Archive for the ‘Paul’ Category

New Savoy album Under out now

This is the Transparent Orange version of the vinyl. Transparent Lime and Black are also available.

Savoy’s seventh studio album Under is released on their own label Eleventeen Records today. Available now digitally on streaming, or physically on vinyl. It doesn’t seem like there will be a CD version this time.

The 10-track album has been produced and arranged by Savoy, mixed by Simon Vinestock and mastered by Joe Lambert. It features contributions from familiar names such as Hågen Rørmark, Per Hillestad, Joe Mardin and True August. Frode Unneland’s son Filip is credited as one of the engineers.

The music video for latest single “Coming Down” has also premiered today and can be seen on YouTube. Directed by Jason Brandenberg.

The newspaper Dagsavisen gives the album 5/6 in its review (paywall), highlighting the title track:
” “Under” is a guitar-driven song where the chorus sounds like something David Bowie could have made after his late comeback, a melancholic pop song kept in a psychedelic drive and with large contrasts in both the vocals and arrangements. This is Savoy at their most experimental, but also at their most accessible. Some of the same Bowie-esque way of singing can be heard in “Lonesome Alone”, while the production on the album consistently builds intricate layers of atmosphere, sounds and nice details, especially in the guitar playing and some of the string arrangements.”

Dagsavisen’s reviewer also mentions “Camden Palace Chronicles” as another highlight on the album, calling it “a pop-aesthetic jewel of a song, with beautiful vocals from Lauren”. He concludes that “Under is more proof that some of the best and most ambitious music Paul Waaktaar-Savoy has written (with Lauren), he’s kept for himself and for Savoy”.

Another positive review of Under comes from Dagens Næringsliv (paywall):
“Their seventh studio album Under sounds quite inspired. This is their best album in a long time, featuring ten well-written quality songs. (…) It’s a consistent record, but check out songs like “Digital River” and “Pure as Driven Snow” as examples of excellent, mature pop.”

Two-page interview with Lauren and Paul in Klassekampen, 2 February.

Meanwhile, Klassekampen has interviewed Paul and Lauren across two pages in today’s paper issue (paywall).

“The move [to LA] has given us new impulses and influenced the finished result quite a lot”, Paul says of the new album.

“We have also found inspiration from musicians who have worked here, like the Laurel Canyon-scene in the 1960s and 70s”, Lauren adds.
“A song like “Station” is somewhat inspired by The Mamas & the Papas, with its layered vocals”.

They both mention Frode as being a very important part of the band:
“Frode spreads a lot of good energy around. His vocal parts are also an integral part of our sound, as on the new song “Pure as Driven Snow””, Paul says.

They refer to each song on Under as its own journey and what Paul calls pieces of the big puzzle:
“At the same time we’re chasing that feeling of goosebumps. Most of the songs have been through many versions, and in the end you just have to trust your gut feeling”.

“With this trio of ours we don’t have to think about ticket sales, endless touring and all that. In Savoy we’re doing this out of love for the music and because we want to create something we’re proud of”, Paul says.

New Savoy single “Coming Down”

Single cover (photo by Paul)

“Coming Down” is the fourth single off Savoy’s upcoming album Under, and is released today.
The song is available on Spotify, Apple Music etc, and has also been posted on YouTube. A music video is on the way, according to Paul.

VG has reviewed “Coming Down”, giving it 4/6:
“Even 28 years into their career, it’s fair to describe the collaboration between the married couple Waaktaar-Savoy and Bergen drum genius Frode Unneland as a “con amore” project. As with any labour of love, [Savoy] just keep getting better and better as the years go by. “Coming Down” is a soft reflection about places you’ve been and places where others are. A simple tune, really. But then Paul Waaktaar-Savoy sings so softly and beautifully that you just have to adore it.”

Song credits:

Producer, Arranger: Savoy
Mixer: Simon Vinestock
Mastering Engineer: Joe Lambert
Recording Engineer: Filip Unneland
Recording Engineer, Lyricist: Pål Waaktaar Savoy
Lyricist: Lauren Savoy

New Savoy album Under coming in February

Album cover

Savoy have announced their upcoming seventh studio album Under will be released on 2 February 2024.

Here is the tracklist:

1. Lonely Surfer
2. Station
3. Digital River
4. Pure as Driven Snow
5. Life and Times of a Wannabe
6. Under
7. Coming Down
8. Camden Palace Chronicles
9. X Marks the Spot
10. Lonesome Alone

The album will be available in three different vinyl versions: Black, Ltd Transparent Lime and Ltd Transparent Orange. They can be pre-ordered from edda.tigernet.no

Or pre-save the album digitally here.

Savoy releases “Life and Times of a Wannabe”

The latest Savoy single “Life and Times of a Wannabe” is now available.
It’s the third single from the upcoming seventh Savoy studio album. According to Musikknyheter the new album is called Under and will be released in early 2024.

Paul writes that “Life and Times of a Wannabe” has been mixed by Simon Vinestock and mastered by Joe Lambert, with cover art designed by Tom Korsvold.

The song is accompanied by an official music video directed by Jason Brandenberg, shot in New York in mid-September, which portrays the “world of elite paper-boat folding and racing”.

Paper folding was also among the themes in a previous Savoy video directed by Brandenberg; “Isotope” (2004). His other music videos include “Whalebone” (2004), “Night Watch” (2017) and “January Thaw” (2018) for Savoy, plus “Tearful Girl” (2017) and “Laundromat” (2017) for Waaktaar & Zoe.

New Savoy single “Digital River”

Single cover

The second single from Savoy’s upcoming seventh studio album is called “Digital River” and was released today.

It can be streamed and downloaded through this link.

“Digital River” was originally part of a-ha’s Cast in Steel recording sessions in 2015, but didn’t make it onto the album. It later re-emerged as a live version played during the Hunting High and Low tour in 2019 and 2020. And now it has become a Savoy song, with vocals from both Lauren and Paul.

Paul has previously described the song as “ponderings on a virtual world competing with the real one”.

The song lyrics have been posted on Savoy’s Facebook page, with a music video to follow soon.

Update: Paul has posted some song credits on Instagram:
“Strings arranged by Joe Mardin, additional programming by Kurt Uenala, Chuck Zwicky, Eliot Leigh & Erik Ljungren, mixed by Simon Vinestock, mastered by Joe Lambert, artwork by Tom Korsvold.”

Savoy return with “Lonely Surfer”

Paul, Lauren and Frode are back with a wonderful new song called “Lonely Surfer”, which is released on their own label Eleventeen Records today. It’s the first single off their upcoming seventh studio album.

The song and accompanying music video, directed by Lauren, is heavily inspired by Paul and Lauren’s new California surroundings in Venice, LA, the area they moved to from New York in 2019.

In a press release posted on a-ha.com, Paul says the new single describes “characters surfing through their daily lives and random jobs in office buildings somewhere down the road, usually 40 minutes away – traffic depending. It’s an overcast California, but you can reimagine it in colour with ‘Lonely Surfer’s’ three-part harmonies and surf-rock overtones”.

He says the upcoming album, which was recorded in LA, will include “a lot of pop songs but there are different directions – harder songs with a New York edge too. Every song is approached from its own point of view, a fair amount is upbeat, a few uplifting songs, a lot of different rhythms. What I think of as individual colours. Releasing singles first and then the album gives you chance to crystallise it. Right now, I do know I’m looking for something shorter than the last album as a title – that had such a huge title!”

“It’s a cool change for us”, Paul says of their new sound. “We’re excited and ready to roll – excited about our past and our future.”

The newspaper Dagsavisen has reviewed “Lonely Surfer”, giving it 4/6 (paywall):
“This sounds West Coast, while the guitars lean toward Americana. Still, the Paul Waaktaar-Savoy trademarks emerge with big soundscapes and lots of air, plus some of his best ever vocals and with beautiful backing vocals by Lauren. And the surf is there, both in a sound that draws inspirations from Dick Dale’s guitars and more recent Savoy-favorites like Allah-Las, and in the overall atmosphere of the song.”

In connection with the new single, Paul has taken time to answer questions from fans in a Q&A posted in the Headlines & Deadlines a-ha Fan Group on Facebook this week. 43 questions in all, about a-ha, Savoy and more.

True August offers Breathing Room

The album cover features a photo by Stian Andersen

True August Waaktaar Savoy released his first album Breathing Room last Friday, June 9th, four years after his self-titled debut EP from 2019, and it’s now available on all streaming platforms through the family label Eleventeen Records.

Leading up to the release, there have been a string of singles and music videos, the latest being “Felt It In Stereo”.

“With this album and its accompanying music videos, I’ve created a piece of work that I’m very proud of. I have worked hard through every step of the process to produce something that feels personal to me, both musically and visually, and my greatest ambition now is to get the album out there – and make it heard”, True August told Norwegian news agency NTB in an interview last week.

The album has been mixed by Matias Tellez, who also mixed Paul’s songs on True North, while the mastering was done by Joe Lambert, who has worked on several Savoy projects. Paul has also been involved and apparently plays drums on the album, like he did on the 2019 EP.

“When it comes to music, I’ve had the privilege of growing up watching my parents making music and solving problems together. Music is something we’ve always done together as a family, and it feels very natural. My father has constantly been working on music in the studio since I was little, and I’ve learnt a lot of tips and tricks over the years”, True August says in the NTB interview.

VG‘s reviewer Tor Martin Bøe gives the album 5/6, saying it has “its heart set in the synths of the eighties, but its brain set in the pop qualities of our time“. He goes on to say that Breathing Room features “some of the finest songs this year, regardless of genre.”

For more info about True August’s music, visit his official website at trueaugust.net

Mary is Coming 2023 remaster

The album cover features a photo by Bill Brandt and the band name in Paul’s handwriting

A new 2023 remastered version of Savoy’s 1996 debut album Mary is Coming was released digitally through Rhino/Warner on 26 May.

It’s now available for purchase from sites such as HD Tracks and Pro Studio Masters in stunning Hi-Res audio quality up to 96 kHz/24 Bit. You can also find it on streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal.

“We’re happy to announce that Savoy’s debut album ‘Mary is coming’ is finally available on all streaming platforms with a glorious remaster”, Paul wrote on Instagram today.

Lauren also posted about the release, writing “Our first album “Mary is Coming” is streaming for the first time. Catch a 90s vibe!”

Paul had previously posted a teaser clip for the remaster on Instagram on 18 April, writing “Mary is coming…back”.

The remastering has been done by Joe Lambert, who also did the 2016/17 remasters of Lackluster Me and Mountains of Time, and appears to include the full, unedited versions of the 11 album tracks. It does not, however, include the bonus track “Fade”, which can only be found on the original 1996 CD release.

Mary is Coming was praised by critics when it was released in 1996 and reached #1 on the Norwegian album chart. It spent a total of 10 weeks on the album chart and sold around 30,000 copies in Norway. A previous remaster was released digitally in 2006.

A reissue in physical format has not been announced so far, but Lauren says they’re working on it – along with a new Savoy album.

Paul turns 60

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Happy Birthday to Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, who turns 60 today, September 6th!

Hopefully we’ll see him back on stage with a-ha in four months time, presuming the tour is finally able to continue as planned.

His wife Lauren has posted a birthday message to him on Instagram, and fans can post their own greetings on the official a-ha Facebook page.

Updates from Magne and Paul

A moment from the 2017 documentary a-ha Unplugged – På innsiden

Magne posted another new demo recording on Instagram last Thursday, which appears to be called “Time is on Your Side”.

This is the third new song he’s posted during the last month, following “I’m In” and “God is in the Details”.

Meanwhile, Paul has been sharing some newly drawn sketches on his Instagram, which can be seen here, here, here and here.
Paul has also been known to make paintings on canvas, some of which were part of his solo exhibition “Rammer” at Lillehammer in 1998. A selection of his paintings can be seen in this picture, posted by Augie some years ago.

As for new music, Savoy-drummer Frode Unneland was interviewed on the radio earlier this month, saying that Paul is working on lots of new songs at the moment. And according to last year’s Down To The Tracks-book, Paul already has a solo double album just waiting to be released.

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