We always quote the amazing Tim Smith when he said simply 'it's all about the tunes innit', and Swedish musician 'Mindsong' proves that with his song 'Be Still My Heart', which is the most expressive of ballads and which just stuck in my mind so immediately that I felt we should share it with everyone.
Firstly we should introduce him as we've not written about him before, and behind 'Mindsong' is musician 'Henrik Johansson' from Habo in Jönköping County (a place I don't think we've not mentioned before either), and he lists his influences as 'Impressions, expressions, poems, feet and Beethoven', which I rather like - apart from maybe the feet. He's released a few tracks over the course of the last 2 years that have started to get some interesting coverage in blogs and playlists around the world, but it's 'Be Still My Heart' which really caught my attention.
It's a simple and completely heartfelt song, that just launches straight into the biggest of melodies (similar to a hymn), and the stripped back instruments just focuses all the attention on to that voice and tune. And when the song reaches that huge climax, the final emotional line is revealed - I realise that it might not quite be for everyone, but I think it's a very clever and moving song.
This is 'Be Still My Heart':
You can find 'Mindsong' in the following places: