Frida Hyvönen - "To The Soul" (2012)

And so it happens, yours truly makes a visit to reality and purchases an album that is so smoking hot that it almost burnes. But only almost. Music fans read reviews on this album a few months ago. It feels almost odd to be in the frontline of the music world ...

Frida Hyvönen, born in 1977 in Robertsfors (northern Sweden), released her fifth album this year, To The Soul. She has made four albums under her own name, and one is a collaboration with the photographer Elin Berge that was released as a book with a CD. Personally, I associate Frida with a brittle sounding piano and dark, odd songs. It was probably her first album I heard through videos on TV. But that was before I heard this album, and this is something completely different (and better). I haven't heard the albumes in between.

To The Soul takes the listener on a varied journey - calm and speed, darkness and light, joy and sorrow, humor and seriousness. Many reviewers have described this as more of a pop album than her previous ones, this may be true, but you can't call it a pop album. You would probably call Terrible Dark a pop song, but it's pop with some sort of twist and a sound that gives you the vibes of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Many songs are on the calm side and many texts feels quite personal. Farmor (Grandmother) is, I suppose, about Frida's late grandmother and it's clear how important the grandmother was to her. I, who earlier in life have spent some time in Bali, of course listened a little extra to the song The Wild Bali Nights. My experience of Bali was that magic mushrooms were a big part of the visitors' time on the island. If Frida sings about such experiences, however, I leave unsaid. But I know what I suspect.

We also hear thoughts about the lack of own children, found love in spite of doubts about this, and Frida often conveys an image of herself as someone who feels she's standing somewhat outside life and what it offers people. She writes a lot about self-doubt, life-doubt and the uncertainty concerning her own person. I'm impressed by the courage to show the world these feelings, as most of us probably try to hide these parts of ourselves.

I rarely resort to analyze and interpret texts, but since I have carefully followed the lyrics as I listened to the album, I can't help it. Usually, I focus mostly on the melodies and the sound when I listen to albumes. And the songs on this album, from this perspective, are really good. There are varied melodies, often travelling on a more calm and soft road although not all are ballads. The album is some sort of mix of Kate Bush, Regina Spector and a few pinches of Kate & Anna McGarrigle, finally, all spiced with some brittleness, darkness and vulnerability. Strings are used here and there on the album which adds to the variety.

I like this album and recommend it. It contains not really any weak tracks or songs with the intention just to fill out time, instead it's quality all way through. It works well as background music when you're doing something else, but it's also an album you can listen to focused in headphones. The quality and variety makes you never loose interest or become bored. The only thing I can complain about is that the inner sleeve is already broken on two sides despite the fact that the album is brand new. The hardware was of better quality in the old times.

The album is recorded in the Benny Andersson's (from ABBA) new studio Rixmixningsverket in Stockholm, Sweden.
It may be mentioned that Frida today mostly lives in Paris and that she is the cousin of the drummer in the band Sahara Hotnights.

So here you are, a swedish pop artist who doesn't give you the mainstream music, but isn't too difficult to enjoy. A perfect balance!

Tracklist

Side A
1. Gas Station 4:29
2. Terrible Dark 4:30
3. The Wild Bali Nights 4:42
4. California 2:03
5. Saying Goodbye 4:54
6. Farmor 6:59

Side B
1. Picking Apples 2:58
2. Hands 4:07
3. Enchanted 3:50
4. Postcard 2:47
5. In Every Crowd 3:56
6. Gold 5:46

It's Immaterial - "Life's Hard And Then You Die" (1986)

The hit Driving Away From Home was played frequently on the radio in 1986, I was 14 years old, was in eighth grade and my more ambitious interest in music was starting to form. I still had no clear direction in my musical taste and I was open to suggestions and influences. With some confusion, but also great curiosity, I searched my way through the big forest of music, trying to find out what path was mine. Life's Hard And Then You Die was a station on this search.

At this time in life a purchase of a record was a big deal. Due to financial reasons it didn't happen often (yes, I bought my records and didn't shoplift them, as some others ...) with the result that each album became extremely valuable, and the relationship that was formed with each record was deep. After some time, thanks to regular, focused listenings, you knew every inch of the album, all of its strengths and weaknesses, and of course could sing along to almost every song.

The Liverpool band It's Immaterial was created in 1980 and consisted at the time of the recording of Life's Hard... by John Campbell (vocals) and Jarvis Whitehead (guitar and keyboard). This was their first album of two (read about the latter album here). If you compare the two albums, Life's Hard... is a little more fast-paced and varied than the latter Song, though the melancholy regularly makes an appearance also on their debut album.

Often you hear Campbell "talk-sing" through the verses and then lets his beautiful singing voice blossom in the choruses. These choruses are often sweeping, grandiose and beautiful, which is a nice contrast to the more restrained verses. Personally, I'm weak for such choruses.

The album is strongly associated with my early teens which to some extent affect my experience of it, but if I try to ignore this relationship and listen to the record more objectively, it's a really great album. I usually complain about the music from the '80s, but here is an exeption. Here and there you can hear some Pet Shop Boys, even if It's Immaterial feels a bit more melancholy, and with some good will you might hear a little of the English band James, primarily in the sweeping choruses.
The production is nice and the sound is impeccable. Even the drum machine that is heard in certain songs feels OK. I was actually a bit surprised by the great sound, but it probably says more about my prejudices and expectations of the music from the '80s.

In summary, I recommend this album. It's a relatively laid-back album with a rather large variety and beautiful songs. It feels like It's Immaterial could have become bigger than they did, but the market apparently wanted different.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Driving Away From Home (Jim's Tune) 4:12
2. Happy Talk 5:29
3. Rope 3:37
4. The Better Idea 5:42
5. Space 3:59

Side B
1. The Sweet Life 4:38
2. Festival Time 3:52
3. Ed's Funky Dinner 3:05
4. Hang On Sleepy Town 4:20
5. Lullaby 6:21

Donna Summer - "Love To Love You Baby" (1975)

You get a sudden urge for porn, but you have neither a magazine, a film or internet access. What do you do? One solution could be to play today's record and close your eyes. The epic title track that fills up the entire A-side is a disco trip into the land of sexuality. Donna Summer's moans and groans leave little to imagination, or perhaps the opposite, awaken the imagination and take your thoughts to forbidden places.

Some may be surprised that I have a Donna Summer album in my collection (I have actually two). But no record collection is complete without some classic disco from the 70s, so I'm not ashamed of this album. As I also found it quite cheap in Quebec's vinyl record stores, where I purchased the album, there was no hesitation.

This was Summers' second album and a collaboration with none other than Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, the latter listed as the producer. Summer had gotten the idea for the song Love To Love You Baby and went to see these two men to do something with it. Especially Moroder was interested in developing the new disco sound and got the idea to make the song into a very sexy musical journey. Summer was not entirely up to his idea to excitedly moan throughout the song, but eventually she went along with it as a way to make a demo for someone else to record. After the recording was completed Moroder managed to persuade Summer to release the song in her own name, which she reluctantly agreed to.


Summer and Moroder

The song was released in Europe in a shorter version and when it was time to release it in the US, the label Casablanca asked Moroder to mix it into a 17-minute disco monster version. And so it became a big hit around the clubs in the states. Of course some radio stations banned it and Time Magazine reported that Summer simulated 22 orgasms during the song's 17 minutes.

Regarding the recording of the title track Summer has said that she imagined herself being Marilyn Monroe, acting out the role of someone in sexual ecstasy. Say what you will about sexually explicit songs, but the title track, which the album is strongly associated with, is a pretty groovy, laid-back song with a cool 70's sound. I realize that the 70's dance floor must have been a more relaxed place compared to today's, as the songs' BPM seem to have been much lower and there's often no clear base puls (like a thudding bass drum) that dominates.
As a former amateur bass player, I enjoy the cool base that hypnotically drives the song forward, and combined with the laid-back guitar at least I get some vibes of the classic soundtracks of the Blaxploitation films, even if there is more disco here. I played the title track once when my 8-year-old son was present and he wondered why the woman who sang sounded so strange. I told him to ask his mother instead.

However, the record is of course more than the A-side. There is a B-side too. It consists of five songs of which the last one is a reprise of the first one. The B-side is not as much disco, but good nonetheless. The listener is offered a few ballads and some song with a little more soul feel. The A-side and B-side is quite different from one another but both offer something interesting, the risk is always with this kind of album that the B-side gets in the shadow, which is somewhat of a shame.

Moroder and Bellotte have written all the songs on the B-side and are also named as the composers to the title song together with Summer.

To me it's a bit strange to see the Casablanca label on the album as my childhood experiences created a strong link between this label and KISS. The connection is apparently still there as some confusion arises when I read "Donna Summer" on the record. Also sudden feelings of nostalgia are brought up inside from seeing the Casablanca logo. Perhaps Love To Love You Baby is powerful enough to break this linkage.

Donna Summer died May 17 this year from lung cancer, 63 years old.

Tracklist
Side A
1. Love To Love You Baby 16:50

Side B
1. Full Of Emptiness 2:22
2. Need-a-Man Blues 4:30
3. Whispering Waves 4:50
4. Pandora's Box 4:56
5. Full Of Emptiness (Reprise) 2:20

Mike Oldfield - "Ommadawn" (1975)

Mike Oldfield is - apart from an Englishman, 59 years old, father of seven children, a motorcycle fanatic, a pilot - also a multi-instrumentalist. The guitar is considered to be his main instrument but he also plays the bass, piano / keyboards, percussion, banjo, glockenspiel, mandolin, etc.
Ommadawn was Oldfields third album and is largely instrumental.

I purchased this album somewhere during high school, probably towards the very end of it. I don't remember how I discovered him, but I suspect it was my older brother who told me of him. Tubular Bells is problably the record most people associate with Oldfield, but in my world Ommadawn is equivalent, if not better. On the other hand, that doesn't mean I think this is an extremely good album, although I like Oldfield, there is sometimes a tendency that he can get a little boring. So this is a an OK album, with some really nice parts and others quite dull.

There is a strong Celtic influence on the record in terms of the (wind)instruments used, eg uillean pipes. But there's also a lot of African influences which made this album one of the first so-called world music-albums which sold well. The fusion of Irish, Celtic and African music sounds very interesting, but I must shamefacedly admit that I have missed the African influences completely. According to what I've read online, it's mainly the use of the drummers from Jabula, a group of exiled musicians from South Africa who lived in England, which creates this African ingredient. I was very surprised when I read this, partly because I associate African music (yes, I know it's not possible to generalize in this way) with a completely different sound, partly because I barely hear any percussion instruments on the album. But I understand it's my own ignorance that now becomes clear for everyone to see.

Side A is made up of one song, the B-side is the continuation of this song and ends with the shorter song "On Horseback" which is a more traditional song with verses and choruses. Generally speaking, the album consists of a number of longer, somewhat boring, parts which leads to parts that are truly amazing. More of the amazing parts, less of the longer boring parts is my firm recommendation to Mr. Oldfield. The weak parts of the album are relatively characterless and formless, the lack of percussion that frames the soundscape might be a cause, but the music is often just a repetition of the same (boring) line.
The strong parts of the album weighs heavier, though, so the whole picture becomes positive. Indeed, the good parts actually belong to my absolute favorites when it comes to instrumental music. So unfortunately, when Ommadawn is played, I just wait for the music to reach my favorite parts, then I start to listen.

There is no doubt that Oldfield is good with the guitar, which he proves a number of times on the album. He compromises in the eternal battle between the Fender and Gibson supporters by playing both - a Gibson SG Junior and a Fender Telecaster. The same goes for the basses he uses -  a Fender Precision and Gibson EB-3. It's actually a pretty good picture of the whole album, a compromise between fantastic and boring, clear and unclear, commersial and difficult, folk and pop, and quiet and noisy.

Ommadawn is mostly instrumental, but here and there on the record's two main compositions, you'll get some song in the shape of a female choir which lies in the background. One of the voices belongs to Oldfields sister Sallly.

Concerning the album's title, Oldfield thought the sound was more important than great lyrics, so he asked Clodagh Simonds to write down the first words she thought of, which was, "Daddy's in bed. The cat's drinking milk, I'm an idiot. And I'm laughing". She asked a friend to translate this to Irish and the word "idiot" was amadán which Oldfield Anglicised to Ommadawn.

A somewhat older Mike Oldfield

If you like instrumental music of the somewhat quieter type Ommadawn can be recommended, but I suspect some may get a bit bored listening to it. My wife didn't understand the album at all, the louder parts she thought was noisy and the quieter ones she thought was a bit boring. On the whole, she thought the music was kind of strange and weird. But if this says more about my wife than the album, I leave unsaid.

The ones interested can take part of the whole album on the youtube link below

Tracklist

Side A
1. Ommadawn, Part One 19:23

Side B
1. Ommadawn, Part Two 13:54
2. On Horseback 3:23

Talking Heads - "Remain In Light" (1980)

On another blog with the same theme as mine (vinyl records), I argued in a comment that music from the 80's generally sucks. This is a view I verbalize in different contexts with strong conviction. This applies especially to "typical 80s music", which I acknowledged in the comment isn't a perfectly clear definition. I further acknowledged that there is some good music from the 80s and an example of this was the song Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads. This has prompted today's post, the album Remain In Light containing the song mentioned, which became a minor hit (mainly due to an innovative video).


Most people out there will problably react as I me, an instinctive revulsion when music from the 80s comes up in conversations, or worse, played by some evil person. But open your mind people, because here is an album from said decade which is good, interesting, innovative and bears the smell of quality!

I purchased this album in my teens during my big Talking Heads period. I had heard in advance that this was supposed to be their best album so my expectations were high. Talking Heads' albums hold a common thread all the way through, yet each one is unique. In my world, this album is completely different from the previous Fear Of Music, at the same time there is no doubt that it is the same band. It's still not entirely clear to me how Byrne and his fellow musicians managed this feat.

Brian Eno, who worked with the band for the third album in a row, played a major role in the creation of Remain In Light. Besides being a producer, he is also Co-composer of all songs, and as a producer, he's had a great influence on the sound. Yes, he felt that his influence was so great that he should be on the cover along with the other Heads. But obviously Tina Weymouth (TH's bassist) and Chris Frantz (drums), the main creators of the cover, didn't think so. A front cover which was first meant to be the back (and vice versa). Tina and Chris were got help from MIT and their computers in the creation of the cover, and given that it was the early 80's and computer capacity therefore limited, the work was very demanding.

David Byrne and Brian Eno

An idea of ​​the album was to move away from the tendency that Talking Heads had begun to be experienced as David Byrne with a backing band. The other members had realized that all the responsibility for creating music had been on Byrne, therefore the band got together in a studio in the Bahamas to jam together to get song ideas. It may be mentioned that the married couple Weymouth and Frantz had previously been discussing leaving the band as they thought Byrne had taken too much control of things.
After the demo was recorded the band went to New York to record the album. In order to get the work going some guest musicians were called in, including Adrian Belew, Jon Hassel, Robert Palmer and Nona Hendryx. When the album was released it got generally positive reviews. The original name of the record was Melody Attack, by the way.

On the record itself, Byrne and Eno are named as composers of all songs except The Overload where Jerry Harrison is also mentioned. On the cover, however, Byrne, Eno and Talking Heads are named as the creators of all music. I understand that there were some different opinions on this, and it might look different on later releases. On my album, I must admit that it gets a little bit confused.

When I listened to this album as a teenager, it took a while to really understand it. It's not an entirely simple and obvious record. TH used a lot of African rhythms in this period of their career, and although many songs, especially the A side, is quite danceable, there's a dark, semi-neurotic vibe that makes at least my dance hesitate. Or is it that every song is just a bit more complex and interesting than the average dance song, that makes the mind want to listen rather than dance? And it may well be my idea of ​​David Byrne as a kind of complicated man, that affects my experience of the music and makes it more difficult than it is. He also has a quite peculiar voice that makes a certain imprint on the songs. All songs on the A side are relatively fast-paced and rhythmic, the highlight I think is the closing number, The Great Curve. Both in my teens and in my older years I've been fascinated by parts in the songs where 3-4 different lines of text are sung simultaneously with different melodies and rhythms. In some strange way TH manages to create a whole that doesn't sound the least messy. Mostly it's groovy.

On the B side the atmosphere of the album changes. It opens up with the aforementioned Once In A Lifetime, in this context a relatively accessible song. But then the listener gets to enjoy some slower and much darker and stranger songs, like the closing number, The Overload. One of my teenage favorites were Seen And Not Seen, which talks about people who can change their appearances by will. But sometimes things go wrong.

I find it hard to decide on which of the sides I like best. As a teenager, when I had an attraction to things that were a bit "deep", the B-side was my favourite. Today, it's an even race, it probably mostly depends on what mood I'm in.

As usual, I understand nothing what Byrne is singing about. The lyrics are good (somehow), but impossible to comprehend in most cases. From what I understand he got some inspiration from academic literature on Africa. But it sounds good when he sings, and it sounds as if the lyrics actually has a meaning, even if I happen be too stupid to understand. But the fact is that on Remain In Light a lot of the lyrics actually have no meaning, Byrne improvised the words whith more focus on rythm than on meaning.

In summary, a great record with the unusual quality that it doesn't contain a single weak track, every song has its own charm and character which makes it impossible to pick a favorite. That's a proof of quality - all the songs are good. It's often catchy and groovy, yet there is a dark and neurotic undertone which I think we have to thank David Byrne for. It's an album that's as good today as of the day of its release, it has aged well. Or it hasn't aged at all.

Tracklist


Side A
1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) 5:49
2. Crosseyed And Painless 4:48
3. The Great Curve 6:28

Side B
1. Once In A Lifetime 4:23
2. Houses In Motion 4:33
3. Seen And Not Seen 3:25
4. Listening Wind 4:43
5. The Overload 6:02

Shearwater - "Rook" (2008)

The U.S. indie band Shearwater is a new acquaintance to me. I borrowed their album The Golden Archipelago from a friend a month ago, it was good enough to justify the buying of their fifth album Rook. The album seemed to have gotten great reviews, hence the choice. And I say it directly, it's a very good album.

Shearwater was created in 1999 by Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff. New members were added (and subtracted), at the time of the recording of Rook the band consisted of  Jonathan Meiburg, Kimberly Burke, Howard Draper and Thor Harris. Meiburg seems to be the creative engine in the band, as he is listed as the composer of all songs and producer of the album. He also has a degree in geography with a focus on ornithology, and shearwater is apparently the name of a type of seabird.

The music is beautiful, somewhat melancholy, often subdued and sentimental but also quite dramatic at times. In other words mostly calm and sensitive songs, but sometimes this tranquility is interrupted of something a little more noisy. An album that fits when you need to unwind and relax, perhaps after a week of hard work and two days of freedom awaits you. You pour your beer, thinking about the week that's been and realize you haven't come an inch closer to the life goals you once set up ... Yeah, I guess this album makes you feel a little sad at times. Anyway, I think I hear a little Tindersticks in the music, maybe a hint of Peter Gabriel and possibly a slight piece of Coldplay (who Shearwater has been the opening act for). At the same time Shearwater doesn't sound like any of those bands/artists, and no doubt they have their own sound. Besides the "normal" rock instruments the listener is offered funny things like a glockenspiel, a double bass and the clarinet. Meiburg has a fine singing voice that leaves its mark on many songs, and many times is used as an intrument with the others.

If I should find anything on the negative side it might be that it sounds pretty much the same the whole record through, concerning the sound, the atmosphere and the tempo. There's really not a lot of variation, but as I find this sound and atmosphere quite enjoyable I find that OK. And by the way, the record is not even 40 minutes long so you never have the time to grow tired of it.

Those who choose to buy the album in vinyl format (new) is offered one download of the record in digital format as well. Such generosity is appreciated, now Rook can follow me everywhere. I'm pretty sure that the purchaser of the album in digital format is not offered a copy on vinyl. That makes me feel like a winner. In addition, the vinyl album has a banjo-filled bonus track, North Col. Suck on that, all you CD buyers! (If there are any left)

Conclusion: A purchase of Rook can be recommended.

Tracklist

Side A
1. On The Death Of The Waters 3:08
2. Rooks 3:21
3. Leviathan, Bound 2:52
4. Home Life 7:15
5. Lost Boys 2:24

Side B
1. Century Eyes 2:18
2. I Was A Cloud 5:12
3. South Col 2:35
4. The Snow Leopard 5:08
5. The Hunter's Star 4:01
6. North Col 2:19

Klaatu - "Hope" (1977) 

It's nice to wander around in shops for used records, you can always find something interesting. On the other hand, one rarely finds real bargains in these places. Most business owners know their trade and know what prices to charge. On flea markets you often also find used records, 9 times out of 10 you find junk, but there's always the chance to do some real bargains. Often it's a unit price 1-2 dollars / album, and if you're lucky, you come home with a real treasure. This makes the hunting on the flea market more exciting many times, than the search in the disc exchange.

I found Klaatu's second album Hope at a flea market, in excellent condition. The price asked was 4 USD, and I should honestly say I don't know if it really was a bargain. But it felt so at the time. I am sure that my next door shop for used records would ask at least 7 USD for it.

Klaatu was a Canadian trio who for a time were suspected of being The Beatles. They released their first albums without any information on who they were, and because people thought it sounded a bit like The Beatles, the rumor started (helped by an article that raised the issue). This rumor spread all over the world and the record company Capitol, which of course was delighted with the increase in sales this rumor led to, did little to stop it. Apparently it was possible to find backward messages on the album which proved the theory, Morse code in the music was another sign, and of course it was possible to find references in the lyrics and on the cover that it was The Beatles who had resurfaced.

Of course, after a while the truth emerged, a truth which consisted of John Woloshuk, Dee Long and Terry Draper. This meant a drastic setback in the sales figures and the band pretty much never managed to come back. Another blogger described the band as consisting of two stoners and a porn actor. Judge for yourself:

Hope began to be recorded just before the release of Klaatu's first album and thus before The Beatles rumor had started. OK, on ​​some songs you can hear a little Beatles I can also hear some Queen, ELO and why not some Hawkwind and Van Der Graaf Generator? Now the reader should be warned that this probably sounds like a more exciting mix than it is. Frankly, Hope is not a great record and the comparison with The Beatles must be seen as a bit unrealistic, to say the least. It's a concept album, maybe even a rock opera, with a science-fiction theme. Apparently it's a survivor of an arrogant race, who warns space travelers for different hazards. I've read this online, personally I can't hear everything they sing and I haven't bothered to read the lyrics. The sound is a bit cheap and feels pretty outdated, you can't fool yourself that this was recorded in modern times (21st century). Maybe it's the syntheseizers they're using that are to be blamed?

Santana with friends?

The songs are in many cases relatively bland and a bit dull, almost a little cheesy. However, it may be added that many fans think this is Klaatus best album, so there are many with a second opinion. But personally it doesn't turn me on and I become somewhat bored with most of the album. Shall I summarize the experience it may be as a cheesy version of the already mentioned Van Der Graaf Generetor, without the darkness, the danger and the beauty. It is worth 4 USD but perhaps not much more, in my world anyway.
It can be added that the artist Ted Jones painted the cover, a cover many people appreciate.

Tracklist


Side A
1. We're Off You Know 4:00
2. Madman 2:36
3. Around The Universe In Eighty Days 4:53
4. Long Live Politzania 9:05

Side B
1. The Loniest Of Creatures 3:41
2. Prelude 5:43
3. So Said The Lighthouse Keeper 5:48
4. Hope 3:48