A fresh breathe of Norwegian air
Nothing moves a musical artist to the top of my list faster than their music's transporting quality. If I close my eyes to listen and feel myself in another place entirely, I'm sold. So goes my new favorite Norwegian1, Dylan Mondegreen. He stands tall with the likes of Bart Davenport and Kevin Tihista as a complete singer-songwriter who can easily handle the gentle peace of an acoustic guitar or the lush arrangements of a full orchestra.
I sat in my favorite club chair this afternoon with a sketchbook in hand and my iPod on the ready. As I set to work dreaming up ideas for a new product for work, I started to give a listen to some of Dylan's demos. Before long my eyes were closed and I felt myself no longer in my living room but on the streets of Trondheim at an outside table at a little coffee shop. I could feel the wool blanket around my shoulders and on my lap while I sipped at a cup of creamy hot cocoa. I opened my eyes and moved the pencil along my sketchpad.
1 It didn't occur to me until now, but April 1 this year has turned into an unintentional celebrate Norway day as I'm due to see Thomas Dybdahl and Sondre Lerche in a few hours at Double Door. All I'm missing is some Kings of Convenience, The Margarets, Royksopp and Annie.
Buy some: Dylan Mondegreen (when his record is released later this year, in the meantime you can listen to a few more tracks)