Posts Tagged ‘lauren waaktaar-savoy’

Paul and Lauren on BBC radio

On stage with Savoy

Paul and Lauren were interviewed by Richard Green on BBC Radio Devon on Saturday, February 10th. The whole 14-minute interview is available at bbc.co.uk.

Lauren on the reception the album is getting:
“[We’re] super proud and very excited. It’s such a good feeling when you work so hard – just the two of us, working away – that when it goes out there, some people do recognize it and like it.”

Paul on possible Savoy concerts:
“We’d love to, it would really be nice. Lauren is the only one I know that hasn’t had Covid yet, so she’s very careful and that might present some challenge to travel around a lot. But we would absolutely love to play live, so we’re looking into it.”

Paul was also asked if there is any possibility of a-ha getting together again:
“[True North] was a strange period, because we were in the middle of the Hunting High and Low Tour – and that got postponed so many times – so we never got around to actually touring the True North album. We sort of ran out of time.

And with a-ha, we’ve always done things in an ebb and flow sort of style. We do one thing, then we retract and then we come back and do something else. There’s always things being discussed. I think our fans know us. We come back when we feel “OK, now we’re gonna do something”. It could definitely happen.”

Paul was also interviewed on the radio show Kveldsåpent on NRK P1 earlier this week, but the audio is unfortunately not available online. Update (21/2): The interview is now available.

And although Under is the first Savoy album that has failed to enter the official Norwegian Top 40 album chart, it continues to garner positive feedback from fans and critics.

Puls‘ reviewer describes the album as really excellent pop/rock, and that “Coming Down” sounds like something Paul McCartney would wish he’d written. He also praises Waaktaar’s ability to come up with “quirky chord progressions” in his songs:
“The ones that turn up unexpectedly, outside the box – but still slide into the ear canal like cream on strawberries. Listen to the opening track “Lonely Surfer”, and I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean”.

Popklikk gives special mention to the album’s production and vocal deliveries:
“The music has been placed inside a modern and meticulously crafted production, where a vital and playful soundscape adds a fine mixture of pleasure and energy to the songs. A production that has room for both string arrangements and electronic equipment.
One of the best things about ‘Under’ is how the couple Paul and Lauren sing so beautifully throughout the album, both individually and together. While the frequent backing vocals add freshness to the music and acts like a melodic supplement.”

Norway Rock‘s album review (in English) is more lukewarm, but does highlight the production and other high-quality elements:
“The title track has an excellent Bowie-esque chorus (and there are echoes of his work and sound throughout, along with Beatles and Beck), “Life and Times of a Wannabe” has some first-rate guitar work on it, edgy riffs and some good textures. Likewise, “Coming Down”, which also exemplifies Frode Unneland’s drumming on the record, which is generally prominent in the mix, and with good reason, as it carries the record along well.”

Frode: “We are very satisfied with the album”

Frode Unneland

Savoy drummer Frode Unneland was the main guest on the Norwegian radio show Stjernepose on NRK P13 this week, to talk about the new Savoy album Under.

Below are some translated quotes from the conversation.

On the album:
“We are very satisfied with it. It was an easy recording process and it’s a very structured and cohesive album. To us there’s a common thread throughout the concept that is ‘Under’. Paul has said that many of the songs were written during Covid lockdowns. His lyrics are personal, but I can relate to the loneliness that he describes. Walking down empty streets and so on.”

Starting the recording process:
“a-ha had finished their [2022] tour and Paul was staying for a week in Oslo, alone in their house. He called me up and asked if I wanted to come over, drink some wine and listen to some new songs he’d made.

When I entered his home studio he had put up a large sheet of paper with 13 songs on it, and we just started at the top of the list. He had already recorded some rough demos that I played along to, and then I was able to add my own drumming style to that. It was really fun to play on this album, because things started to gel really fast. We did all the songs in around three days.”

Old and new:
“On this album there’s one song that we’ve recorded a few times before, but never made the cut because we weren’t quite happy with it. But this time we suddenly figured it out. But Paul is constantly writing new material, and sometimes he’s amassed a lot of songs that he needs to release – or at least record.”

Across the Atlantic:
“So we did the initial recordings very quickly, but then he went home to the US and continued working from there. He’s in California, I’m in Norway, but he’ll send me video clips from the studio of things he’s working on, like a new keyboard part or guitar part. And he’s eager to get my feedback.”

Recording his own vocals:
“All my own vocal tracks were recorded in the bedroom of our house [in Bergen], and that worked really well. It’s the first time that I’ve recorded something without Paul being present. But I don’t know much about using computers to record things, so I enlisted the help of my youngest son Filip. So on the cover it says “engineered by Filip Unneland” and that’s really cool. And Paul really loved how it sounded, so he gifted him a black Ludwig drum kit and lots of compressors and microphones.”

Why Savoy rarely play live:
“The [2018] concert [in Oslo] was incredibly fun. After the show everyone were like “we need to do this again!”. But then another a-ha tour got in the way. That’s what happens. (…) There’s also the challenge of hiring new backing musicians and rehearsing extensively – yet again. Although Paul knows that I’d do it in a heartbeat. But we do get lots of offers to play live, here and there. Paul’s latest suggestion was that perhaps I could put together a Savoy cover band, that would have been much easier! [laughs]”

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.

‘See The Beauty…’ enters album chart at #7

Savoy’s new and well-received album

See The Beauty In Your Drab Hometown has entered the Norwegian album chart at #7 in its first week, making it Savoy’s sixth top ten album in Norway. See the whole chart at vglista.no.

Here are the band’s previous first-week positions on the Norwegian album chart:

Mary Is Coming (1996): #1
Lackluster Me (1997): #12
Mountains Of Time (1999): #1
Reasons To Stay Indoors (2001): #8
Savoy (2004): #7
Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 (2007): #7

In other news, Paul and Lauren were guests on another radio show on 14 January, Søndagsåpent on NRK P1. The whole interview is in English, and available here.

Additional Norwegian album reviews have been posted by musikknyheter.no and arildronsen.no, while the first German review has appeared on bleistiftrocker.de.

Great reviews for Savoy album and concert

Paul and Frode at Parkteatret, 11 January
(Picture by Carlos Maciá)

The good reviews for See The Beauty In Your Drab Hometown have kept coming since the album release last Friday. Here are a few more from the Norwegian press:

Dagsavisen (5/6): “Paul Waaktaar-Savoy’s songs are more vital than in a long time and oozing of confidence.”

Aftenposten (5/6): “An album that demands some time, but offers a lot of good and timeless pop music.”

Klassekampen (5/6): “After more than 20 years Savoy are reaching new creative heights, while maintaining a down-to-earth playfulness.”

Morgenbladet: “The frustration and (passive-)agressiveness that was a part of the previous albums has been replaced with a likeable musical optimism.”

Hamar Arbeiderblad (4/6): “The band make a departure from their previously guitar-driven sound in favour of a shameless flirt with 80s electro-pop. And as long as the result is this good, there’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

Åsane Tidende (4/6): “Low-key pop with a soul.”

Bergens Tidende (3/6): “The album includes both the alternative pop-rock they’re known for, and a more surprising element: synthpop.”

Lauren at Parkteatret, 11 January
(Picture by Carlos Maciá)

There have also been some album reviews on blogs and fansites:

Campaign For More a-ha Remastered Deluxes: “This album contains a truly great collection of songs. At this stage in his career, nobody needed any further proof that Pål Waaktaar-Savoy is a genius but we can all be thankful that he has once again supplied us with some.”

Popklikk: “See The Beauty In Your Drab Hometown features so many melodious and utterly fine songs that I’ve almost become addicted.”

The Wilhelmsens (6/6): “Paul deserves credit for his lyrics. He has an excellent way of combining music and lyrics, which always puts the song at the center.”

Dave’s Place Music: “See The Beauty In Your Drab Hometown is an album that shines from various lights, sometimes glowing like a nocturnal sun, sometimes glimmering like a candle in plain daylight, as it is surely intended to do with such an album-title.”

The Savoy concert at Parkteatret last Thursday has also been getting good reviews:

Musikknyheter (8/10): “A strong release concert, featuring many old songs. (…) Waaktaar sings better than ever, and with great authority and confidence. In particular on “End of the Line” and “Rain”. As a guitarist he was also impressive throughout the concert. (…) Savoy appeared as a skilled live band.”

Norway Rock Magazine (4,5/6): “Despite low expectations, this turned out to be a very enjoyable evening with Savoy in front of a crowd of 3-400 people.”

There are some great photo galleries from the concert on Flickr, taken by Johannes Andersen and Carlos Maciá. And a selection of video clips have been posted on YouTube.

Lauren and Paul signing albums at Big Dipper, 13 January
(Picture by Carlos Maciá)

No additional Savoy concerts are scheduled at the moment, but hopefully there will be more:

“We’ll probably do a few more concerts eventually, and we’re hoping to do some festivals. Unfortunately we had to turn down an offer from Bergenfest, due to other commitments, but of course we’re hoping to do a concert in my hometown”, Frode Unneland said in an interview with Åsane Tidende yesterday.

“We have actually talked about doing a club tour, just the three of us. We recently rehearsed as a trio in New York. It’s tempting. Savoy is a project without any stress. There’s no outside pressure to sell a lot of tickets. So there’s a great atmosphere when we’re working together”, Frode told Bergens Tidende in another interview last Friday (paywall).

Even though Savoy has only recorded one of Frode’s songs (which remains unreleased), he still feels that he’s actively contributing to the creative process:

“Savoy is basically our joint rock project. We all sing as well. The vocal work is very important to the band – and I think many struggle to hear the difference between Paul and myself.”

Frode also mentions that he’s been working on a new solo project, with 15 songs ready.

On Saturday Paul and Lauren signed copies of the new album at Big Dipper record store in Oslo. A lot of fans showed up, and the album was sold out within minutes after the signing started.

The album will be released in Germany tomorrow, 19 January, and the CD and vinyl can be ordered from amazon.de. In the UK the album will be out on 9 February and amazon.co.uk has the CD and vinyl available for pre-order.

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