Beauty is in the ear of the beholder ...
Narcissus
Bror Forsgren
You’d think it would be easy to review an album with the help of hindsight … well in the case of Bror Forsgren’s debut solo release, ‘Narcissus’ you’d be entirely mistaken on that front. Named after a figure from Greek mythology famed for his beauty, it is indeed a thing of musical beauty but an highly complex and labyrinthine one.
Sonically it allegedly evokes Scott Walker and Jens Lekman, amongst others; being familiar with neither, I can’t say whether or not it lives up to those claims. What I can say, is that it is an immense pot pourri of styles, influences, tempos and textures – a sonic conglomeration on a magnificent cinematic widescreen scale.
Released at the end of September, ‘Narcissus’ has gone on to be named one of the Norwegian highlights of 2015, being cited by several indigenous music publications in their end of year Best Album lists (and in the top end at that!). It preceded Forsgren’s December single drop, the hopelessly romantic oeuvre, ‘I Had a Dream Last Night’, the song which first brought his music to my attention (hence the retro album review).
Forsgren enlisted the help of several fellow Norwegians in creating ‘Narcissus’, but perhaps the most spectacular contribution is that of the wonderful Trondheim Solistene, a young chamber ensemble of string players who have just recently announced their seventh Grammy nomination. Their string interpretations are inspired, their arrangements and performances nothing short of breathtaking.
‘Narcissus’ is less of a ‘pop’ album and more of a series of musical scores, with several of its songs fitting seamlessly into the mould of cinematic soundtrack. It opens with ‘Waiting For That Holy Music’ which begins with some orchestral tuning before strings akin to fluttering wings flit and fly through a gorgeous pastoral soundscape. Continuing the religious theme (faith in God, along with lost love and innocence are the three overriding themes of the album) is ‘In A Time That God Was One’, the only track from ‘Narcissus’ to be released as a single. A song in the mould of ‘I Had A Dream Last Night’ it benefits from an happily married RS, perfectly timed brass sequences and carefree string sequences spiralling dreamily down through happy fizzy pop.
Not only does ‘Narcissus’ gobble up a raft of influential sounds, it flirts shamelessly with several musical eras and geographies. ‘I Need Something New’ is a fusion of 70s classic rock and musical jazz whilst ‘Still In The Wild’ is a little other worldly here, and a lotta Latino there, muddled with some 60s Barryesque vibes. ‘La La Land’ lives up to its title with its drumsticks on speed and 60s gogo sounds topped off with a graceful shimmer of Tchaikovsky.
Throughout this magical mystery tour, Forsgren gives his heartfelt lyrics a lovely delicate voice. His falsetto vocal has a natural fragility and softness that is sometimes lost amongst some of the louder instrumental arrangements but given the extent of the va-va-voom orchestral content of the album, the fact that this occurs only a handful of times, is testament to Forsgren’s interpretative nous and savvy production skills.
If you’re seeking a sonic centrepiece, then I guess it has to be ‘Tired of the Sun’. At over eleven minutes, this Baroque masterpiece could well be styled as a symphonic movement in its own right. Again like its stablemates, it swings from century to century, and genre to genre – dabbling in Wagner, Morricone and Barry (John Barry is to my ears the biggest tendril of influence snaking through the album). Forsgren lays a lovely lazy vocal over a bed made up of heavenly chimes, fuzzy synth, a riot of guitar and some exquisite classical sequences, in particular the horn and Bondesque strings arrangements.
Kudos to Bror Forsgren for having the imagination and foresight to create this musical elaboration. Not only does ‘Narcissus’ perfectly exemplify his talent as a gifted songwriter and musician, it is also a clear indicator of the boundaries Forsgren, as a composer and arranger, is willing to push in order to create something unique and stylistically challenging. And yes, it may be a teeny bit OTT and a tad melodramatic, but when you’re splicing upbeat pop with fantastical symphonica understated will never be part of the plan.
If you are looking for an album of musical diversity, brimming with pomp and elegance, wonderfully composed and arranged, with an expansive feel that features exceptional musicianship, look no further. ‘Narcissus’ is full bells and whistles musical fantasia.
