Label : Autumnsongs Records/Burning Shed
Review by Davide Torresan
Silje Leirvik is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and this “With yhe Lights Turned Out So Beautiful” is her debut album. You know so little about her since she’s still a rather unknown artist, especially outside her native country. The songs she has composed in the demos of 2006 and 2007 are really a rare beauty. Her sweet and gentle voice but at times a bit dark matches perfectly with the sound of the piano or the cello. Her skills as a singer allowed her to win several music awards and in 2006 she joined the Norwegian rock band Madrugada on tour. 2012 was the right year and she focused on her ideas, gathered over the years in her first album. It became really important the collaboration with the producer and composer Rhys Marsh who played most of the instruments in this record. The result is really spectacular with ten songs in which the contrast light/shadow reigns. It is hard to set “With the Lights Turned Out So Beautiful” into a unique musical genre since there are pop, rock and even post-rock influences. The piano and the violin are the sad soul of all the songs while Silje‘s soulful voice is the glimmer of light that tries to pass through the darkness. It’s tough to judge which are the best songs of the album since each of them are really particular and they absolutely deserve to be listened. For example the vocalizations in the chorus of “Home” give a feeling of absolute peace. “Dark Pages” gently lulls us thanks to the sweet sound of the violin which in a crescendo stuns the listener for its beauty and magnificence. The final “I Was” is a touching ballad where Silje‘s voice, the violin and the piano mix up giving us a song where sadness and beauty are so strong and powerful that made me cry. I can only feel lucky to have had the chance to discover a promising artist like her. This album is for who loves sophisticated music: divine arrangements as the equally divine voice of Silje. I have nothing else to say. You must buy this album. It’s an order!
Rating – 88/100
Tracklist
- Home
- With Me
- Siren
- Dark Pages
- Wave of Emotion
- In You
- Now the Stillness
- The World of Your Words
- Ask of Life
- I Was
Line Up
- Silje Leirvik – Vocals & grand piano
- Rhys Marsh – Guitars, keyboards, drums & orchestrations
- Ola Lindseth – Violin
- Erlend Kvam – Cello