There was a stream of Nordic Album releases in October, and we just haven't the resources to cover every single one. But we will try to point you in the direction of many as possible, whilst still spending time with some detailed reviews too, and 'Eide' with his album 'Grand Design' is high on our list of interesting releases which we know at least some of you will like.
Eide is a Norwegian musician who's songwriting album debut has arrived fairly late, but as we've seen many times before, that's not necessarily a bad thing. He's gathered together a group of musicians to play on his 'Grand Design' album that have a wealth of experience, and his album is a sensitive and soft melodic indie rock release that will appeal if you like artists such as Crowded House and Mumford and Sons.
The album opens with 'Turn for You', and immediately I'm struck with Eide's ability to craft tunes, and it's all backed up a melodic instrumentation. 'Grand Design' was the track which initially attracted us to his songwriting, and it builds quickly to a chorus which has a soft melancholic edge, but it still feels warm and comfortable. 'Reflections' has a dreamy subtlety about it, and I've found myself drawn to the piano part that carries the track along. 'Coming Back' raises the pace, but actually some of my favourite tracks on the album are still to come - 'Follow You' has a lovely tune in the chorus, whilst I really like the musical theme which sits behind 'Mother Nature'.
'Grand Design' by Eide is a nicely written album, which for some will lack an 'edge' to it, but for me I've just really enjoyed listening to the softly written melodic tunes and thoughtful instrumentation - maybe after the brilliant insanity of the Major Parkinson album my brain just needed a bit of a rest. We should really value songwriters who can simply write a really good tune, and 'Eide' is a good example of someone who puts all his efforts into creating songs that have melodies at their heart. Please give 'Grand Design' a listen.