Album of the Month : April 2000
Nikolaj Norlund ( S) :
" Hvad er det der sker ? "
( Columbia )
If Swedish artists definitely led our play lists in 1999 , 2000 has taken a good start to soon become ROCKOMONDO's prime " Danish yea r". After UNDER BYEN in march, and preceding MEW in may ( it won't be a surprise !), it is no less than 2 Danish albums that top our charts this month. Any comparison between them would be totally irrelevant : you couldn't think of records more different than those !On the one hand, priority to NIKOLAJ NØRLUND, highly-rated pioneer of the new Danish scene and fine purveyor of nicely chiselled melancholic pop since 1991, first with TRAINS & BOATS & PLANES, then with RHONDA HARRIS, and now under his own name.
On the other, SUPERHEROES, a fiery bunch of youngsters, as confident as their name suggests and bold or innocent enough to shamelessly claim their admiration for DURAN DURAN and THE HUMAN LEAGUE (! ! !).With a superior songwriting and musicianship, amazing arrangements, and the splendid production by DANIEL ZQATY (of bob hund's fame), everything contributes in making "Hvad er det der sker ?" NIKOLAJ NØRLUND's best album to date (letting apart his flawless "Navnløs" project). Check the opening number Nyt lys : it waves and swirls over a shimmering background of acoustic guitar, piano, violin and electro-rhythms to a mesmerising effect, while Nikolaj's strangled voice threads through your brain like some hypnotist's whisper. The kind of pearl beyond price that induces you to press on the "repeat track" button so you can listen and listen again before even thinking of switching to the next track. Except that the next track is the aptly titled Start OK, another subtle mix of acoustic and electronic sounds which will remain as one of the best and most elegant singles released this year.
As every song here produces similar magic effect, NIKOLAJ NØRLUND can feel at ease : it's a long long time before we'll exhaust the unfailing beauties of his new album. A serious contender for ROCKOMONDO's Y2K final top 5 !
N. Norlund: auditorium@auditoriom.nu