Customer Reviews

Leaving on a Mayday

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4 star:		(2)
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I was milling around Barnes & Noble yesterday and just HAD to ask one of the booksellers, "What album is playing in the store right now?" The sexy drums, haunting strings and detached vocals were striking and catchy. Turns out, the the album is "Leaving on a Mayday" by Anna Ternheim.

This Swedish singer's voice sounds like a mix of Beth Gibbons (lead singer of Portishead) and Emiliana Torrini. Some of the strangely filtered tunes, too, slightly reminded me of Portishead's "Third" album. However, Anna Ternheim is more mainstream than Portishead.

I appreciated the moody atmosphere that infected the whole album. It manages to be dark but not depressing. I actually found myself dancing in the car listening to these beautiful tracks.

Any complaints? Well, sort of...The first song (and single), "What Have I Done," is amazing. The rest of the album doesn't really live up to the promise of that song, BUT it is still great. I hate when a first song affects you so much that the rest is a letdown...because this whole album is truly wonderful. It just doesn't match that first note.

Recommended to fans of Portishead, Emiliana Torrini, and other indy pop/alternative singers looking for something a little dark and fun.

I have never heard of this singer before but she was recommended as something different for me to try. After listening to the whole album, I was impressed.

The drum and string background on most tunes blends well with Anna Terheim's lush singing voice. I found this album very appealing although the same could not be said for every song. "Damaged Ones" and "What Have I done?" are my favorite songs. I seem to be in a mini explosion of Swedish exports and this artist is my newest favorite "indie" discovery.

This should be the Stateside breakthrough album for this Norse night owl. Ternheim's tales of melancholy remain consistent, one to the next. From lacy laments ("Summer Rain") to quavering resolution ("Make It on My Own"), Ternheim builds on the cymbeline styles of Suzanne Vega, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Nicks, creating an aurora borealis of ephemeral emotions and hardened memories. Most tracks include quietly thrumming tom-toms and light string accents that give a mix of both foreboding and anticipation. On most releases, Ternheim's cover art has tended toward blue-gray -- patches of night sky, windmills, and storm clouds. And it's left vague whether the storm has come or gone.

This is the sort of music, that you pull out your glue and fabric to, or wander around the house slowly dusting things after that breakup that hit you harder than you thought. It is full of building instrumentals and layered sounds, and sometimes an upbeat tune to make sure you aren't in too deep, or too much the same... and I really rather enjoy it.

Melancholy voice with great subtle instruments. It's hard to find an album where every song is worth listening to. Anna Ternheim is a talented artist and performs great live shows as well.

Singer-songwriter Anna Ternheim is latest talent to come out of the country of Sweden. Based in Stockholm, she originally made the rounds as a club singer. Things changed for her when she released her critically acclaimed debut "Somebody Outside" in 2004. It was there where she was nominated for a few Swedish Grammys, where she would eventually take one home for Best New Artist. She followed it up with her sophomore album "Separation Road"- which was repackaged and rereleased under the title "Halfway To Fivepoints" as her major label debut under Decca Records. One year later, she would move to Decca's sister label Verve Forecast for her third effort "Leaving On A Mayday". This time around, she links up with producer Bjorn Yttling of the Swedish indie rock trio Peter, Bjorn & John. The results are a sound that is influenced by ABBA as well as The Cardigans.

Starting off the album is the song "What Have I Done", where Anna sings of reciprocity of feelings from a significant other. On the percussive "Damaged Ones", she sings of faling in love despite being hurt in the past. She gets vulnerable on the orchestra driven ballad "Terrified", and sings about her father and his family on the piano heavy "Let It Rain". On the ballad "My Heart Still Beats For You", Anna longs to rekindle a flame that has since burned out. She sings of being numb to being hurt on "No I Don't Remember", while singing of a deceased lover on "Make It On My Own". She sings about travelling the countryside with her lover on "Off The Road" and closes the album with the somber "Black Sunday Afternoon". While Anna Ternheim's "Leaving On A Mayday" is a great album, one couldn't help but to notice the theme of sadness throughout the recording. Her music could be best described as the Swedish equivalent of Dido- as she shares a few similarities with her. Despite the melancholy overtones, it's an album that people should hear.

I love this album! Anna Ternheim has an amazing voice. Every track on this album is really solid. I listen to this frequently and would definitely recommend it!