After 'Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands Soundtrack' which was the soundtrack of the strategy game of the same name, the Norwegians of 'Kalandra' release a new album, 'A Frame of Mind'. We are once again taken into the ethereal Nordic atmospheres of the group which is led by the singer 'Katrine Stenbeck' who again works wonders on this album. From the first listen, we are captivated by the Norwegian's singing and I find that the compositions all bring an exceptional force with many contrasts between calm sections and others much more powerful.
We are greeted by 'I Am' which perfectly illustrates these alternations of intensities with a very soft first part which gradually gains momentum with deep bass, 'Katrine Stenbekk' adapting her singing beautifully to the power of the moment (see the video above). In the same way, in 'Untie the Knot', the atmosphere is intended to be calmer at first with a magnificent acoustic guitar/vocals duet, then the bass/drums rhythm section joins the duo to finally fall back into a few guitar chords. The following three compositions were chosen to each be the subject of a single: 'Are You Ready?' brings striking contrasts that lead to a wonderful melodic finale that, like a fireworks display, is a kind of grand finale of imposing intensity (see the video here). Followed by 'The State of the World' which takes us into a marvellous crescendo filled with immense emotional force throughout the title, the singing of 'Katrine Stenbekk' being poignant from start to finish (see the video here), then, 'Bardaginn' takes us into a mystical and captivating atmosphere which is striking with a succession of tensions and relaxations, the strong moments being of an extreme emotional force (see the video here).
The second part of the album also contains some gems and we find the contrasting atmospheres present in the slow crescendo tempo of 'A Life Worth Living' with a melancholic string accompaniment, then, 'I’ll Get There One Day' is much lighter and brighter with its oriental swirls merging with a gripping melody that gradually gains power before falling back to start again on a crescendo that ends in a few piano notes: simply magical! Much calmer, 'Ytta' is a beautiful contemplative piece accompanied by some vaporous aerial vocals, then, 'Segla' is also a beautiful moment of serenity, the singing of 'Katrine Stenbekk' illuminating this title with a very particular tenderness and the strings accompanied by a guitar bringing a feeling of quiet strength. We end our beautiful Nordic journey with the beautiful acoustic ballad 'I Remember A Time' which highlights one last time the angelic singing of 'Katrine Stenbekk'.
In summary, the Norwegians of 'Kalandra' release a magnificent album that takes us on a journey through contrasting soundscapes full of very strong moments between tensions and permanent relaxations, and 'A Frame of Mind' is to be listened to quietly with headphones after a hard day and you will see that the Norwegians will help you reinvent another world filled with beauty and human warmth, values that we are sorely lacking at the moment... | |
