Susanna and the Magical Orchestra sway, saunter, and sulk through ninemelancholy originals and two spectacular cover versions on thisexceptional debut. List of Lights,...features production and additional instrumentation by Andreas Mjøs(Jaga Jazzist) and Deathprod, giving it a certain touch of music geekstreet cred. Rest assured, however, that this is a far more accessibleand poppy record than anything Rune Grammofon has released (to myknowledge), particularly due to the intimacy brought to the table byvocalist Susanna Karolina Wallumrød. Of course, her Nørwegian heritagenaturally compels American reviewers far lazier than I to drawcomparisons between her and that adored Scandinavian chanteuse Björk,easily encapsulating our opinions of the record into neat,reader-friendly boxes. However, it would be criminal to ignore or evengloss over Susanna's desperately fragile and foreign intonations, aswell as the endless waves of solemnity that define her standoutperformance style. Rejecting Björk's over-the-top delivery, Susannaopts to uses her time on record differently, exposing a strangelyseductive fragility instead of conjuring up some inner femininestrength. While singing simple yet powerful words like "happiness" and"joy," the sincerity in her voice expresses a general malaise and ayearning for deserved yet tragically inaccessible dreams, a sensestrategically supported by the truly "magical" compositions of primaryinstrumentalist Morten Qvenild. "Turn The Pages" overflows withdesperate strings and even more desperate questions, providing both themost straightforward vocal delivery on the album and the mostmemorable, albeit repetitious, chorus. In contrast, "Hello," one offive tracks with lyrics penned by Susanna, takes a more eclecticapproach musically and lyrically, featuring cryptic accusatory lines("Who are you to touch me in this very special way? / Who are you tostep on me in this very special way? / Hello at my doorstep.") andperhaps referencing a more disturbing context of victimization. Thecover versions, of Leonard Bernstein and Dolly Parton respectively, arejust as moving and powerful as the originals. The interpretation ofBernstein's "Who Am I" blends cold alien radio frequencies intoshimmering and bright keyboard tones without breaking any sense offlow, while the seemingly simplistic plucking on the highly emotional"Jolene" overflows with emotion as a result of its sparsity. Allthroughout, Qvenild constructs masterful beds of subtle sound, full ofspace and far more melodic and engaging than Matmos' work with theaforementioned Icelandic princess. With the Magical Orchestra, Qvenildhas discovered a comfortably tranquil niche in that delicate balancebetween conventional musicality and audio experimentation, and I canonly hope that he continues to collaborate with the enchanting Susannaon further releases. Without question, List of Lights and Buoys is one of the strongest contenders so far for placement atop my "Best Of" list for this year.Read More
