“I save a raindrop from sinking in the sand” is the first line of Eliksir’s (Elin Synnove Brathen) opening track, “Raindrop Song” from her stunning debut album, Earthly Things. A track in which the Norwegian singer/songwriter introduces us to the element of water that ebbs and flows so effortlessly throughout this wonderful collection of songs, mixing as it does elements of Pop, Jazz, Rock, Celtic and World music; a mixture that she herself describes as “a potion of contemporary nostalgia.” And a most potent potion, it certainly is.
The title track, “Earthly Things”, is a hauntingly beautiful lament to the inevitable changing of the seasons from summer to fall, or rather, the passing of time and the impermanence of everything, “How much time do we get?... Soon enough we will fade.” Eliksir begins to stretch her legs vocally on this song. As the listener delves further into the album, we discover she has only been limbering up.
“At The Station” is a much more pop orientated track, brought alive with some brilliant percussion that brings the train into the room with you and includes some great Claptonesque lead guitar courtesy of Haldor Royne. “Where is my darling fever?... Where is my heartbeat’s keeper?” Eliksir wonders as Kristin Skaare’s accordion delicately punctuates this wonderfully FM-radio-friendly song. A highly original bass line courtesy of Glenn Phillip Nilsen helps along with the aforementioned percussion to keep everything “At the Station” running right on schedule.
“Harbour Song” is pretty much the Tour de Force of Earthly Things. The highly acclaimed and world-renowned Oystein Sevag’s spacious production allows great scope for Eliksir’s almost unbelievable — almost supernatural — vocal delivery, as the tempo (and water again) ebbs and flows in this remarkable, Middle Eastern sounding at times, brilliant work of art. “Silent my love, do not reveal” - the hair stood up on the back of my neck the first time I heard Eliksir sing this most Siren-like and incredibly beautiful line, (not an everyday occurrence and most certainly like nothing else I have heard in many a year, it must be said). At the risk of contradicting myself so immediately, I could never have guessed it would happen again a few minutes later when I heard the next track, “Feel It”, for the very first time.
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