SUSANNA AND THE MAGICAL ORCHESTRA – LISTS OF LIGHTS AND BUOYS (RUNE GRAMMOFON)
October 8th, 2004 by susanna
Every so often a true gem of an album slides mystifyingly into your hands, captivates your soul and makes you thankful for the people still intent on creating music of intimate beauty.
‘List of Lights and Buoys’, the debut album from Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, is one of those. It’s a fragile, moving and powerful piece of work born from a collaboration between vocalist Susanna Wallumrod and Morten Qvenlid, the keyboardist from Jaga Jazzist.
The album opens with two covers: ‘Who Am I’, a twisted, dreamy and take on Leonard Bernstein’s song from Peter Pan and an achingly beautiful rendition of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. Much like Nouvelle Vague, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra make this song their own by stripping it down to the bare bones; a pensive piano line accompanying Wallumrod’s heartfelt vocals for the most part.
Many reviews have praised ‘Jolene’ as the stand out track of the album. While there’s no denying its strength, it’s the original compositions that are the most magical and intriguing.
‘Turn The Pages’ is one such song; a slowburning lament which finds Wallumrod sounding like Kathryn Williams at her most pensive as she asks “where are all these people coming from/where do all these accidents belong?”
The first signs of electronic accompaniment come on the poignant ‘Friend’, as Qvenlid’s subtle glitchy rhythms complement another beautiful vocal delivery before ‘Hello’ is ushered in with a simple yet achingly fragile piano motif. As Wallumrod begins to ask “who are you to touch me in this very special way” we have no alternative but to think that question should be reversed because it’s undeniably her who is touching us in a very special way.
‘Baby’ is gorgeous. Wallumrod gently singing a hymn to her lost child (“where did that baby go?”) over a mournful piano line that could be enough to make you cry.
The mood is uplifted momentarily on ‘Time’ before the haunting, almost chilling introduction to ‘Distance Blues And Theory’ drifts mournfully in wrapped snugly around Wallumrod’s understated vocals.
It would be easy to compare some of this album to Bjork, however the vocals are more subtle and the music more fragile and dreamy; it’s pretty much ambient from start to finish. It can be melancholy affair at times yet it’s an intriguing album that deserves to be praised highly for it’s honesty, beauty and above all it’s magic.
The Gaffer
Susanna and The Magical Orchestra’s ‘List of Lights and Buoys’ is out now on Rune Grammofon
Susanna and The Magical Orchestra play The Spitz, London on 19th November 2004 (supporting Acoustic Ladyland) on the only UK date of their European tour.
