Future

udgivet: 22. mar. 2024

format: vinyl / digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[vurdering: 4 / 5] [4,12]

producer: Philip Weinrobe

selskab: 4AD - nationalitet: USA

Udvalgte numre: 1. "Real House" (4 / 5) - 2. "Sadness as a Gift" (live fra Greenwich Village med Nick Hakim) - 4. "No Machine" - 5. "Free Treasure" (live på The Tonight Show)- 6. "Vampire Empire" - 8. "Candleflame" - 9. "Already Lost" - 10. "Cell Phone Says" - 11. "Donut Seam" - 12. "Ruined" (live fra Greenwich Village med Nick Hakim)

Studiealbum af Adrianne Lenker udgivet i en pause mellem albums med bandet Big Thief og deres seneste anmelderroste album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (feb. 2022). Lenkers seneste solo album var Songs & Instrumentals (okt. 2020), og denne nye udgivelse er mere i stil med hendes andre solo-udgivelser, mere nøgen, mere ren som folk og singer / songwriter-materiale. Når det er sagt, så medvirker der også andre instrumentalister på Bright Future end blot Lenkers egen vokal over enlige guitarakkorder, sådan som det var tilfældet på hendes stille 2020 album. Det er dog ikke de samme fuldformede arrangementer som man finder på albums med Big Thief - kun "Vampire Empire" lyder som en sang skrevet med bandet i tankerne, da instrumenteringen er tættere på numre med bandet med violin, piano, perkusion, banjo, guitar og vokalharmonier, men generelt, så er sangene her fremført på en mere subtil facon, som kun for at holde fokus på Lenkers fortællinger.

Bright Future er allerede årets bedste album og samtidig en stor anbefaling værdig.

[ Mojo 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,4 / 10, Exclaim! 9 / 10 stjerner ]

[ bandcamp ]

2024 Favoritudgivelser: 1. Adrienne Lenker Bright Future - 2. Hurray for the Riff-Raff The Past Is Still Alive - 3. Cassandra Jenkins My Light, My Destroyer

Cornelis Vreeswijk "Cornelis' Bästa" (1985)

Cornelis' Bästa, compilation

release date: 1985

format: 2 cd (2010 reissue)

[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: various

label: DB Records - nationality: Sweden

Best of compilation by Dutch-Swedish troubadour Cornelis Vreeswijk is the only compilation released during his lifetime. The album was originally released as a triple vinyl album on the Norwegian DB label. The album is a mighty fine collection, although, it still feels insufficient. A 2003 2 cd-only compilation with the same title but a different release issued by Metronome appears as a better choice in representing his best material; however, in the case of Vreeswijk with his vast repertoire of songs, any compilation would come out as insufficient but if you only want one album this isn't bad at all.

Vreejswijk deserves this type of recognition, although, his studio albums are preferred over the many compilations. His status as singer / songwriter and a genuine Nordic troubadour puts him on the shelf among the best.

Robert Forster "The Candle and the Flame" (2023)

The Candle and the Flame

release date: Feb. 3, 2023

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Robert Forster, Karin Bäumler, Louis Forster

label: Tapete Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "She's a Fighter" - 2. "Tender Years" - 5. "I Don't Do Drugs I Do Time" - 8. "Go Free"

8th studio album by Robert Forster in his own name follows three years after the fine Inferno (Mar. 2019) and is like that released on the German label, Tapete. His wife Karin Baümler plays a more vital part than normally, as she has become the center of these new songs after having gone through cancer treatment. Aparently, most songs were already written before her diagnosis, but both album title and the first song here sets a tone that nicely fits with the rest of the songs.

Forster is as always a good narrator, and for that this album should be valued, although, you could argue that he doesn't hand us much new with this one. The first track is a bit off in respect to the colour of the album with it's rougher and energetic starting tone, which in some ways point back in time and reminds us where he began a long lasting musical career with Grant McLennan. The rest is more so-so - nothing daring in style and more simplistic folk with Forster strumming his guitar as support to his personal stories and not a whole lot in musical arrangements other than Adele Pickvance or his son Louis on bass as support to his and Karin's vocal harmonies. It's also a family thing with Robert and Karin being joined by their son and daughter Loretta, who plays second guitar.

I'm sure folk enthusiasts - people who send thanks to almighty Dylan - will embrace this as a warm and mature classic-styled album, but for me, I've heard better from this songwriter giant and it just doesn't provide me with enough substance, melody nor originality to have it on rotation that often.

[ The Guardian 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,5 / 10 stars ]

Pino Daniele "Terra mia" (1977)

Terra mia[debut]

release date: 1977

format: vinyl (2015 reissue)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]

producer: Claudio Poggi

label: EMI - nationality: Italy

Studio album debut by Pino Daniele (aka Giuseppe Daniele). This reissue was made available following Daniele's death, Mar. 2015.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté "Ali & Toumani" (2010)

Ali & Toumani
release date: Feb. 23, 2010
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

2nd and final album for the collaboration work of Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. The album was actually recorded in June 2005 shortly after the release of the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon (2005) but somehow the album wasn't released until 2010 - four years after the death of Touré.
The album follows closely in the footsteps laid out on the debut by partly containing traditional Mandé folk songs arranged by either of the two or together, and also songs composed by Diabaté and Touré. Altogether, Ali & Toumani is yet another beautiful collection of songs by these two wonderful artists.
[ Uncut Magazine review ]

Best of 2005:Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté "In the Heart of the Moon" (2005)

2021 vinyl reissue

In the Heart of the Moon [debut]
release date: Sep. 13, 2005
format: cd / 2lp vinyl (2021 reissue)
[album rate: 5 / 5] [4,88]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

Tracklist: 1. "Debe" (5 / 5) (live in Brussels) - 2. "Kala" (4 / 5) - 3. "Mamadou Boutiquier" (5 / 5) - 4. "Monsieur le Maire de Niafunké" (4 / 5) - 5. "Kaira" (4 / 5) - 6. "Simbo" - 7. "Ai Ga Bani" - 8. "Soumbou Ya Ya" - 9. "Naweye Toro" - 10. "Kadi Kadi" - 11. "Gomni" (4 / 5) - 12. "Hawa Dolo"

G R E A T! That's what this is. It's the collaboration debut by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, two Malian musicians. The music is delicate, surreal and haunting. What rhythm, and what wonderful dreamy tunes these guys produce! Splendid music - and highly addictive. Play it when you drive to or from work, or just anywhere, when you read, or when you make love - just play it, and listen. It's extremely soothing for body and mind. I give it my warmest recommendations, and… I only need more of that kind! On this, Touré plays guitar and Diabeté plays the 21-stringed African kora, which is responsible for the spiderweb-like strings on this amazing release. The album received world-wide recognition and led to a World Live Tour with the two playing in Europe and USA.
Touré had been politically engaged and became mayor of the local town of Nianfunké in 2004, and although there are 25 years between these two musicians and they do sound as if having played together for years, when in fact the album was recorded without initial rehearsals and without Touré and Diabeté had played together for more than 3 hours in total over a span of 15 years.
Diabaté was 40 and Touré 65 years of age when this album was released, and most sadly, Touré died Mar. 2006 as a 66-year-old, only just experiencing the international acclaim this album was attributed. The album is the first in a series of three albums commonly known as the "Hotel Mandé Sessions" - the second would be Tourés last solo album Savane (released posthumously, Jul. 17, 2006) and Diabeté's Boulevard de l'Independence (credited Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra was released Jul. 25, 2006).

EDIT Jan. 2022:
I only just received a vinyl copy of the album. Alas, the album wasn't released on vinyl until 2012. The vendor sold it filed as a 2012 issue, but it turns out, it's a 2021 re-issue. Anyway, the album is for me a cornerstone in 'world music' and simply is one of those must-have releases I wish more people knew of.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

2005 Favourite releases: 1. Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabeté In the Heart of the Moon - 2. Sigur Rós Takk... - 3. Kent Du & jag döden

original CD front

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.

Martha Wainwright "Love Will Be Reborn" (2021)

Love Will Be Reborn

release date: Aug. 20, 2021

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]

producer: Pierre Marchand

label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Middle of the Lake" - 2. "Getting Older" - 3. "Love Will Be Reborn" (4 / 5) - 6. "Body and Soul" - 7. "Hole in My Heart" - 9. "Sometimes" - 11. "Falaise de malaise"

5th studio album by Martha Wainwright as follow-up to her 2016 album Goodnight City is with a new producer in the form of Pierre Marchand, who is known for his work with musicians within singer / songwriter and folk music, such as Sarah McLachlan, but also Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Kate is Martha's mother), Rufus Wainwright (Martha's brother), as well as Daniel Lanois and Lhasa de Sela. Nearly five years is a very long time in between releases, and Martha Wainwright has never been the one to spit out albums like others do, but here she is back with 11 of her very own compositions as she last did with Come Home to Mama in 2012. Since 2016, she has gone through a divorce from former musical partner and regular producer Brad Albetta, and she has had to reconcile with the role of a single mother of two, which may also have a significant impact on the musical drought. If nothing else, the existential challenges have been food for several of the new songs, such as the title track, "Getting Older", "Hole in My heart" and "Falais de malaise" are clear examples of.

The cover quite nicely reflects the title with Wainwright sitting as if in a waiting position, ready in her fine dress to turn towards a new love. Musically, there is no revolutionary news, but the music has generally become more subdued with several songs in the singer / songwriter style without a lot of frills in the shape of synths and other electronic equipment. It's occasionally alt-country, it's naked and honest, and the album appears to be her most complete since the more poppier I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too from 2008. She has never been shy about writing openly about her own life, about challenges with parents, family, and especially love - the broken and the new, but the songs here appear as her most mature, where self-reflection has been given more space than before, and where it mostly was an issue of pointing outwards rather than seeing inward. Also, and for once, she sounds more like herself than all possible others.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Gaffa.dk 4 / 5 stars ]

Robert Forster "Inferno" (2019)

Inferno

release date: Mar. 1, 2019

format: vinyl (tr429lp) / digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Victor Van Vugt

label: Tapete Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Crazy Jane on the Day of Judgement" - 3. "Inferno (Brisbane in Summer)" - 5. "Life Has Turned a Page" (live) - 6. "Remain" - 7. "I’ll Look After You" - 9. "One Bird in the Sky"

7th solo album by Robert Forster following Songs to Play (Sep. 2015) is Forster's second album on German label Tapete. It offers nine new compositions, all of which except track #1 with lyrics by William Butler Yeats, are credited Forster himself, and the album was produced by Australian Victor Van Vugt, who previously, among other things, produced for names such as PJ Harvey, Beth Orton, Nick Cave, but he was also sound engineer on Forster's debut Danger in the Past (1990) - just as he is credited on a large number of Australian releases in the 80s and 90s before he chose to settle in New York and here he established himself as producer in mainly the singer / songwriter category. As with the predecessor and Forster's debut, wife Karin Baümler participates on this. Forster has a certain thing for belonging to a band rather than standing on his own, so the album is actually credited the band 'The Magic Five' consisting of Earl Havin on drums and bongos, Michael Mühlhaus on piano and keyboards, Karin Baümler on violin, glockenspiel and backing vocals, Forster himself as vocalist and on acoustic and electric guitar, and with Scott Bromiley on bass, electric & acoustic guitar, synthesizer, organ and backing vocals. The latter also featured on the 2015 album (which he co-produced with Luke McDonald and Forster).

Stylistically, Forster never strays far from the traditional singer / songwriter and folk rock scene rooted in the 60s and 70s. His lyrics about human relationships, sadness, happiness, friendships, the past and the present carry these songs, with a predominantly gentle instrumentation treated with melancholic bits and hints of jangle pop.

Thirteen years have passed since Forster lost his songwriting friend and the other founding member of The Go-Betweens, Grant McLennan, but he still fills - both in Forster's music as well as in his lyrics. Strictly musically, McLennan was the one who came up with the fine harmonies, and in his autobiography "Grant & I" Forster explains how they wrote the music for The Go-Betweens, and it's quite clear that McLennan (from Forster's perspective) had a particularly natural gift to write good songs, while Forster himself always had to struggle more with his music, and when he occasionally plays with more catchy harmonies, thoughts easily falls on the importance of his old friend.

Inferno is another series of fine songs from a musician who has clearly always felt, he had been born in the wrong era, but he is a highly original rhyme and soundsmith, who makes his mark with manners without making a huge fuzz about himself. The album may not be his absolute best, but it's far from the ordinary or copy mode, and it contains some of the freshness he launched with his 2015 album and to that he adds a little more depth to his fine lyrics.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 7,7 / 10 stars ]

Mellemblond "Solregn" (2020)

Solregn

release date: Sep. 11, 2020

format: vinyl (MØS 017) / digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Brian Mørk Hansen

label: Møs Møs - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Hvor er magien" - 2. "Vildrede" (4 / 5) - 3. "Et øje" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "I mit stille sind" - 5. "Levende stemmer" - 6. "Mørkt stof" - 7. "Solregn" - 8. "Vinterskæbner" - 10. "Vågnede en morgen"

5th studio album from Mellemblond aka Kristoffer Munck Mortensen as follow-up to Guldlokzonen (May 2018), is like that issued on the small independent label Møs Møs located in Copenhagen.

This new album is exclusively acoustic tracks - of which five of eleven are Kristoffer Munck Mortensen's own reinterpretations of older songs, while the other six are new compositions. I imagine the 'old' songs have been given another present life through live versions and via the restrictive (long) quarantine period that was still a reality in relation with the release. The track "Vildrede" is a duet, also released as a single, credited Mellemblond and Kira Skov. In addition to Munck Mortensen (and Kira Skov on track #2), only other musician participating here is the experienced jazz bassist Nils Davidsen, who is also credited on cello.

Solregn has garnered positive feedback and the song "Vinterskæbner" from Guldlokzonen and "Et øje" from Lysvågen (Mar. 2013) have received some airplay on (national radio) Danmarks Radio P3 and P4, and the album is also a quite unique release. Mellemblond has been a musical project right from the start, where it is clear that the poetic side has played a major part. Munck Mortensen has his own distinctive vocal, but it's especially the lyrical dimension of his songs that elevates the compositions to something other than ordinary pop music. In this way, he has managed to bring something other into the music than what we usually find in Danish-language music, and there is a consonance with late Eik Skaløe (from Steppeulvene), Povl Dissing (who sings Benny Andersen), and Trille, who are all musicians with a distinct lyrical quality and who have bridged to a textual universe much closer to that of author Tove Ditlevsen than the majority of other Danish songwriters have succesfully made attempts to build a kindred relationship with.

The gentle post-production, and the completely simple soundscape make the lyrics stand out even more clearly. You may think what you want concerning doing reinterpretations of one's own melodies - but this way, at least they get an intentional new and different life, which in a way reminds me of how British band Tindersticks in 2013 succesfully made the album Across Six Leap Years.

Solregn is downright excellent in places. Heartfelt and sensual. This is music with great depth.

Great recommendation from here.

[ 👍Gaffa.dk 5 / 6 stars ]

// - - -

3 versions of "Et øje" by Mellemblond

• 2012 single version
• 2013 album version
• 2020 acoustic version

Cat Power "The Covers Record" (2000)

The Covers Record

release date: Mar. 21, 2000

format: digital (12 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

producer: non-produced

label: Matador - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - 7. "I Found a Reason" - 12. "Sea of Love"

5th studio album by Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall [pronounced 'shawn], aka Charlyn Marie Marshall) following 1½ years after the album Moon Pix (1998), which is cited by many as her first significant studio album.

The Covers Records is, to no surprise, a collection of covers by many diverse artists. You'll find tracks by famous artists such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and the Velvet Underground, tracks made famous by Nina Simone and Mae West, and there are tracks by (to most) more unknown names such as Phil Phillips, Papa Charlie Jackson, and Michael Hurley. There's also room for a reinterpretation of Cat Power's own track "In This Hole", previously released on What Would the Community Think, Power's third album and Marshall's first on Matador released in '96 while Power was still associated with the name of Chan Marshall's band, although in practice she had already gone solo here.

The album is entirely acoustic and stripped down to a minimal of instrumentation and most probably also recorded on a single recording track with only Chan Marshall singing and playing guitar. On some tracks, it's her piano that is only accompaniment, and only on "Salty Dog" the participation of guitarist Matt Sweeney is heard. Typically, for Cat Power, no producer is indicated on the album, and in this case it's probably only sound engineers who have set up microphones and then started and finished the recording.

It's restrained to lo-fi regardless the original arrangements and therefore most tracks fall quite far from their original expression. It's Chan Marshall solo, and it's heartfelt, but maybe also a bit one-sided - at least for my liking. The album garnered some good reviews, but it's not among my favourites. Admittedly, Marshall has an insistent melodic vocal and sings with great emotion, making all the songs her own. For me, the problem is that the tracks slide (too much) into each other and end up sounding one-stringed, and she's just not an instrumentalist virtouso or (for that matter) a singer with a big register. If you're not familiar with Cat Power, I will recommend listening to her predecessor, Moon Pix or the successor You Are Free (2003), which may be regarded as her commercial breakthrough.

[ allmusic.com, NME, Spin 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 4 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Out of the Woods "Birds and Beasts" (2020)

Birds and Beasts [debut]

release date: Jun. 12, 2020

format: vinyl (gatefold - OOTWLP1)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]

producer: Ditte Grube Barild

label: self-released - nationality:

Studio album debut by Out of the Woods aka Ditte Grube Barild who has written, arranged, recorded, and produced all songs.

I purchased this on the evening of a concert with Nanna Bech and Out of the Woods in my hometown back in 2020. I must confess that I found the performance and the music by Bech superior to this but still wanted to support two performing artists by purchasing their music. However, I do find this lacking an original tone and frankly think of it as non-inspiring. That said, Ditte Grube has produced everything on her own, which calls for much respect, but as a an original work of art, as a musical statement, I think the album suffers on several parameters. The songs and the albums as such are quite a coherent whole but also lacking colours that enables you to distinguish the single tracks from one another., and then the arrangements of it all simply call for supporting instrumentation. Not all music needs melody lines and musical hooks in a traditional sense, but if you aim to construct music in other ways, you need something else to grab the listener's attention - and this is where Birds and Beasts fail, 'cause the narratives are not strong enough, the music is too anonymous, and I guess you could say the same about the vocal performance by Ditte Grube.

Not recommended.

Phoebe Bridgers "Punisher" (2020)

Punisher

release date: Jun. 18, 2020

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,80]

producer: Tony Berg, Ethan Gruska, Phoebe Bridgers

label: Dead Oceans - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Garden Song" - 3. "Kyoto" - 4. "Punisher" - 5. "Halloween" - 6. "Chinese Satellite" - 9. "ICU" - 10. "Graceland Too" - 11. "I Know the End"

2nd studio album by Phoebe Bridgers following her acclaimed debut Stranger in the Alps (Sep. 2017).

Where the melancholy glue of acoustic folk on the debut probably reminded many about the long list of folk artists, Punisher adds layers to that artistry. Some songs are like extended threads to the 2017 album, but since then she has worked with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker on their side-project Boygenius, and she has collborated with Conor Oberst on Better Oblivion Community Center, and those projects now have coloured this new collection of songs in a most positive way - making it a coherent whole but also by widenening the musical universe of Phoebe Bridgers.

Bridgers still narrates with the colour blue as main ingredient but her music invites other colours in, which makes it more alive and powerful.

Highly recommended.

[ Rolling Stone, 👍The Guardian, Slant 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,7 / 10, allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, NME, 5 / 5 stars ]

Sinéad O'Connor "Sean-Nós Nua" (2002)

Sean-Nós Nua

release date: Oct. 3, 2002

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,57]

producer: Sinéad O'Connor, Dónal Lunny, Alan Branch, Adrian Sherwood

label: Hummingbird Records - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 1. "Peggy Gordon" - 2. "Her Mantle so Green" - 3. "Lord Franklin" - 5. "Óró Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile" - 6. "Molly Malone" - 9. "The Parting Glass" - 12. "Lord Baker" - 13. "I'll Tell Me Mam"

6th studio album by Sinéad O'Connor following nearly 2½ years after Faith and Courage (Jun. 2000). The 2000-album really came out as a strong reminder to everyone not to forget the artist Sinéad O'Connor, however, that album was her only album on Atlantic and her final on a major label, and it appears that private affairs often sat an impact on her music career. Up until the release of her fine 2000 album, O'Connor had only just ended a relationship, and she had been ordained priestess and 'Archdeacon'. In the Summer of 2001 she married British journalist Nick Sommerlad - a marriage which didn't last long as it came to an end some 11 months later - during which time this album was recorded. In the liner notes to the album, O'Connor writes: "This record is my heart. It is dedicated to my husband" - the album came out in Oct., 3-4 months after their marriage had ended. But somehow, the album still reflects a sort of stable period in her life, you could argue. At least, she looks quite happy. The album has been made with several folk instrumentalists, including acclaimed Irish folk artist Dónal Lunny, who is credited as co-producer and for playing acoustic guitar, bouzouki, keyboards, bodhran, and he contributes on backing vocals. The two never married but apparently they had an on / off relationship at a time when Dónal was in a marriage, and in 2004 O'Connor gave birth to Shane whose father is Dónal Lunny.

The album is far from the newfound form she delivered with her 2000 album. Instead, this is entirely what it says in Irish: 'Sean-Nós Nua' which translates to 'New Old Style', or: 'Old Style New' and it refers to the content with old Irish traditionals in new arrangements. And it's by no means made in an attempt to turn these national songs into modern pop / rock songs as they're keenly held in an Irish folk-tradition where bouzouki, bodhran, banjo, acoustic guitar, whistle, violin, and percussion are accompanying instruments to O'Connor's vocal. It's actually quite refreshing, and her vocal does fit the lamenting old lyrics quite nicely. It's a rather lengthy album running for more than 65 mins - track #12 exceeds all other tracks here in a near 12 minutes version.

Again, I didn't catch up on this when it came out, and it is a quite original release, although, you could argue that there's plenty of Irish folk out there, but fronted by O'Connor, I think this still has its own qualities to it, and in her discography it surely betters her vocal jazz and standards album from '92. In the discography of Sinéad O'Connor, counting ten studio albums, I list this as her fifth best, which still makes it a recommended listen.

[ allmusic.com, Record Collector 4 / 5, 👉Mojo 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

Signe Svendsen "Det forlyder" (2020)

Det forlyder

release date: Jan. 31, 2020

format: cd

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

producer: Lars Skjærbæk

label: Lydia Gramophone / I Do Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Det forlyder" - 2. "Sort / hvid" - 3. "Langsom musik" - 4. "Lys ud, lys ind" - 7. "Fugl fra min hånd"

4th studio album by Danish singer / songwriter Signe Svendsen. The album follows nearly four full years after Rift (Mar. 2016) and it's Svendsen's first on her own label Lydia Gramophone. On her own website, Svendsen points to the album as a turning point and a new beginning in her songwriting. Only downside here is a short album of eigth tracks and a total running time just a little above 35 mins.

Where the predecessor took a turn towards a simpler and more direct rock-sound Det forlyder is a slight return to more quiet alt. country and folk. The songs seems primarily with acoustic instrumentation - here and there, you hear electric guitar and keyboard but the overall sensation is one of stronger intimacy. At first you may find it closer related to her second album Kun de faldne rejser sig (2013 but the soundscape is now coloured by dobro and lap steel, and a wider vocal range.

All in all, Signe Svendsen has by now established herself as an original Danish singer / songwriter of highest quality and one to keep eyes and ears for.

Recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Bill Frisell "The Intercontinentals" (2003)

The Intercontinentals

release date: Apr. 15, 2003

format: digital (14 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Lee Townsend

label: Nonesuch - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Boubacar" - 2. "Good Old People" - 4. "Baba Drame" - 5. "Listen" - 7. "Procissão" - 8. "The Young Monk" - 10 "Yála" - 11. "Perritos"

Studio album by Bill Frisell following his 2002 album The Willies is like most of his albums on Nonesuch produced by Lee Townsend and the majority of the tracks are composed by Frisell, although, this one also contains four by others and one traditional; however, the biggest change on this is probably the boldest inclusions of world music on any album by Frisell, which is also seen on the list of personnel and then it's also referred to in the album title. Several tracks honour famous musicians of world music, e.g. the first track "Boubacar", a tribute to Malian guitarist Boubacar Traoré, who again is composer of track #4. The album feature Malian percussionist Sidiki Camara, also on djembe, Brazilian guitarist and percussionist Vinicius Cantuária, Greek oud and bouzouki player Christos Govetas, American violinist Jenny Scheinman, and stable Frisell slide and pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz. Yes, this is indeed an intercontinental fusion, and the title of the album also became the name of this very ensemble, initially formed in 2001.

The album was met by international acclaim and is a perfect example of Frisell's continued journey to explore new musical soil. The album nicely balances African blues, latin grooves and rhythms, world music, and American roots music with ever-present americana.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com, PopMatters 4,5 / 5, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings 3,5 / 4, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]