Browse by Artist: SUSANNA

Artist:	SUSANNA
Title:	Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos
Label:	RUNE GRAMMOFON (NORWAY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	RCD 2066CD

This is the debut solo album from Norway's Susanna Karolina Wallumrød, who is most known for two sublime albums and a number of quietly powerful concerts with Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, a duo which includes member Morten Qvenild (Jaga Jazzist, Shining, In The Country). This time she is simply "Susanna," and she has written twelve highly personal songs that make up this beautiful and quite extraordinary album. She plays piano and guitar and guests include brother and ECM recording artist Christian Wallumrød (piano), Magical Orchestra partner Morten Qvenild (piano, synth), Big Bang leader Øystein Greni (guitar), The White Birch leader Ola Fløttum (guitar), In The Country drummer Pål Hausken, Helge Sten (guitar, mellotron) and Giovanna Pessi (harp). As Rune Grammofon label head Rune Kristoffersen makes clear: "In these fast and restless times of instant entertainment and shortways to possible success, it's a rare treat to witness a young and genuinely talented singer and writer that operates to such a degree outside trends and fashions. Much in the same way as a young Tim Buckley, Nico or Scott Walker without making too much of those comparisons. We are delighted with this lovely addition to the catalog, a work of uncompromising dedication inviting us to reflect and to listen." Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos is produced by Deathprod (Helge Sten).

Artist:	SUSANNA
Title:	Flower Of Evil
Label:	RUNE GRAMMOFON (NORWAY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	RCD 2080CD

Flower of Evil is the second solo album from Susanna Wallumrød, mostly known from two fine albums and a number of quietly powerful concerts with Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. Susanna has already proved herself as an original songwriter, "Believer" from Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's debut album from 2004 was named by Mojo as "one of the greatest break-up songs ever." And on her first solo album, Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos (2007) all 12 songs were her own. But Susanna is also known as an extraordinary interpreter of songs, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Hallelujah" from Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's album Melody Mountain (2006) being two examples of her ability to renew "difficult" songs. Flower Of Evil is 12 sublime cover versions of mostly well-known songs as well as two Susanna originals, all beautifully sung by one of the most exceptional new voices of recent years, with lovely accompaniment by her trusted band members Helge Sten (Deathprod, Supersilent), Pål Hausken (In The Country) and with Bonnie "Prince" Billy guesting on two songs. Whether it's Thin Lizzy or Sandy Denny, Black Sabbath or Nico, Lou Reed or Abba, all are given the very personal Susanna treatment. Flower Of Evil was recorded in Atlantis Studio in Stockholm, a studio full of vintage, analog equipment and a wonderful engineer, Janne Hansson, who knows all there is to know about proper recording. And it is difficult to say something about this record without mentioning how good it sounds. While many are concerned about illegal downloading and the drop in CD sales, few seem troubled by the lost art of proper recording and the tyranny of compression and squeezing of music to make it sound as loud as possible on radio, mp3 players, cell phones and small PC speakers. Flower Of Evil is an old school recording of musicians playing and singing together with a bare minimum of compression being applied at the mixing and mastering stage, thus maintaining the natural dynamics of the performance.

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