TOANWTS review in Lira

Review of Sofia's new album in Lira

Swedish music mag Lira recently published an interview about my tour and wrote a really nice review for my new album The Owls Are Not What They Seem or as I like to call it “TOANWTS”. As the magazine isn’t available outside Sweden, I’m sharing a translated extract of the review with you here:

 

[quote] What really lifts the songs are the symphonic but soothingly so produced string arrangements, the playful flute and not to mention – the warm-sounding trombone. The musicians give the songs the very personality you’re longing for, especially at the times when the soloists step outside the harmonious sound. My fondness for the singer/songwriter genre is not particularly large but Sofia Talvik’s music captures, touches and radiates at the same time an indefinable beauty. [/quote]

 

 

Review of Sofia's new album in Lira
Review of Sofia's new album in Lira

This week’s guest artist: Tom Levin

Worldwide release!

In the end of October 2009 I’m releasing my third album “Jonestown” in the USA and later on in Japan. To give you a preview of the songs from the album I have gathered 12 of my favorite Swedish artists who will each perform one song from the album live with me on tape. Every week a new video is released, with a new song and a new guest artist.

This week I have the pleasure to present Tom Levin.

www.tomlevin.com
www.myspace.com/tomlevin

Sofia Talvik / Tom Levin – Arms and armour

Tom’s teenage years took him to Alaska, where he lived as an exchange student. It was here that his vocal talents were first discovered when the host family’s daughter heard him singing in the shower. Urged on by the host family’s belief in his abilities, Tom made his debut as a soloist in the school choir. But when Tom returned to Sweden, he put his music on the back shelf and started studying economics.
In June 2007 Tom’s song “Please disturb me” reach 4 reached 4 on AC/hot AC/New Music Weekly in the USA and it reached 3 on Independent Music Networks Mainstream.

On the 12th of December 2006 Tom Levin’s song “Just” reached 1 on New Music Weekly’s radio charts in the US (specifically the AC/Hot AC Main Chart and AC/Hot AC Indie Chart), and has to date been 1 for four consecutive weeks. “Just” also reached 8 on the Hot 100 Chart / New Music Weekly, and the Top 100 Chart / Friday Morning Quarter Back / ACQB.
Tom’s new album “Unfair in my favor” was released on June 11.

December – mp3 of the month

Salvo Magazine appoints December their mp3 of the month in their upcoming issue. Read it first here!

MP3 of the Month
Sofia Talvik – December

It’s not very often I come across Folk music that’s to my taste. Maybe it’s just a genre that doesn’t really do that much for me, I don’t know. Now, before all Folk artists out there get all defensive and start writing in complaining that I’m dissing them as a collective, please, save your venting, you couldn’t be further from the truth.

You see, although I’m not the biggest lover of Folk music in general, when it’s done properly, like pretty much any genre (especially Classical but that’s a totally different story), it can be stunning.

Look at artists like Gemma Hayes, Kathryn Williams, Nick Drake, Tom McRae or Cara Dillon, with the latter especially being truly sublime. Folk absolutely is a genre that’s both under appreciated whilst also being a backbone to music as a whole and one we must all embrace ‘for the greater good’.

That’s what leads me onto Sofia. We decided to choose December as our MP3 of the month above all other tracks off her most recent long playing effort Street of Dreams as it would be too easy to choose the single It’s Just Love based on the facts that 1 – it’s a single already and 2 – it’s a duet with one of my personal heroes, Bernard Butler, now, that would bias the vote ten fold.
No, what sets December apart from the bunch is that it’s just so much more delicate than the others.

With a vocal range tinged by echoes of Dolores Mary O'Riordan Burton from the Cranberries blended with a light heartedness that in some ways isn’t too distant from Joni Mitchell in her heyday all those years ago, December has managed to remain on constant replay for a good while now and will continue to do so until another track off the album takes our fancy.
Featuring an accent that does at times sound Irish it’s almost unnoticeable that she is in fact from Sweden. Don’t worry. We’ll keep the Abba references to a minimum.

Sofia has obviously been working as a solo artist for long enough now to realise where she wants to get, it’s abundantly clear that she’s working with people who are on her wavelength and are helping her do that

If there was ever a time for artists like Sofia to be in the forefront it’s got to be now, we’ve got others Acoustic Soloists like James Morrison and Blunt pushing acoustic based song writing into the mainstream and whilst we really shouldn’t pin all of our hopes on artists like these, god help us if we did, it is great to see that every now and then artists like Sofia do get the spotlight shone in their direction. 2007 should be the year that spotlight gets turned to face her and we wish her all the best when it does.

I am also green with envy that she’s worked with a hero, but I’ll get over that so don’t worry too much..

www.myspace.com/sofiatalvik

Duncan Buchanan