Review Summary: Don't let the beautiful folk guitar fool you, this is not one for your Gran.
Note: I will keep this short, and allow a more experienced writer to come and give a better review at some point in the future.
I came across Arne Åsmund a couple years back with this, his debut album 'Storytime'. Just by reading the track list I could tell that this was not going to be an ordinary acoustic album. Each track features a wonderfully played folk guitar, assisted by gentle woodwind and some strings. The first song 'Burn Baby Burn' sets the tone for the album. The lyrics are raw and Åsmund is unafraid to go where many folk artists dare. This is the softest, most explicit album I have encountered - this is a good thing, mind. The humor is, at times, enough to make one smile from ear to ear and cringe simultaneously.
The lyrics are the main attraction, of course (not to dethrone the instrumentation). I am a fan of the metal genre, but I have yet to find a metal album that makes me feel more threatened or scared in its lyrics than this soft, flavorful folk LP. Songs such as 'Evelyn' and 'Burn Baby Burn' send out particularly strong imaginary ("I'm going to tie you to a pile of wood and pour gasoline all over you"). I feel I must at this point bring up the fact that the songs are almost all detailing sinister evens performed upon women (often lovers) of the singer. This may cause some to feel a little uncomfortable - but that's the entire point of the album. This is not an album to quote to your significant other in the bedroom. Unless they're into all that of course.
This first album kicks off to a very promising start - brilliant instrumentation with well sung, soft and sinister lyrics. This album and Åsmund's latest 2015 release 'The Beauty of Psychiatry' are currently streaming on Spotify.
Notable tracks:
- Storytime
- Evelyn
- Belle of the Ball
- Fireflies
