Sofia Talvik – Americana / Folk with Swedish Roots
Unmistakably Nordic in flavor, Sofia Talvik somehow still conforms to American interpretations of her own original music, a North Sea siren blending sparkle and melancholy, creating a special niche of folk music.
Musical Discoveries has made a really consistent review of “Jonestown” and took the opportunity to ask me a few questions while they were at it.
“Her crystalline vocals soar above arrangements as the album develops into its full splendor. (…)Jonestown demonstrates a significant artist development and an excellent launch point for the next phase of Sofia’s career.”
Read the full review and interview here!
Review: Sofia Talvik Jonestown
5/5 carrots from Bluesbunny
“This is an album that mixes fragility with emotional depth and it has an intensity that is most unusual. In fact, it could well be described as spiritual. The songs reward repeated listens and at the point of understanding, Ms Talvik’s voice and Tobias Fröberg’s sensitive, understated production gel perfectly. Elegant, sophisticated and warm, this is an easy recommendation for those of us who still have a soul.”
review by Bluesbunny
Sofia Talvik är helt underbar
Sofia Talvik är för underskattad för sitt eget bästa.
Sofia Talvik – Jonestown
Betyg: 4
För några år sedan fanns det kvinnliga singer/songwriters i varje buske. En av dem var Sofia Talvik som debuterade för tre år sedan. Hon fick en dunderhit med den sorgliga saken Ghosts.
Sedan dess har hon släppt platta nummer två, samarbetat med Bernard Butler och spelat på Lollapalooza-festivalen. Trots det är hon lite i skymundan i Sverige. Vilket är tråkigt. För Sofia Talvik är en egen artist. Hon har ett eget uttryck, en fantastisk röst och låtar som är små berättelser, nästan som medeltida ballader. Jonestown är en något mer lågmäld platta, de riktiga hittarna uteblir. Men det är egentligen bara skönt.
Tuva Klinthäll
Smålandsposten
I just got this lovely review from Ninthspace! Thank you so much! 🙂
“I guess, by the time a musician gets to their third album they know whether it’s going to work out for them. Not writing, recording and touring as a hobby, but embracing their talents and working with something that’s turned out to be innate to their existence. There are perhaps a handful of musicians that I could categorise in such a way.
With the release of Jonestown, Sofia Talvik easily gets over the idea of the difficult third album (younger sibling of the difficult second album) and turns out a collection that eclipses her first two. Opening track and lead single As Summers Pass recalls the past with its acoustic progressions, but the subsequent song My James Dean is astonishing.
Because it’s not what you’re expecting. Sure it has these synth pads that appear to hang over from its predecessor, but the guitar loops lower, more geared towards grooving. The best way I can describe it is the merging of the droning synth-rock of Stereolab and the sub-Spektor inclinations of El Perro del Mar with piano too.
Over the top of this comes Sofia’s outstanding vocals and a plaintiff declaration that I’m not that special. But she is.
CDbaby writes me in their email: “We’re *really* picky about what we feature. We get about 200-250 new albums a DAY coming in here now, (about 200,000 total), and yours is one of the best we’ve ever heard.”
Read the full review here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/sofiatalvik3
SOFIA TALVIK: Jonestown
Fresh from a powerful performance at 2008’s Lollapalooza festival, Sweden’s Sofia Talvik is now poised to conquer the States with the release of her devastatingly beautiful third album. It’s a record of staggering elegance, with the faintest trace of Scandinavian twee and youthful exuberance. (Timpani, crisp castanets, tambourine, all the toys and tricks to put some bounce in your step.) But those forces are tempered by a subtle melancholy that slowly drips down the lonely walls while you listen until, by the last song, you’re drowning in a warm, welcome bath of sad sounds, syrupy string sections, and round, resonant horns. She combines modal chord changes and beautiful 60’s euro-pop production with the gentle singing of a 70’s folk songstress. Her voice shines through the dark tones of dramatic, lush orchestrations and the haze of reverb like a ray of liquid luminescence. “Jonestown” will remind you of Goldfrapp, Pulp, Nico, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Belle & Sebastian, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Burt Bacharach (I could go on and on!), and yet it sounds entirely original and, more importantly, rings true.
author: Chrisr at CD Baby