Album of the Month : May 2004

MINOR MAJORITY (N) : " Up for you and I" ( Vicious Circle)

1. Think I'm up for you & I

5:19

2. Wish you knew

3:59

3. She gave me away

2:31

4. ( In that) premature way

3:37

5. I thought I knew you

2:49

6. Take it in

4:06

7. A song for Nicole

8. The dark half

3:35

9. This time

4:11

10. Start a fire

3:30

11. Wonder if she knows

3:15

Minor Majority's first two albums failed to get voted Rockomondo's " Album of the month" by a hair breadth. Clocking at a mere 28 mn., their debut CD " Walking home from Nicole's" ( 2001) suffered from being too short and slightly uneven, in spite of gems like She's A New-Yorker or Judy's Got A Hunch. Less than a year later, the near-perfect " If I told you, you were beautiful" ( 2002) established Minor Majority as one of Norway's brightest hopes. With" Up for you and I", they finally join Bergen's dream team alongside gifted neighbours like Sondre Lerche, Kings Of Convenience and Ephemera.

Nothing really spectacular here though. Just those good old twilight ballads, played on mostly acoustic guitars, piano and brushed drums with the occasional banjo and harmonica. These guys humbly stick to the simple evidence that a song is just a song, and won't pretend to give you more. Then, how come that their music displays such a feeling of well-being and fullness ? How come that it brings you into a sheer state of bliss ? Of course, " Up for you and I" is touching because it is obviously authentic and true. But it is really the outstanding songwriting and singing talent of the band's mainman Paal Engelskar that makes the difference. He is Minor Majority, composing all the songs and giving them life with his warm mellow vocals. From just a combination of notes and chords, he knows how to get to the heart of the listener by gentle, almost homeopathic touches, displaying a sweet and sour mixture of melancholy and comforting sounds. Proof that it works was the density of silence in the audience at Minor Majority's first gig in Paris, earlier this year. Nobody knew the songs, but all the people attending the show were bewitched, holding their breath while the duo - delighted by such an attentive reception - delivered a flawless selection from their three albums.

While every new coming singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar is greeted as the " New Nick Drake" by the music-press, Minor Majority come just at the right time to get things straight and substantially raise the level. From now on, life may become a little bit harder for Nick Drake wannabes.

Band : www.minormajority.no

Norwegian label : www.bigdipper.no

French label : www.viciouscircle.fr

Free MP3's from Minor Majority's excellent second album " If I told you, you were beautiful" can be dowloaded here.