Danish trio Nelson Can drop their third EP, simply named 'EP3', September 29. Three outstanding singles with accompanying videos are already out: "Break Down Your Walls", "Move Forward" and "Miracle".
Tour: Bassist Signe SigneSigne, drummer Maria Juntunen and powerhouse vocalist Selina Gin have five shows in Denmark October 5-20 plus eight shows in the UK November 17-27.
Melbourne duo Kllo aka cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam drop their 12-track debut full-length'Backwater' on October 20. So far, two songs have been released to whet our appetites:
The bouncy-yet-chill "Virtue" echoes some of the best output on legendary U.S., label Naked Music (Lisa Shaw, Gaelle, Aya, Miguel Migs, Blue Six, etc.). "Nylon" uses a minimalist approach that is equally enthralling. The outstanding EPs that have come before showcased Kaul's hypnotic vocals and Lam's playful production; the new album looks to be of the same stellar quality.
A video for "Virtue" was published last month; as of today, there is only an audio clip to go with "Nylon". Hopefully, a regular video will premiere soon.
Kaul & Lam have a string of shows lined up for October, November and December with dates in the U.S,, the UK, continental Europe and Australia.
NOTE: Unfortunately, the tour schedule listed on Facebook and Songkick differ somewhat, so be sure to check online for each venue.
In February, Danish composer-singer-guitarist Sara Grabow (born 1979) self-released her album 'EneRum' [Solitary Space] containing ten beautiful songs that - as is the case with all great music - have universal appeal and thus do not necessarily require the listener to understand the lyrics; it's about the vibe and the sound. Having said that, Grabow happens to be such a skilled lyricist that I find myself wanting to give my non-Danish readers a crash course.
The ten tracks were recorded north of Copenhagen at the centuries old Esrum Abbey, a location chosen specifically for its sublime acoustics. A musical labor of love about Grabow's journey of the past two years and the search for contemplation and tranquility, the songs are also an exploration of sound and tone. The lyrics express longing and pose questions, including "Might music help show us the way?" I believe her flawless album answers this question with a resounding yes.
The Nightfly: At
what age did you start writing songs?
Sara Grabow: I remember writing a
funny little song at age 7 or so. I still remember it. A song about a pencil
and an eraser.
The Nightfly: What came first –
singing or playing an instrument?
Sara Grabow.: Singing I guess. When I
look at my children today, it’s obvious that singing is a part of every human being’s life from an early stage
- even before talking.
The Nightfly: What is your
songwriting process typically like?
Sara Grabow: I wait until there’s a
special feeling in my body. I really don’t feel that I am a songwriter.
Songwriting to me is not that enjoyable and free anymore. Too much anxiety and
too many thoughts: Is it good enough? It destroys my creativity. So I have to
wait until it’s really there - the feeling. I have accepted the fact that it
can take years. In between, I concentrate on singing and performing and writing
poems and stories.
The Nightfly: What and/or who
inspires your songwriting?
Sara Grabow: If speaking of writing - not just songwriting - I am inspired by my inner emotional life and development,
the nature and silence.
The Nightfly: Which do you enjoy
the most: writing, recording or performing?
Sara Grabow: Definitely performing!
The Nightfly: Do you prefer not
to label your music in terms of genre?
Sara Grabow: Yes.
The Nightfly: Do you view your
songs as having a specific feminine element and/or woman’s point of view?
Sara Grabow: My songs are very soft,
heart-opening and calming. Those are
feminine energies. If we talk about a balancing alchemy between the masculine
and feminine which is often seen in great music artists such as Prince, Madonna
and David Bowie - or the classical sensitive songwriter guy - there is a very
feminine energy to what I do. But the way I do it is masculine. I play alone
and stand strongly with my message, I hold the room with my energy and create a
direct contact with my audience when I perform - and I am not afraid to do it.
That is masculine, I guess.
The Nightfly: You often perform in
churches. Is this mostly a choice based
on the beautiful acoustics in church rooms?
Sara Grabow: Yes, that is the main
reason. But I am also very interested in the religious symbols and wisdom.
Church rooms hold a treasure of wisdom about the human body, mind and soul that we
need to rediscover.
The Nightfly: Do you ever see
yourself not creating music?
Sara Grabow: Yes. But I could not see
myself without a creative output - it might be writing or painting instead.
The Nightfly: It´s often said that great
music is universal. In your opinion, how
vital are lyrics to a song?
Sara Grabow: I love lyrics and a
strong text, but it has never been my first priority. It has always been the
feeling, the mood in the song.
The Nightfly: Have you performed
outside Denmark, and if not, are there plans to do so?
Sara Grabow: I was playing some small
concerts in New York 10 years ago. I have played in the Faroe Islands and in
Norway. It would be great fun to play abroad again!
The Nightfly: Unfortunately, few
readers outside Scandinavia are likely to be familiar with your father
Sebastian (born Knud Torben Grabow Christensen in 1949), one of the most
celebrated and beloved songwriters in Denmark. You’ve both recorded his songs as well as performed them live, and have stated in interviews that you are very proud to be his daughter. Has
it been a challenge to find your own path as a songwriter in Denmark?
Sara Grabow: Yes, definitely. My
album 'EneRum' is about finding my own voice after being in the shadow for years.
It has been a long journey, and finally now I am beginning to find my own path and seeing my mission as not only being a songwriter writing in a specific
way, but more of a performing artist concentrated around experiencing music
together with other people, discovering, listening, sharing.
The Nightfly: All of the ten
tracks on your latest EP “EneRum” are stunning. Do you have a personal favorite?
Sara Grabow: Til Dagen Svales!
The Nightfly: Tell me a little
about each of the ten tracks: Sara Grabow:
Fald Ned Engle Små [Fall Down Little Angels] it's a small song about walking in the forest. Accepting the solitude. Connecting to the trees and nature instead of people. Fuglene
[The Birds] The birds are a symbol
of thoughts flying around, disturbing and distracting. By connecting to a higher
wish or intention and by patiently listening, the birds slowly descend and
place themselves quietly on my shoulder.
Kære Stille Hjerte [Dear Quiet Heart]
A song about listening
to your heart. The heart is always with us. It is our true home. It was written
at a time where a large number of immigrants fled from Syria in boats and I
thought about this feeling of survival and connecting to your inner values, a feeling which immigrants in a crisis situation must feel quite intensely. In
comparison, we live in our safe homes and forget to listen and keep on living
our money fixated lives.
Søvnige Øje {Sleepy Eye]
It’s a song about
letting go. Here, it is letting go of the soul that flies to the sky during
sleep to get nourishment from above. Whether it’s during sleep or when you die -
you have to let go to enter the flow.
Lille Atom
[Little Atom]
This is my song about
micro-macro. And I invite the audience to sing with me on this one to make it
obvious how good it feels to sing. When we stimulate our own cells, it affects everything
around us, and in the end, if everyone on Earth were singing at the same time,
I think we could heal all the wounds we have created on our planet.
Stilhed [Silence]
A melody I wrote to
Sanne Tytte Hoffmann Rasmussen's lyrics. She died from cancer last year. Before
she died we did some small lectures where she read from her diary about how
cancer affected her family, including her three small children and how they prepared for her
departure. I played songs that I wrote to her lyrics and this one made it to
the album. The lyrics are about embracing the darkness and having a feeling of
being home and safe in the dark silence.
Aftentak
[Evening Thanks]
I wrote it as an evening prayer to my children
at a time they were feeling uncomfortable at bedtime. I suddenly felt like
putting it into music and it has been quite popular, even though I have some
trouble with using God in my song.
Til
Dagen Svales [Until the Day Cools]
The lyrics are from 'The
Song of Songs' in the Bible. I picked the words and sentences that spoke to me.
It is the most beautiful story of letting go of your loved one. Be patient and humble
when it comes to love.
Daglige
Brød [Daily Bread]
I haven't played this
song live, so I forgot what my intentions are. Hmm, I guess it’s a kind of
prayer and a thank-you to my mother and father.
Improvisiation Løgumkloster Kirke
[Improvisation, Løgum Abbey, Jutland]
This is quite
interesting for me. It is a landscape of sound without words. It is the total
devotion to moods, my inner feeling here and now, the acoustics in the room,
playing with overtones, singing with the room. This is something I’d like to
work more with in the future.
Published since 2008, The Nightfly is a non-profit one-woman operation based out of Long Beach/Los Angeles, California. An eclectic virtual music magazine with readers in more than 100 countries, it features videos along with interviews, reviews, news and points of views.
