Eldbjorg Raknes - Sense
by Adrian Huggins
published: 3 / 11 / 2010

Label:
My Records
Format: CD
intro
Mesmerising and totally unique largely voice-led only album from Norwegian composer and musician, Eldbjorg Raknes
Eldbjorg Raknes is renowned in her home country of Norway for creating beautiful and haunting music. An artist in the true sense of the word, she regularly uses mediums such as Voice, Improvisation and Text. ‘Sense’ is mostly a vocal offering from Raknes, with the odd sample here and there to help things along. It sounds quite unlike most things you’re likely to come across. The most obvious comparison is, however, to Bjork, so imagine if you will Bjork at her most relaxed and experimental, then take away the music and you’re halfway there. A fantastic use of layering on the vocal tracks breathes so much life into the songs in a similar way to Imogen Heep. Utterly mesmerising throughout, 'Senses' seems to transcend time and worlds. Whilst at one level a very modern and distinctly Scandinavian album, it at another recalls the timeless sound of chanting monnks. Split into three movements, ‘Closest To’, ‘Far From’ and 'All Right, Alive’ 'Sense' is a complete piece of work that you should listen to as a whole. It all loops in together perfectly as a body of work. It is a really magical album and, while there are shades of other artists, there really isn’t a lot like this. It feels totally unique and I for one wouldn’t be shocked to hear this was from another planet. A magnificent experience if you’re open to new things this will take your breathe away.
Track Listing:-
1 Close To 12 Close To 2
3 Close To 3
4 Close To 4
5 Close To 5
6 Far From 1
7 Far From 2
8 Far From 3
9 Far From 4
10 Far From 5
11 All Right, Alive
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