The first solo album of Norwegian vocal artist Andreas Backer feature the rich spectrum of his sonic world. Backer genre-challenging improvisations are inspired by the European school of free improvisation, folk music, contemporary music and even story-like pop songs, all stress his impressive command of various vocal techniques. The short improvisations question the very essence of vocal articulation, its manners of conveying feelings, ideas or a narrative and how vocal utterances construct a human language and the aesthetics of a language.

Backer singular vocal techniques are the highlights of such patient, introverted improvisations as «Lys Gul» and «Gutt». But the most engaging ones are the ones where he deconstructs linguistic articulations and suggests new forms of vocal communication as on the playful «Dip Duru Bup». the poetic multi-vocal «På» or when he bursts with the operatic «Stærk Gul» or the disturbing growls on «Howl».

The urgent, dense delivery of «The Story About Hector & Elaine», including the adoption of different personalities, brings to mind Dutch vocal master Jaap Blonk playful performances of dadaistic texts. On «Voicetronics», with sound engineer and electronics player Daniel M. Karlsson, the electronics noises sound as an extension of Backer vocal and vice versa.

Backer improvisations may not deliver definite answers but his unique way of contemplating such complex issues is always arresting.

Eyal Hareuveni

Andreas Backer (v); Daniel M. Karlsson (elec, 6)