Synthy Dramatic Pop. Fifth album from Norwegian singer-songwriter. Not standard acoustic-guitar singer-songwriter, this is the woman who brings her fancy keyboard setup to the open mic. Judging from the lyrics, this is not happy-mood music, more ”Apocalypse, death, love, and snow” to quote the artist, but with an up beat. I find myself liking this album in spite of myself. Vox (in English), Piano, Synth, Strings, etc. Shades of Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Bjork. No FCCs. Faves: 2,3,4,7 (maybe others I won’t admit to) ~eme o.

1. Diamonds (5:00) Quiet, echo-y start, leading into a soaring almost Kate Bush-esque vocal. Lacks a certain oomph.

2. White Foxes (4:12) Flat, depressed vocal on verses lets the sadness of the words shine through. Nice contrast with soaring vocal on chorus. Piano, percussion, synths

3. Rome (6:43) Deliberate echo-y percussion starts, then come the celestial whale sounds. Song picks up ~1:30, briefly, then slows down and in comes the vocal.

4. Can You Feel the Thunder (4:56) Piano open, pensive tone, string accents. Pretty, Bjork-y. Still ‘wall of sound’ but simpler than what’s come before.

5. Meditations In An Emergency (2:29) Slow, somewhat ominous, crescendoing string interlude

6. Among Us (4:23) Speedy electro-y beat. Strong bass. Singer is imperiled by love, like the flipside of Hall and Oates' “Maneater”.

7. The Silicone Veil (5:02) Quiet opening, electronic harp(?) and vocal. It’s almost like a medieval tune at points. Synth and percussion enter, tempo picks up, but the song maintains an essential quietude.

8. When (4:05) Simple, straightforward showcase for her vocals (and piano-playing). This works.

9. Stop (Don’t Push the Button) (4:13) Strings on alert, they melodize a warning before being overcome by synth sounds. Heavy drums enter and you wonder if this is what the strings ran from. Vocal orchestra follows.

10. Your Prelude (3:15) 80s-revival electro plus soaring vox plus piano (plus piano solo), plus dying battery fade-out.