The Sleeping Man Project - 'I Tried With Coffee'
I wrote about Danish duo Nothing Of This Is Real a few years ago, and one of the musicians behind the band, Jakob Dahn, is back as a solo artist under the name The Sleeping Man Project. He's been pretty prolific over the years with a number of bands, and it's no surprise that 'I Tried With Coffee' (his 3rd single under the name) has made such an impact with me, laid back melancholy indie rock with timeless sounding vocals and backed by a gentle choir. Sophisticated, melodic indie for those of us who like well written music with tunes.
Svavar Knútur - 'November'
I guess Icelandic songwriter Svavar Knútur is classed as an 'old favourite' at Nordic Music Review, as we've featured him many times previously, and I hope he won't mind me saying that I think he's getting better with age. New track 'November' is an 'appreciation of a much maligned month' and it's as surprising as it is impressive, with beautifully judged instrumentals accompanying the melancholy strains of the 1st half of the song, before it opens up with driving strings and indie guitars in the 2nd half, as changeable as the November weather I guess. A really good song anyway.
Team Me - 'Song for a Drummer'
It's just so good to have these guys back (still), and with a Norwegian tour already announced in 2022 it's already looking like they're going to have a pretty busy year. 'Song for a Drummer' is so typically Team Me, addictively catchy, upbeat and probably closest to the 'banging' style singles from their 2014 'Blind as Night' album. Definitely one of my favourite Nordic bands of all time, simply for their huge entertainment value.
Tara Nome Doyle - 'Snail I'.
So here's a new artist to Nordic Music Review, but once again I'm a little behind, given that Tara Nome Doyle has been making a real impression for a few years now. Irish / Norwegian heritage but now residing in Berlin, she released an album entitled Alchemy in 2020, and will follow that up with a new album early in 2022. 'Snail I' is a measured and compelling track, with lovely vocals and thoughtful, interesting instrumentation - particularly the expressive violin in the opening stages of the song.
More next week. Perhaps.