CD Review: David’s Angels: What It Seems

Sofie Norling (vocals); Maggi Olin (rhodes, piano); David Carlsson (electric bass); Michala Ostergaard-Nielsen (drums, percussion)

(Review by Ann Alex).

When I was handed this CD I was told it was good in parts.  But I loved it, all of it, with its 8 rather dark love songs and 2 happier numbers.  Perhaps it’s my many years of listening to long folk ballads of murders and intrigue, which has left a mark.  The band is Swedish, and the CD has come out just when many things Swedish, such as crime stories are popular.
  The style of music shows influences from jazz, rock and minimalism, with repeated riffs, spare drum beats, rasping guitar sounds, rather than the chorus and solo forms of jazz.  The musicians are accomplished, a mostly female band, and the singer performs with sweet-voiced sensitivity and gutsiness.  ‘Dark sounds and pure melodies, angel like and brutal, says the CD insert.’  I agree.  And all original songs, written by Sofie and Maggi.

We start with melancholy piano, slow, loads of space and Sofie singing ‘obviously there was someone else, I don’t feel anything at all’, light percussion and snare, cries of pain from the singer.  This is effective late night listening, if you don’t scare easily.  This is followed by Rid Of You, the track I liked best, with staccato drums and interludes of happier vocalese in between the singer’s complaints ‘It’s when I’m rid of you I’m starting to breathe – Huh.’ When It Starts has a pleasing Latin rhythm, and in Go the vocalist shows her abilities well with a capella singing about a lost love, the rest of the band entering later.  Sailors, one of the happy songs, is a repeated phrase of ‘stay with me’ sung over beats from the band rather than an actual tune.

I hope this gives readers a sense of what this CD is all about.  You can see a video of Rid Of You on YouTube.  

David’s Angels: What It Seems is released on a Swedish label Kopasetic Productions in Spring 2013.     

Ann Alex.