| Susanne Sundfør — Ten Love Songs |
Susanne Sundfør — Ten Love Songs
≡♦ Nenechte si ujít tento briliant: je to docela geniální album. This Norwegian singer/songwriter has topped the charts in her homeland and won critical praise with her rich, delicate, and poignant music.
Birth name: Susanne Aartun Sundfør
Born: 19 March 1986, Haugesund, Rogaland
Location: Haugesund, Oslo, Norway
Album release: 16 Feb. 2015
Record Label: Sonnet Sound
Duration: 46:39
Tracks:
01. Darlings 2:39
02. Accelerate 5:26
03. Fade Away 3:18
04. Silencer 3:28
05. Kamikaze 5:12
06. Memorial 10:06
07. Delirious 4:56
08. Slowly 4:27
09. Trust Me 4:02
10. Insects 3:05
℗ 2014 Sonnet Sound Limited
Product Description
≡♦ Susanne Sundfør will release her fifth studio album 'Ten Love Songs' on 16th February 2015. Sundfør's last album 'The Silicone Veil', garnered huge critical acclaim, ". . .utterly arresting" **** (Mojo), ". . . a window–bending face–melter of a voice, it's quite stunning" (Q), and Uncut said of single 'White Foxes', "If there is a more beautiful and ambitious song this year than 'White Foxes'. . . well, there just isn't". 'Ten Love Songs' draws on the musical assistance both of new friends and old, (including Anthony Gonzalez of M83, Svein and Torbjorn from Röyksopp, her long–term collaborator Lars Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist, and the Trondheimsolistene Chamber Ensemble). The album was essentially recorded, orchestrated and produced by Sundfør herself, resulting in what is arguably her most compelling and fully realised work to date.
REVIEW
Susanne Sundfør: Ten Love Songs review — brilliant pop from Norwegian megastar
Michael Hann, Thursday 12 February 2015 22.30 GMT; Score: *****
≡♦ Halfway through Susanne Sundfør’s sixth album, the listener stumbles across a monolith: a vast, 10–minute edifice made up of sepulchral organ, weeping strings, Abbaeseque chord changes, a lyric in which Sundfør asserts she’s barely noticed “the cosmic war raging in the sky” because she’s so darned sad about the heartless man who took off her dress, and then — five minutes in — a chamber music section that lasts three and a half minutes. Memorial, then, is fittingly titled: it’s lachrymose almost to the point of self–parody, yet utterly magnificent. Sundfør is a bona fide star in her native Norway, No 1 albums and all, and it’s completely understandable. Ten Love Songs shows a command of artpop, chilly synthpop, and that simultaneously joyous and desperate disco that seems to seep out of Scandinavia in an unending flood: it’s both appealingly direct yet perfectly thought–through. The way the bass hook in Fade Away, a straight pinch from scores of dancefloor hits before, is kept stiff and hard seems to symbolise a mood of thwarted desire. Don’t miss out on this: it’s a quite brilliant album. :: http://www.theguardian.com/
Review
By Jennifer Jonson, 03 February 2015; Score: 7/10
≡♦ On paper, Susanne Sundfør‘s Ten Love Songs is far from beguiling. Conceptually speaking, “love” isn’t exactly a topic pop stars have shied away from, even in its most broken and perverse forms. With her subject matter stacked against her, Sundfør manages to craft a record that is musically captivating without being thematically original.
≡♦ On 2012’s The Silicone Veil, the Norwegian electro–pop powerhouse whittled away at genre expectations–using minor intervals (and her crystal–clear falsetto) to promptly sweep a predictable melody into ominous territory. This gloomy bent is further flexed on Ten Love Songs, with the first minute or so of ‘Silencer’ sounding conspicuously like a cut from Hail to the Thief. Given Sundfør’s stratospheric vocal range and penchant for haunting electronic palettes, the Thom Yorke comparison practically draws itself.
≡♦ However, the introspective opening track ‘Darlings’ doesn’t exactly get things off to a promising start. Lyrically, Sundfør offers us a few breakup clichés (see: “we wanted to believe that love/could lift us to the skies and above” and “we thought love could change our names/and free us from earthly chains.”) A languid synth–organ accompaniment doesn’t do anything to lift the all–too–familiar feeling of despair.
≡♦ Thankfully, the wallowing doesn’t last long. ‘Fade Away’ is one of the most upbeat and radio–friendly things Sundfør has ever released, and it’s palatable without being totally vapid. ‘Kamikaze’ finds her asking a few shallow questions — “Did you ever feel your heart broken/Did you ever feel it’s the end of the world?” — but an infectious disco–tempo chorus marks a slight turnaround in the record’s tone.
≡♦ ‘Love songs’ is ultimately a bit of a misnomer: Sundfør is really dealing in loss and lamentation here. ‘Memorial’, complete with its bombastic drums and lyrical melodrama, is basically a ballad pulled straight out of the ’80s (only with an additional six minutes of orchestral instrumentals dispersed throughout).
≡♦ There is no denying that Sundfør has mastered pop tropes and honed a flair for the dramatic, but the question remains: why has she failed to achieve stardom beyond her native Norway? The omnipresent darkness of The Silicone Veil doesn’t lend itself to the kind of radio rotation that Lana Del Rey’s self–indulgent sadness does. That being said, there is a real sonic frigidity that defines a lot of Sundfør’s work; perhaps it’s too aloof to be commercial, or too haunting to be consumed by a public hungry for major keys and tried–and–tested pop algorithms. Point is, there is newfound accessibility on Ten Love Songs which might just usher in international success for Sundfør.
≡♦ Then again, the strange electro–rhythms of ‘Insects’ will totally alienate listeners hungry for a chorus to hum along to. Ten Love Songs is inconsistent–leaping from languorous tragedies, to marketable pop gems, to tracks defined by distant, space–age syncopation. The bag is mixed, and the lyrics often seem a bit familiar, but Sundfør’s shadowy contributions to an often–tired genre are undoubtedly unique. :: http://www.thefourohfive.com/
Artist Biography by David Jeffries
≡♦ Coming onto the international scene like a rich, delicate mix of Stina Nordenstam, Depeche Mode, Tori Amos, and Radiohead, Norwegian singer/songwriter Susanne Sundfør rose to fame in her homeland beginning in 2005. It was that year she toured the country opening for English singer/songwriter Tom McRae, while in 2006, she joined Madrugada on tour, performing their song "Lift Me," a duet the band originally recorded in the studio with singer Ane Brun. Late that same year, she digitally released her debut single, "Walls," which would climb to number three on the Norwegian singles chart. It was the same position her debut, self–titled album would climb to on the album charts when in was released in 2007. The live effort Take One would follow in 2008, which was the same year that her debut won the Spellemannprisen for Best Female Performance. Sundfør accepted the award with some hesitation, stating her work represented her as an artist first, and a woman second, bringing into question whether the Norwegian Grammy board was acting archaically with such gender specific awards. Two years later her album The Brothel would climb to the top of the Norwegian album charts thanks in part to the success of its title track. Jazz keyboardist Christian Wallumrød and members of Jaga Jazzist would appear on her 2011 effort, the all–instrumental A Night at Salle Pleyel. In 2012 she released the single "White Foxes" along with the album The Silicone Veil. She ended the year collaborating with Morten Myklebust on the track "Away," along with electronica duo Röyksopp on their single "Running to the Sea." :: http://www.allmusic.com/
Website: http://susannesundfor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/susannesundfor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susannesundfor
Agent:
Nordic booking [[email protected]] — International Booking [[email protected]] — North America [Tom Windish: ]
Studio albums:
Year / Album / Peak chart positions NOR
≡♦ 2007 Susanne Sundfør 3
≡♦ 2008 Take One 32
≡♦ 2010 The Brothel 1
≡♦ 2011 A Night At Salle Pleyel —
≡♦ 2012 The Silicone Veil 1
≡♦ 2015 Ten Love Songs —
_________________________♦ζ♥ζ≡♦ζ♥ζ≡♦__________________________
| Susanne Sundfør — Ten Love Songs |
≡♦ Nenechte si ujít tento briliant: je to docela geniální album. This Norwegian singer/songwriter has topped the charts in her homeland and won critical praise with her rich, delicate, and poignant music.
Birth name: Susanne Aartun Sundfør
Born: 19 March 1986, Haugesund, Rogaland
Location: Haugesund, Oslo, Norway
Album release: 16 Feb. 2015
Record Label: Sonnet Sound
Duration: 46:39
Tracks:
01. Darlings 2:39
02. Accelerate 5:26
03. Fade Away 3:18
04. Silencer 3:28
05. Kamikaze 5:12
06. Memorial 10:06
07. Delirious 4:56
08. Slowly 4:27
09. Trust Me 4:02
10. Insects 3:05
℗ 2014 Sonnet Sound Limited
Product Description
≡♦ Susanne Sundfør will release her fifth studio album 'Ten Love Songs' on 16th February 2015. Sundfør's last album 'The Silicone Veil', garnered huge critical acclaim, ". . .utterly arresting" **** (Mojo), ". . . a window–bending face–melter of a voice, it's quite stunning" (Q), and Uncut said of single 'White Foxes', "If there is a more beautiful and ambitious song this year than 'White Foxes'. . . well, there just isn't". 'Ten Love Songs' draws on the musical assistance both of new friends and old, (including Anthony Gonzalez of M83, Svein and Torbjorn from Röyksopp, her long–term collaborator Lars Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist, and the Trondheimsolistene Chamber Ensemble). The album was essentially recorded, orchestrated and produced by Sundfør herself, resulting in what is arguably her most compelling and fully realised work to date.
REVIEW
Susanne Sundfør: Ten Love Songs review — brilliant pop from Norwegian megastar
Michael Hann, Thursday 12 February 2015 22.30 GMT; Score: *****
≡♦ Halfway through Susanne Sundfør’s sixth album, the listener stumbles across a monolith: a vast, 10–minute edifice made up of sepulchral organ, weeping strings, Abbaeseque chord changes, a lyric in which Sundfør asserts she’s barely noticed “the cosmic war raging in the sky” because she’s so darned sad about the heartless man who took off her dress, and then — five minutes in — a chamber music section that lasts three and a half minutes. Memorial, then, is fittingly titled: it’s lachrymose almost to the point of self–parody, yet utterly magnificent. Sundfør is a bona fide star in her native Norway, No 1 albums and all, and it’s completely understandable. Ten Love Songs shows a command of artpop, chilly synthpop, and that simultaneously joyous and desperate disco that seems to seep out of Scandinavia in an unending flood: it’s both appealingly direct yet perfectly thought–through. The way the bass hook in Fade Away, a straight pinch from scores of dancefloor hits before, is kept stiff and hard seems to symbolise a mood of thwarted desire. Don’t miss out on this: it’s a quite brilliant album. :: http://www.theguardian.com/
Review
By Jennifer Jonson, 03 February 2015; Score: 7/10
≡♦ On paper, Susanne Sundfør‘s Ten Love Songs is far from beguiling. Conceptually speaking, “love” isn’t exactly a topic pop stars have shied away from, even in its most broken and perverse forms. With her subject matter stacked against her, Sundfør manages to craft a record that is musically captivating without being thematically original.
≡♦ On 2012’s The Silicone Veil, the Norwegian electro–pop powerhouse whittled away at genre expectations–using minor intervals (and her crystal–clear falsetto) to promptly sweep a predictable melody into ominous territory. This gloomy bent is further flexed on Ten Love Songs, with the first minute or so of ‘Silencer’ sounding conspicuously like a cut from Hail to the Thief. Given Sundfør’s stratospheric vocal range and penchant for haunting electronic palettes, the Thom Yorke comparison practically draws itself.
≡♦ However, the introspective opening track ‘Darlings’ doesn’t exactly get things off to a promising start. Lyrically, Sundfør offers us a few breakup clichés (see: “we wanted to believe that love/could lift us to the skies and above” and “we thought love could change our names/and free us from earthly chains.”) A languid synth–organ accompaniment doesn’t do anything to lift the all–too–familiar feeling of despair.
≡♦ Thankfully, the wallowing doesn’t last long. ‘Fade Away’ is one of the most upbeat and radio–friendly things Sundfør has ever released, and it’s palatable without being totally vapid. ‘Kamikaze’ finds her asking a few shallow questions — “Did you ever feel your heart broken/Did you ever feel it’s the end of the world?” — but an infectious disco–tempo chorus marks a slight turnaround in the record’s tone.
≡♦ ‘Love songs’ is ultimately a bit of a misnomer: Sundfør is really dealing in loss and lamentation here. ‘Memorial’, complete with its bombastic drums and lyrical melodrama, is basically a ballad pulled straight out of the ’80s (only with an additional six minutes of orchestral instrumentals dispersed throughout).
≡♦ There is no denying that Sundfør has mastered pop tropes and honed a flair for the dramatic, but the question remains: why has she failed to achieve stardom beyond her native Norway? The omnipresent darkness of The Silicone Veil doesn’t lend itself to the kind of radio rotation that Lana Del Rey’s self–indulgent sadness does. That being said, there is a real sonic frigidity that defines a lot of Sundfør’s work; perhaps it’s too aloof to be commercial, or too haunting to be consumed by a public hungry for major keys and tried–and–tested pop algorithms. Point is, there is newfound accessibility on Ten Love Songs which might just usher in international success for Sundfør.
≡♦ Then again, the strange electro–rhythms of ‘Insects’ will totally alienate listeners hungry for a chorus to hum along to. Ten Love Songs is inconsistent–leaping from languorous tragedies, to marketable pop gems, to tracks defined by distant, space–age syncopation. The bag is mixed, and the lyrics often seem a bit familiar, but Sundfør’s shadowy contributions to an often–tired genre are undoubtedly unique. :: http://www.thefourohfive.com/
Artist Biography by David Jeffries
≡♦ Coming onto the international scene like a rich, delicate mix of Stina Nordenstam, Depeche Mode, Tori Amos, and Radiohead, Norwegian singer/songwriter Susanne Sundfør rose to fame in her homeland beginning in 2005. It was that year she toured the country opening for English singer/songwriter Tom McRae, while in 2006, she joined Madrugada on tour, performing their song "Lift Me," a duet the band originally recorded in the studio with singer Ane Brun. Late that same year, she digitally released her debut single, "Walls," which would climb to number three on the Norwegian singles chart. It was the same position her debut, self–titled album would climb to on the album charts when in was released in 2007. The live effort Take One would follow in 2008, which was the same year that her debut won the Spellemannprisen for Best Female Performance. Sundfør accepted the award with some hesitation, stating her work represented her as an artist first, and a woman second, bringing into question whether the Norwegian Grammy board was acting archaically with such gender specific awards. Two years later her album The Brothel would climb to the top of the Norwegian album charts thanks in part to the success of its title track. Jazz keyboardist Christian Wallumrød and members of Jaga Jazzist would appear on her 2011 effort, the all–instrumental A Night at Salle Pleyel. In 2012 she released the single "White Foxes" along with the album The Silicone Veil. She ended the year collaborating with Morten Myklebust on the track "Away," along with electronica duo Röyksopp on their single "Running to the Sea." :: http://www.allmusic.com/
Website: http://susannesundfor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/susannesundfor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susannesundfor
Agent:
Nordic booking [[email protected]] — International Booking [[email protected]] — North America [Tom Windish: ]
Studio albums:
Year / Album / Peak chart positions NOR
≡♦ 2007 Susanne Sundfør 3
≡♦ 2008 Take One 32
≡♦ 2010 The Brothel 1
≡♦ 2011 A Night At Salle Pleyel —
≡♦ 2012 The Silicone Veil 1
≡♦ 2015 Ten Love Songs —
_________________________♦ζ♥ζ≡♦ζ♥ζ≡♦__________________________