(Photo Credit - Sara Angelica Spilling)
Advance Review - Konradsen: Saints and Sebastian Stories - October 25, 2019
As the Portland weather becomes more and more rainy and we can finally say seasons have changed, we all yearn for some music to accompany the shift. That is where Konradsen steps in and provides the intimate and soul warming music we all crave through their newest release ‘Saints and Sebastian Stories’.
The duo: Jenny Marie Sabel on piano and vocals and Eirik Vildgren on a multitude of instruments showcase their immense individual talent throughout, but something about this debut long player that really caught my attention, and my ear, is the community of friends and family that are featured throughout.
The album gives listeners a strong feeling of Autumn nights with friends and family through intentional vocals, and tracks such as ‘Big Bruce’ and ‘Cosmic Kid Vibration’, where audio from family videos and friends are used. Other tracks, i.e. ‘Baby Hallelujah’, feature a chorus of voices from close friends to only cement the intimacy and community aspect of the release.
While the foundation of Konradsen’s sound is Sabel’s authentic vocals with a minimalist piano track, Saints and Sebastian highlights many other different sounds that the duo can later build upon in future productions. Crescendos of saxophone and strings on certain tracks add a new layer to the sound while maintaining that ‘friends around a bonfire’ feeling.
Konradsen invites us all to be a part of their family with this latest release, with a warm intimacy perfect for these autumn nights for hopefully years to come. Named a Band to Watch by Stereogum, I think we can all agree they are a band to know.
Rating - 4/5