Lay Low
Farewell Good Night's Sleep
Nettwerk/Playground

I don't know too much about Iceland, but if Lay Low isn't much of a well kept secret up there anymore, I'm happy to see what else they have in store. They may have fu*d up badly financially, but if this is a sign of what's to come it might be worth it.

Lay Low is basically a woman who's birthname is Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir. This is actually her third release under her artist name, meanwhile contributed on two other albums. None of which I have - yet - heard.

Having no expectations at all about what Lay Low might be like, I found myself in a comfortable corner of the room, about 6 seconds into the opening track, "I Forget It's There". Names such as Patsy Cline, Norah Jones and Amy LaVere comes to mind in trying to give you a hint of where you can find Lay Low. In my head, this is a compliment.

Of the 11 tracks on this album there is not one that could easily be left out. They all feel rather necessary as a whole. They all contribute to a certain feel created within the album itself. No sing-a-longs and no intrusive soloing or chanting, but Lay Low has that ability to capture you with her voice. The sadness in the songs has not taken away the pride of the narrator (like Cline) and the band follows her perfectly in every twist and turn, without ever trying to steal the attention.

The traditional gospel-country of "Little By Little", the steadiness and bitter-sweetness of the titletrack and the bossanova-beat ridden "My Second Hand Heart" are simply examples of the variety and consistency of this album. I'd gladly recommend this fine and, fairly, new artist to anyone with a taste of the elegant, sublime and sincere.

Copyright © 2009 Anders Svendsen