SUSANNA AND THE MAGICAL ORCHESTRA
Melody Mountain
To say that the leftfield have been drooling over the prospect of a new Susanna And The Magical Orchestra album pretty much since their debut 'List Of Lights And Buoys' hit the run-out groove is a gross understatement - it's more akin to gagging for it... Seemingly able to conjure up the vast majesty of their native Norway through a music box that doesn't rely on cinematic clichés, Susanna Wallumrod and Morten Qvenild (aka Susanna and The Magical Orchestra) brought a raw fragility to their compositions that dripped with heartfelt sincerity whilst neatly avoiding the bog of greeting-card sentiment that can so blight such recordings. Taking the reappropriation of other people's songs as their starting point, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra have delivered 'Melody Mountain' - an album full of cover versions. Brimming with tracks from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Joy Division, Scott Walker, Prince, Bob Dylan and even Kiss, 'Melody Mountain' might seem a little past it in terms of concepts - with everyone from Jose Gonzales and Amanda Rogers through to Nouvelle Vague bringing the aural reinterpretation back to the surface of credibility. Yet rather than merely trot out some familiar melodies to avoid making a full-fat follow up, Susanna And The Magical Orchestra have coaxed something very special from their record collection - opening with Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and successfully dodging the looming shadow of Buckley to make it their own. Relying on Wallumrod's crystalline vocals and the merest hint of organ, 'Hallelujah' is the kind of song which can't fail to elicit an emotional response - a situation which is reprised throughout. With an evident highlight being their phenomenal version of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence', the duo also make the likes of AC/DC's 'It's A Long Way To The Top' and Kiss' 'Crazy, Crazy Nights' into tender bruises that are as delicate as a butterfly. Elsewhere, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' manages to justify its inclusion (how many versions can you take...?), 'It's Raining Today' from Scott Walker is a majestic piano reading, whilst the unknown (to me at least) 'These Days' from Matt Burt is an all out tear-jerker. Dictionary definition of the word magical...
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To say that the leftfield have been drooling over the prospect of a new Susanna And The Magical Orchestra album pretty much since their debut 'List Of Lights And Buoys' hit the run-out groove is a gross understatement - it's more akin to gagging for it... Seemingly able to conjure up the vast majesty of their native Norway through a music box that doesn't rely on cinematic clichés, Susanna Wallumrod and Morten Qvenild (aka Susanna and The Magical Orchestra) brought a raw fragility to their compositions that dripped with heartfelt sincerity whilst neatly avoiding the bog of greeting-card sentiment that can so blight such recordings. Taking the reappropriation of other people's songs as their starting point, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra have delivered 'Melody Mountain' - an album full of cover versions. Brimming with tracks from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Joy Division, Scott Walker, Prince, Bob Dylan and even Kiss, 'Melody Mountain' might seem a little past it in terms of concepts - with everyone from Jose Gonzales and Amanda Rogers through to Nouvelle Vague bringing the aural reinterpretation back to the surface of credibility. Yet rather than merely trot out some familiar melodies to avoid making a full-fat follow up, Susanna And The Magical Orchestra have coaxed something very special from their record collection - opening with Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and successfully dodging the looming shadow of Buckley to make it their own. Relying on Wallumrod's crystalline vocals and the merest hint of organ, 'Hallelujah' is the kind of song which can't fail to elicit an emotional response - a situation which is reprised throughout. With an evident highlight being their phenomenal version of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence', the duo also make the likes of AC/DC's 'It's A Long Way To The Top' and Kiss' 'Crazy, Crazy Nights' into tender bruises that are as delicate as a butterfly. Elsewhere, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' manages to justify its inclusion (how many versions can you take...?), 'It's Raining Today' from Scott Walker is a majestic piano reading, whilst the unknown (to me at least) 'These Days' from Matt Burt is an all out tear-jerker. Dictionary definition of the word magical...
To say that the leftfield have been drooling over the prospect of a new Susanna And The Magical Orchestra album pretty much since their debut 'List Of Lights And Buoys' hit the run-out groove is a gross understatement - it's more akin to gagging for it... Seemingly able to conjure up the vast majesty of their native Norway through a music box that doesn't rely on cinematic clichés, Susanna Wallumrod and Morten Qvenild (aka Susanna and The Magical Orchestra) brought a raw fragility to their compositions that dripped with heartfelt sincerity whilst neatly avoiding the bog of greeting-card sentiment that can so blight such recordings. Taking the reappropriation of other people's songs as their starting point, Susanna and The Magical Orchestra have delivered 'Melody Mountain' - an album full of cover versions. Brimming with tracks from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Joy Division, Scott Walker, Prince, Bob Dylan and even Kiss, 'Melody Mountain' might seem a little past it in terms of concepts - with everyone from Jose Gonzales and Amanda Rogers through to Nouvelle Vague bringing the aural reinterpretation back to the surface of credibility. Yet rather than merely trot out some familiar melodies to avoid making a full-fat follow up, Susanna And The Magical Orchestra have coaxed something very special from their record collection - opening with Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and successfully dodging the looming shadow of Buckley to make it their own. Relying on Wallumrod's crystalline vocals and the merest hint of organ, 'Hallelujah' is the kind of song which can't fail to elicit an emotional response - a situation which is reprised throughout. With an evident highlight being their phenomenal version of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence', the duo also make the likes of AC/DC's 'It's A Long Way To The Top' and Kiss' 'Crazy, Crazy Nights' into tender bruises that are as delicate as a butterfly. Elsewhere, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' manages to justify its inclusion (how many versions can you take...?), 'It's Raining Today' from Scott Walker is a majestic piano reading, whilst the unknown (to me at least) 'These Days' from Matt Burt is an all out tear-jerker. Dictionary definition of the word magical...