Thomas Dybdahl : Thomas Dybdahl
Released: September 2009
Label: Last Suppa / PIAS
Thomas Dybdahl is the next Norwegian superstar (that's right), a man who has been billed as one of the best things to come out of Norway, music wise of course. Sounds like A-Ha had better watch out.
This album is something of a strange creation, working out as roughly his Fifth-yet-Debut-yet-Best-Of-Album. By that I mean Fifth because he's released four previous albums, obviously, debut because it's the first he's actually released in the UK and Best Of because it's a collection of his best songs from those albums, handily created to introduce him to us before his other album comes out next year. How very confusing.
In that case, it should technically be a pretty good record and the Norwegian plunges straight away into Joseph Arthur territory with whispering hushed vocals and plucked guitars taking centre stage on the impressive opener, 'From Grace'. Unlike Arthur, Dybdahl doesn't venture off down the strange paths Arthur often finds himself, resulting in a record that's a bit dull and sleepy. Make no mistake, there's nothing revolutionary going on here, it's all typically mushy love songs with cushiony production that will be lapped up by the mainstream, although there are signs that he may keep the rest of us interested. The comparisons with Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley that have been flying around turn out to have been a little wayward though.
The sweet melancholic folk of 'Adelaide' stands out along with 'From Grace', the soft female harmony does nothing but compliment Dybdahl and the harmonica polishes it off. But too often things get a bit Tom Baxter - 'Cecilia' and 'One Day You'll Dance For Me, New York City' get especially sickly.
It's quite clearly just a collection too, there's no real rigidity and it quickly tails off after what seemed like a good start. It becomes something that lacks anything to really hold onto, nothing really backs up the better moments like 'Adelaide', 'From Grace' or 'Something Real'. The ultimate downfall however is that consistency is never found, and consistency is exactly what this type of album really should have.
Words: Jack Phillips
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