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9.1/10
Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør has come out with 'blómi', an album containing elements and fusions of folk, singer-songwriter, and jazz. Initially catching my eye was the single "alyosha", a simple yet soothing track with lovely emotional lyrics with Susanne touching on her love for this person named Alyosha. Based off of the beauty that "alyosha" held, I had very high expectations going into the album, with my expectations very much met.
Intriguingly the album starts off with the spoken word track "orð vǫlu", a nearly four-minute cut with so many sound effects and mannerisms that grab you and make you listen. "ashera's song" follows and is just as oddly beautiful, with an eerie intro of sparkly effects and synths, going into a gorgeous and mysterious piano that just dances around, joined by darker synths; not to mention Susanne's vocals on here were solid as well; just the cherry on top. "blómi" also contains stunning and richer vocals; almost Yebba-like. The horn adds a cozy and jazzy feel to the track that I love, especially in combination with the soft drums. Susanne puts on a stunning vocal display at the end along with a minimalistic piano ballad.
"rūnā " offers up a very folkish production style compared to the previous three tracks, with a beautiful chorus and effortless lyrical flow. This track sounds like running through a field of flowers. "fare thee well" contains yet another rich vocal display, and although it's not as instrumentally stunning as the previous tracks, it's still a wonderful listen and does, in fact, have a solid jazzy instrumental in the outro. "leikara ljóð" begins slowly but beautifully with velvety hums from Susanne. It may be lyrically stripped back but is so dense in terms of production and vocals.
The album takes a turn into another jazzy feel on "ṣānnu yārru lī", a more abstract track, though, yet still an intriguing listen. Susanne's spoken word and whispers across the track make you pay attention. "náttsǫngr" brings back her stunning vocals, with Susanne displaying excellent riffs throughout the track. The vocal that goes into that high-pitched ringing at the end is an insanely uncomfortable but shockingly beautiful touch. Lyrically, it's heartbreaking, with Susanne speaking on struggles with a relationship.
"orð hjartans" closes the album, a really intriguing and odd listen in terms of production with its eerie sounds, sounds of children talking, and what sounds like some sort of creepy creature walking throughout the track. Susanne has her final statement at the end of the track, asking "If the heart has a word, what would it be?", then saying that the word is "yes, yes to everything". It's a powerful and unexpected way to end an album.
I knew that going into this album I'd enjoy it since I'm a big fan of singer-songwriter in general, and as mentioned before my love for the song "alyosha", but I didn't expect the album to be this stunning and at times even somewhat experimental. Susanne is an artist to keep your eye on.
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