V – Update #4

Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'
Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'
Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'

For the third part or the L.O.V.E saga I had my bass player Janne Manninen lay his electric fingers on my songs. It’s now just a few weeks left before it’s released and we need your support to make it through the final stages of production. Thank you so much for pre-ordering the EP HERE! For this update we caught a few words with Janne in the studio!

Hi Janne! You’re the producer of ‘V – part three of L.O.V.E’. Please tell us a bit about the sound of the new EP!
My idea was Sofia Talvik but with an electro touch. More synth bass and more retro drums. But in a new modern style. Not as stripped down as her music usually is and with that extra electro vibe. And I also wanted to introduce the electric guitar that I know Sofia has in her closet …

What’s your main inspiration for the production of this EP?
All the good music I listen to… its a secret! And also a bunch of friends who I’ve met in my life that have inspired me with their musicality and their great ideas!

You’re usually the bass player in Sofia’s backing band. How do you feel that this experience has been different from when you usually play with Sofia?
Finally I get to decide which instrument should be the loudest one in the mix! Otherwise its not much difference, music is always music to me whether you are the bass player or the producer.

What have you been up to this summer?
Mostly hanging out with my son and my girlfriend. My son is almost a year old and he is a great inspiration by just being himself. And I have been touring in Norway with the Swedish singer Melissa Horn and that has been a good tour but also a hard tour due to the terror attack that happened in Oslo in the end of July! The Norwegians are great people, but it’s expensive in Norway.

What’s your favorite memory from touring with Sofia?
The US tour in 2010. Three weeks of tennis in Hawaii,  a lot of time in Rafe Dogs car, riding the mechanical bull in Austin and meeting friendly and funny people. Discussing taxes with Americans is always an adventure 🙂 And the motel in Van Horn – the place to be if you wish to see a guy that looks like the psycho from the movie ‘No country for old men’ … uuuuuuu

 

On tour with Sofia Talvik
Check out the guy on the phone in the background

You chose ‘Jonestown’ to do a ‘re-make’ of, which version do you like the best, yours or the original one?
The Original! Im so tired of producing and mixing my version! But if the original had some pedal steel that would be even better… 🙂

Tell us three things we can expect from ‘V – part three of L.O.V.E’?
Synth bass, drum machines and pedal steel guitar!

And finally, is your favorite color purple?
If you want to know the answer of that you’ll have to ask the clerk in the souvenir shop on USS Midway in San Diego. According to Rafe Dog the entrance fee is only 5 bucks but I would be prepared to pay a liiiiitle bit more. than that …

Santa – reviews

Sofia Talvik annual Christmas single "Santa (can you bring me someone else this year)"

My new Xmas single “Santa” has only been out for a day but I’ve already got some lovely reviews:

Women’s Radio has written a fun review:

“Santa” has that 80’s music vibe that will make listeners bob their heads unknowingly.  Imagine Santa Claus bouncing around with a Mohawk, jean jacket and tight leather pants.  It is a cheerful, bubbly and hope-filled piece that will bring positive energy to Talvik’s cause this year.
Read the full review here.

Free Christmas Music Blog says:

“This year’s single, “Santa (can you bring me someone else this year)”, was just released today, and it’s every bit as good as I expected it to be (which is a relief, because I often worry when my expectations get too high for something). Musically, “Santa” is a fun, synthesizer-based pop song that would not sound out of place on a mid-80s Madonna album.  If you’re a fan of songs like “Last Christmas”, this song is a must hear.”
Read full review here

Santas Working Overtime has chosen “Santa” as song of the day! Thanks!

Wears the Trousers magazine did a nice little write up – check it out here! .. as did the lovely blog With Music in My Mind!

Stubby’s House of Christmas wrote in their review:>
“I love this woman.  And every year Sofia Talvik releases a free Christmas song, so what’s not to love?  This year’s effort is a fairly uptempo danceable indie track, even if the lyrics are the “I’ve been alone since we split up” type.  It might be her catchiest yet.”

Read the whole review here

Fab Womens Radio has already put “Santa” in rotation and writes on their website:
“Highlights?  Just about every single track, but why not start with this week’s FEATURED FEMMEP3, a glorious new track from our favorite Swedish singer-songwriter, Sofia Talvik, titled, “Santa”.”

Download your copy of “Santa” here

Sofia Talvik annual Christmas single "Santa (can you bring me someone else this year)"
Sofia Talvik annual Christmas single "Santa (can you bring me someone else this year)"

Rave review from Ninthspace

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.