Kicking off your debut album with your own version of
two classic songs is nothing short of suicidal. This
is however exactly what Rune Grammofon’s most
recent signing have gone and done by opening A List
Of Lights & Buoys with a cover of Who Am I,
taken from Leonard Bernstein’s Peter Pan
musical, and Dolly Parton’s Jolene. This
is, in this case, a bold statement and sets the bar
extremely high for the rest of the album.
Susanna Wallumrød (vocals) and Morten Qvenild
(keyboards, harmonium and autoharp) are Susanna &
The Magical Orchestra. Hailing from the small Norwegian
town of Konsgberg, home of a renowned jazz festival,
the pair came to the attention of Rune Grammofon’s
boss Rune Kristofersen after he got hold of a demo featuring
their own version of Dolly Parton’s classic Jolene
and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. While
twenty-four year old Susanna was until now totally unknown,
Morten spent the last few years as a member of Norwegian
experimental jazz outfit Jaga Jazzist. Produced by another
of Jaga Jazzist’s members, and Rotoscope
founder, Andreas Mjøs and Deathprod’s Helge
Sten, List Of Lights & Buoys is a stunning
piece of work. Delicate in its melodies and arrangements,
the essence of this album is to be found somewhere between
the crystalline ambiences of Björk’s
Vespertine
and the acoustic structures of Carole King’s Tapestry.
Yet, the pair craft here a very personal record, based
almost entirely around Wallumrød’s voice.
If the music offers subtle sombre contrasts to her colourful
touches, it never disturbs the clarity of tone or the
precious silences in between words. There are moments
where Qvenild throws sonic swathes swirling around Susanna’s
voice, on Who Am I or Time, but he
refrains from drowning her elegant restraint in unnecessary
noise. Instead, he gently applies his shady instrumentations
to supply just enough backdrop to highlight the vocals.
Sung entirely in English, with Wallumrød’s
hints of Norwegian accent adding to the impression of
fragility, as if the spell could be broken at any moment,
List Of Lights & Buoys meanders pertinently
amongst debris of pop, folk and jazz. On the stunning
Believer or Sweet Devil, Wallumrød
reaches intense emotional levels. Elsewhere, the chorus
on Time or the layered arrangements on Distance
Blues & Theory suggest for a moment a more
straightforward approach before the pair returns to
more delicate territories with the closing song, Go,
on which Susanna’s fragile voice is set against
a fragile accordion.
If the perfection of the two opening tracks remains
unmatched with the band’s own compositions, apart
perhaps on Believer, List Of Lights &
Buoys is nevertheless a superb stylistic exercise
and a captivating piece of work. Both Susanna Wallumrød
and Morten Qvenild show great maturity and control over
their respective contribution, making this album a very
promising record and one of the strongest debuts heard
in years.
4.9/5 |
