II is the second album of the Norwegian Innlandet (the hinterland) duo project of pop vocalist-songwriter Ingrid Olava and pianist-composer Andreas Ulvo (of the Eple Trio and Karl Seglem Acoustic Quartet). Olava and Ulvo have been working now for more than a decade, drawing inspiration from pop, jazz, and classical music. Their self-titled album was released on Ulvo’s label, SoundCanBe Seen in 2018, as II. The album was recorded at Propeller studio in Oslo and was mastered by drummer-percussionist Jonas Howden Sjøvaag (who has played with Ulvo in Eple Trio and Seglem Quartet), who also did the cover artwork.
The duo aims to reinterpret music from various artists and eras, regardless of genre, performing it as if it were their own mature and introspective, often innocent and reflexive versions. Innlandet sticks on this album to its «dogma». All the music was recorded live, with the piano and vocalist in the same room, and it was captured in single takes without edits. This approach goes against the over-produced approach that dominates streaming services and seeks to suggest spontaneous and authentic covers.
The selection of the covers, as well as their sequence, is still surprising and illuminating as it was on the debut album of the duet. The warm, openly emotional delivery of Olava with the economic, poetic piano playing of Ulvo strip songs like the opening one, Earth, Wind & Fire’s «After Love Has Gone» or Frank Sinatra’s «It Was A Very Good Year» (his 1st number one single) from the saccharine-tinged arrangement and present them with the vulnerable, naked beauty. Sufjan Stevens’s «Death with Dignity» charges this farewell song from a loved mother with a touching, feminine perspective.
The cover of Neil Young’s «Harvest Moon» is faithful to the casual and direct, romantic spirit of the original. The Beatles’ ballad «I’ve Just Seen a Face» (from Help!) suggests the perspective of an older woman reminiscing her long-gone youth. Olava follows Kate Bush’s iconic, unorthodox phrasing of «Wuthering Heights» but she and Ulvo distill the emotional-gothic drama and its unusual harmonic progressions into a mature, modest, and introspective one. The most surprising cover is «Hulls» by Swedish singer-songwriter Loney Dear (aka Emil Svanängen), now alternating its soft electronic pulses with Ulvo’s prepared piano, while Olava keeps the direct delivery of its lyrics. Ulvo’s two piano interludes allow more time to reflect on these songs and their inspired spontaneous acoustic interpretations. The album concludes with a playful, sensual love song, Bob Dylan’s «Buckets of Rain», and Olava and Ulvo sound that they really know what they are singing about: «Life is sad / Life is a bust / All ya can do is do what you must / You do what you must do and ya do it well / I’ll do it for you / Honey baby, can’t you tell?». They do it at their best.
Eyal Hareuveni
Ingrid Olava (vocals), Andreas Ulvo (piano)
