Originally
from Denmark, Anette Norgaard is a talented singer, actress, teacher, and
musician living in New York, USA. A North Node is a ten-track wonderment
steeped in clear vocals and arrangements from a Scandinavian influence. Anette is joined by Danielle Enrico on piano,
Elyssa Samsel on violin, Tony Conniff on bass, Charlie Demos on
percussion/backing vocals, and Ari Sadowitz/Ramez Baddour on guitars.
“Did They”
opens with a slow, acoustic/electric guitar introduction and Anette’s folk/pop
vocals. The lilting guitar melody ripples with delicate elegance and musical
brilliance. After a few chords, the
vocals are more akin to a rock song, but the guitar’s sound and tempo remains
unchanged. No additional instrumentation
or vocals are included. This is edgy
folk/pop at its best.
“Fall”
begins with light, swishy percussion and Anette’s golden voice. The jazzy percussion set-up, light bass, and
backup vocals adequately accompany Anette’s vocals here. There are some keyboard atmospherics, too. For the most part, the song takes on a jazzy
side of laid-back, but Anette’s vocals brighten the tune up a bit. Without the presence of a guitar, the song
meanders along in a successful voyage of down-tempo, lounge, and avant-garde
subtleties.
“If You
Lay Down Your Heart” begins with a wavering violin and Anette’s crystal-clear
voice. The vocals and violin are accompanied by a soft piano melody that adds a
comforting quality to the song. The
latter half of the song contains louder vocals, but the instrumentation also
follows in suit. There is an element of
Scandinavian or Celtic folk music throughout the tune. At any rate, Anette succeeds with brilliant
results.
“Morgenstund”
begins with a few lower register keys on piano and some eerie atmospherics with
swishy percussion and Anette’s beautiful voice. This tune is sung in Danish. The musical arrangements are more abstract
than all of the other tracks on the album, but that does not make it a bad
song. The shimmering, atmospheric sounds
and noises are angelic, industrial, and experimental, but the piano melody and
Anette’s voice keeps everything well-rooted in reality. Overall, the song is
very haunting, but delectable in all of its aural beauty.
“Sometimes”
opens with a horn-like sound and Anette’s pop-focused vocals. The percussion set-up and harmonica-like
sounds add to the pop-centric song constructions. The cascading sounds are varied, but flow
together. The cymbals, drums, snaps and
claps make the song pop with contemporary qualities. The frolicking bass-line and Anette’s vocals
make this one of the most exciting songs on the album.
“It’s
Actually Worse” begins with a slow, piano melody and Anette’s jazz-standard
vocals. The song is simply a vocal piano
song without additional instrumentation or vocals. The vocals are not forced or contrived. The sweet vocals and soft melody make a
fitting soundtrack for a lounge club or anyone interested in love songs.
Anette
Norgaard produces a fine album of ten songs than span the gamut from fun and
lively to emotive and reflective. The
songs contain a few horn/harmonica-like sounds, as well as guitar, bass,
keyboards, piano, and assorted percussion. The diversity in “Morgenstund” is an example
of pushing beyond one’s boundaries in the creative process of musicianship with
all of the avant-garde undertones. The
piano adds a reflective tone to many of the songs, while the guitar leads
“Sometimes” into a beautiful oblivion of catchiness. There are similarities with other Scandinavian
female singers here, which is not a bad thing. A North
Node is a thing of beauty that will be appreciated by everyone that listens
to it.
Artist: Anette Norgaard
Album: A North Node
Review by
Matthew Forss
Rating: 5
Stars (out of 5)
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