As is no doubt the case for anyone afflicted with the record collecting disease, something old is often seen as the cure for that particular problem. In my case, I felt a little bit better after investigating Swedish folk singers of the late sixties so would something new like, for example, “Over Vannet” by Norwegian dumpster diva Duesund cure my other many and myriad woes?
It turns out that it did. As albums of today go, “Over Vannet” is distinctly old fashioned in its presentation and general feel. That works for me as Duesund is duly able to cast a distinctly organic spell over my, and your, ears. There is nothing here to punch a hole in your eardrums but the sheer elegance and eloquence – rare as these things are these days – will convince anyone who has a heart that there is someone out there singing to, and for, them. The whole album is in Norwegian so who knows what those words actually mean yet that does not matter for Duesund’s voice pulls off an unexpected magic trick and deftly moves her from outside to inside your head. She may therefore sound like she is speaking words in a language you do not know but you can nonetheless understand it all.
“Over Vannet” is an album that sounds like it is from a better time than today and, even without subtitles, it is an entrancing listen. As an additional point of statistical insignificance, I have reviewed 21 albums and 24 singles in the last month and, after that, I spent my own money to buy copies of just two of them and one of those was “Over Vannet”. Affliction or addiction, I now have no wish to be cured.
Available from Bandcamp.