ALBUM REVIEW: 16 – Einar Solberg
Heavy progressive music is a breeding ground for people we may call musical visionaries, and few are more deserving of this title than EINAR SOLBERG – singer, keyboardist and compositional engine behind Norwegian masters of the genre LEPROUS. With his first foray into solo work 16, SOLBERG treads new ground in compositional and lyrical terms, without sacrificing his unique musical handwriting.
Opener 16 is a string-led ballad that slowly builds up over seven plus minutes without ever quite exploding with the raw euphoric energy that we’re used to from LEPROUS. This characterises the record as a whole – a more cinematic, contemplative affair, with foundations rooted in SOLBERG’s twin interests of electronica and classical. Where the songs are infused with a rock energy, it comes less from heavy distorted guitars and more through a driving drum rhythm (courtesy of AGENT FRESCO’s Keli Guðjónsson) or a sampled electronic pattern. These raw materials are successfully moulded to convey a multitude of moods – ranging from the brooding heaviness of Where All the Twigs Broke (featuring Einar’s sister Heidi aka STAR OF ASH), to the brassy hip-hop of Home which even includes a rapped verse by Ben Levin [BENT KNEE] – an experiment that on paper should be naff but in reality works quite well.
The eclectic mixture of genres and extensive guest appearances are no coincidence. SOLBERG actively sought to work on each song with musicians he admired from the worlds of modern prog as well as experimental classical or alt-folk, with most songs presented as a 50-50 meeting of minds. Other highlights among them include Blue Light which features the velvet vocals of VOLA’s Asger Mygind, or the by-now customary duet with brother-in-law IHSAHN in the industrial-tinged prog metal of Splitting The Soul which sounds closer to what we’ve come to expect from the two of them.
Lyrically, 16 is a personal album, with SOLBERG describing it as the closest to a concept album he has ever written to date. Focussed on a formative period of his early adulthood between the ages of 16 and 19 – a time marked by the realisation that life can be tragic and brutal, but also the years that set him on his later path to fulfilment – he delivers these lyrics with the powerful emotiveness we’re used to, allowing himself to be extra fragile at moments.
The album’s musical and lyrical concept culminates with the 11-minute epic The Glass Is Empty made with Tóti Guðnason [AGENT FRESCO]. It presents a classical-inspired spin on expansive opuses like LEPROUS’s The Sky Is Red, though instead of fully exploding into glorious release like them, its 4-minute final build-up leaves unresolved, like a coiled spring – not unlike the impending foray into adulthood this album represents.
For all its strengths, the collaborative spirit perhaps accounts for a little bloatedness on the record. 16 clocks in at just under 1 hour 10 minutes, with some of the songs prone to a little meandering. It also happens to be that some of the tightest pieces compositionally – A Beautiful Life, Over The Top – are among the handful of songs credited solely to Solberg. Nevertheless, the experimental approach has yielded some extremely interesting results, and the successes more than outnumber any moments where a little extra fat is left.
Ultimately, SOLBERG’s debut solo album straddles the territory between the innovative and the familiar well. 16 expands into previously uncharted territory for him, without watering down his musical identity or coming off as a knock-off LEPROUS album. An ambitious and personal slow-burner which takes multiple listens to sink in, 16 once again demonstrates why EINAR SOLBERG is one of the most fascinating progressive musicians of the last 20 years.
Rating: 8/10
16 is set for release on June 2nd via InsideOut Music.
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