Terje Nordgarden
A Brighter Kind Of Blue

Beneficial breezes coming from Scandinavia blow upon us… These aren't drafts of weather forecasts, but an artistic phenomenon of note and worthy of mention. We leave aside the winds that are now studied and known for their qualities: Madrugada, Kings of Convenience, José Gonzales, Royksopp, Bjork… Today we analyze those that are sneaky and in the making…

Some time ago, I read an extraordinary book by an Icelander: HALLGRIMUR HELLGASON "101 REYKJAVIK" Guanda publisher… I highly recommend it!!! Recently I watched a low-budget movie by Danish director SUSANNE BIER: "After The Wedding," engaging and full of twists… (it's a must-see) and now it's time for this Norwegian singer-songwriter Nordgarden… whom we want to focus on.. To be honest, Terje has been hanging around Italy for a while.. He lived in Florence for four years (and they all come here?) speaks good Italian and his first album was produced by us… During his Florentine time, this blonde songwriter drank a lot of Chianti (I once saw him at the wine bar at the arch of San Pierino, so dear to the N.I.B., which hit it hard) and perhaps thanks to this divine nectar, in his new "A Brighter Kind Of Blue," he has improved quite a bit.

Oh dear! He remains always on the edge of sufficiency… Guitar, trumpet, and violin for an "acoustic" that can be listened to and which shows decent bursts of indie-folk and blues… Very nice and valid is the first track, which gives the album its title and offers hope… but then it slips back into the more-than-discreet… Worth mentioning is "The River" dedicated to JEFF BUCKLEY.. Jeff is the beacon and point of reference. His way of modulating the voice vaguely, but very vaguely, recalls him.. But let's not touch the saints!! Anyway, this song dedication is, to me, bland… Another tribute song is for ELLIOTT SMITH, another great inspirer of his, in the song "The Gift Of Song".. Given the limited range of instruments used, noteworthy is the use of a banjo.. a rather crazy choice but not cacophonic… But for this tribute, as well, the above comment applies… Listen and relax to the instrumental "Metronome" enriched by a violin that makes the theme imaginative and vaguely Celtic.. Appreciable is the song for his dad "My Father The Sailor"… The way of playing the guitar or the chords perhaps?, in this track, make me think of JOHN MARTYN…

And among stories of escapes and returns.. various loves and recurring solitudes, this work intimate and sparse (but quite another style and magic, remaining with these characteristics, possesses Tom McRae) is consumed with dignified decorum and a good rate of listenability… without, however, making us tear out our, alas, few hairs.. I don't know why but Terje makes me think more of a globetrotting busker or a musician in not-so-vast venues… In large venues, he loses something… Those who have seen him live will have noticed his immediacy, charm, and stage presence… But the boy is growing!!! From the pubs (nice Hal's review on the small-town Sardinian live show) to the main stage of Arezzo Wave (by the way, you know that this year it will be held in Florence).. to the Acoustically Festival at the Stazione Leopolda (FI)… "A Brighter Kind Of Blue" will make you feel good if you start from the premise that it is a good project, but not a masterpiece… In short, this Northern Garden has brought some nice aromatic herbs to maturity (catnip?)… but for the parsley, we still have to wait!!!

To close, going back to the meteorological incipit, I strongly recommend listening to it on a gray and gloomy day, perhaps drizzly… it will warm you and make more of an impact. On bright and sunny days, leave it aside… Better, much better… to go for a little walk!! Bye… Smiles of unknown distances!! Yours RAINER!!!