Customer Reviews

Shimmering Warm & Bright

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bel Canto took a fairly long hiatus after recording the brilliant "Birds of Passage" and returned with this album, the title of which does a fairly good job of describing its sound. It's essentially introspective electro-pop with female vocals, but that's too easy a description. (We're not talking Annie Lennox here.) Bel Canto hail from Norway, above the Arctic Circle, and they have a darker outlook than most bands of this ilk. Maybe that's what happens when you don't see the sun too much certain times of the year. Vocalist Anneli Drecker comes off a bit like Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser, but, as is not often the case with Miz Liz, you can actually understand what Anneli's saying--except when she's singing in German, Spanish, French, Arabic, or Norwegian, as she is wont to do from time to time. World-music influences populate this album in a way they didn't previously, and it's a less-self-consciously "European"-sounding record than their past work. It's beautiful, if not quite as "special" as "Birds of Passage," and is certainly a good enough place to start with Bel Canto. File it somewhere between Cocteau Twins' "Treasure" and the Sundays' "Reading, Writing & Arithmetic." (NOTE: "Shimmering, Warm & Bright" was followed by the astonishingly bad "Magic Box," which you should avoid at all costs.)

I first discovered Bel Canto, this wonderful vibrant, dark-toned band from the Arctic Circle in Norway, when I was dj at a college radio station in a small southeastern Minnesota town. "Shimmering" was the album that hooked me into them. It's eclectic. It's dark. It's bright. It's warm. It's shimmering. It's electronic. It's hypnotic. It's haunting. It's catchy. It's a must-have! Soon you'll be doing what I did and purchasing all this band's albums! Unless you're boring and listen to sterile music.

For a very long time now the desire to write has been dead to me but everytime I listen to Shimmering Warm & Bright, images start pouring into my mind; stirring a yearning that has long been forgotten... Bel Canto is a Norwegian duo that consists of Anneli Drecker (vocals) and Nils Johansen (producer, programming). This is the only album I own by Bel Canto but it certainly won't be my last. After hearing this incredible masterpiece I am now eager to explore their newer releases as well as their imports. That's how much I enjoy this album, which is honestly too amazing for words. However, I will try my hardest to describe their sound...

Anneli Drecker's darkly untamed vocals soar over rich, sonic layerings that often remind me of Opus III because of the dreamy techno beats ("Unicorn, Summer") that are often fierce and operatic sounding, while remaining beautiful all the same. Nils Johansen completes the duo Bel Canto with the usage of electronics to compliment and enhance the strings, woodwinds, and everything else that's used on Shimmering Warm & Bright. And while Anneli mostly sings in English, she also sings in French ("Le Temps Degage") and in German ("Die Geschichte Einer Mutter"), which is truly the most haunting song on here. My favorite track though (which was hard to choose) would have to be the closing song "Mornixuur" which is a glowing triumph that ends this otherwise somber album on a note that is light and merry. The bizarre thing about this album though are the lyrics, which absolutely make no sense! I do like the lyrics to "Spiderdust" though ('She lived in limbo/ Time showed no mercy/ Until a man in gray gave her/ Doses of sweet poison'). If you hang unto every word sung than you probably won't like this album but lyrics mean very little to me so that hardly detracts from the greatness of this album.

This receives my highest recommendation!

Shimming, Warm & Bright is the third album from the exquisitely talented Norwegian group Bel Canto, who really deserves to be well-known. Bel Canto is this: an ethereal and angelic lead vocalist Anneli Drecker, a blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, mysterious balladry, low on hooks but possessing a somber majesty nonetheless.

Before the recording of this release, Geir Jenssen left the group to tackle his solo career. Perhaps because of this, Shimmering, Warm & Bright is dressed in less frosty tones, although the music remains beautifully solemn as always. Leading the album is the mystifying "Unicorn," juxtaposing soft keyboard textures with an effective techno backdrop. Over it all is Drecker's beautiful voice, her melodies cool and enticing. Elsewhere, her voice may take on a feisty, infectious enthusiasm, as on the spirited title track and the droll of "Spiderdust." But she is at her best when singing the album's spellbinding slow songs. "Waking Will," lyrically and musically, is like a walk through someone's twisted dreamscape. "Mornixuur" is the album's stunning finale, a ballad whose intensity carefully mounts. Also of interest are the beautiful songs where Drecker sings in foreign tongues, like French on "La Temps Dégagé" and German on "Die Geschichte Einer Mutter." I don't know why, but beautiful female vocalists singing in other languages are very pleasing to me. While much of my praise descends on Drecker (and she deserves it all), the group's other member Nils Johanssen is also remarkably talented. He has a unique ability to create electronic rhythms with all the vivacity required of Drecker's ambitious vocal melodies. His synthesized sonics lend beauty to the group's sound, and his occasional acoustic guitar possesses tremendous aural depth even with just a few simple chords.

Perhaps Norway is a gold mine of great singers, because Roy S. Khantatat also hails from that country, and he's incredible too. But I digress... Shimmering, Warm & Bright is an album you need to buy before it goes out of print, like their first two albums. Don't miss out on this unique and magnificent group!

My musical tastes have changed dramatically over the years, but this band has always been at the top of my list. They have a staying power that few groups can command, due to the complexity of their music and the astonishing vocals of Anneli.

Shimmering Warm and Bright is the best of their albums. (Though Rush, their newest release -- which for some strange reason is not available in the U.S. and costs a large fortune to import -- is right up there as well.) Anneli's vocals are crystal clear and effortless, and the arrangements hit you on several different levels. I always feel that I'm inside a fairy tale when I listen to this (a notion influenced by the first track). And, of course, as with the Brothers Grimm, not all fairy tales are bright and cheery. Some of these tracks examine some fairly dark places in our souls, with spectacular results.

Usually, I have a favorite track or two on every album I buy. This is one of a tiny handful of albums in which there can be no favorite because every single track is a standout.

Warning: this is not a pop 40 album, and it may be a little out there for some listeners. If you like Dead Can Dance or the Cocteau Twins, you will probably love Bel Canto.

I've owned this CD since it was released, and everytime I listen to it, I realize how timeless it is. SW&B is a hard album to describe. It is slightly gothic-tinged (without being spooky), haunting, but uplifting. Every track on the album is incredible, and Anneli's voice is in a class all its own. The music ranges from slightly trance-y to folky to classical. It really must be heard to be understood. I will never NOT have this CD in my collection because it is simply a classic. Fans of Cocteau Twins would really like this (although I've always preferred Bel Canto's music). FYI, Bel Canto have several albums: White Out Conditions; Birds of Passage; Shimmering, Warm & Bright; Magic Box; Rush; and the newest release, Dorothy's Victory. Dorothy's Victory is amazing (almost as good as SW&B) and Rush and Birds of Passage are also quite good. Magic Box and White Out Conditions are my two least faves, but there are some good songs on those albums too. In sum, this is a band that can really do no wrong. To see a nice retrospective of the band, ...

. . .Shimmering, Warm and Bright feels like a balloon ride over foreign lands, conjuring up images of exotic places and fairy-tale kindoms. The music is reminscant of the now defunct Cocteau Twins but reflects more of a world-beat feel.

The first song, Unicorn, a personal favorite, a beautiful yet haunting tune. It (perfectly) sets the stage for the rest of the album, which carefully stirs emotions and the soul.

Definatley a must for Twins fans, relaxing roadtrips, and for those of us who like passionate music during sex.

This album is great. I listen to it all the time. What could I say to convince you to get it... It's good to listen to while driving your car... It's good to listen to while on the bus... It's good to listen to while making dinner... It's good to listen to while you're getting intimate...That's a good enough reason! If you like this, check out State of Grace and their album: Jamboreebop. Super cheap on Amazon Marketplace. (wink)

This is just about my favorite CD ever. It is faerie music, pure and simple. It's like something you would hear in a fantastic dream. Anneli Drecker's vocals are beautiful and sensual, never harsh, and the lyrics are creative, original, sometimes bizarre ("The reptile's escaped. Who said booh?"), and always unique. The accompaniment is by turns dreamy, melancholy, playful and dramatic. I also like the array of languages on the album (English, French, German and Norwegian). In short, there is nothing I could improve about this album. I also highly recommend Bel Canto's album RUSH, which is quite different but just as good.

This album is moody, but passionately joyful at the same time. The sounds are layered so seamlessly that they make the listener feel somehow engulfed in the music. This is absolutely one of the most beautiful and enjoyable albums ever created, and the best one from Bel Canto.

Mix together Pink Floyd, Enya, and the Talking Heads and you'll get something that is moody, beautiful, and poppy like this album.