St. Thomas
A Long Long Time EP
Racing Junior

It suddenly struck me: how good is Thomas Hansen, a.k.a. St. Thomas? Really? Well, his songs are of a simple nature. With a naive touch, musically as well as lyrically. He scored "big time" with his hit-single "Cornerman", and last year took him around Europe, including touring with, opening for Lambchop, before he went to Nashville for the recording of his third album. Three albums of happy-sad misery or what?

St. Thomas do operate the sad and melancholic quarters. The title track of this EP is a 'typical' St. Thomas; "A Long Long Time" is catchy, shows traces of tristesse, and has got this carefully optimistic view. Thomas' voice (and his pronunciation) is not his force. Not difficult to spot his accent. But that's part of the charm. The other 4 songs here is more of a rollercoaster. Sort of oddball test-songs, fillers for a cee-dee-ee-pee...? Except the closing track "America", which is a fine moment. Very quiet, down on the farm, nightlife, campfire. Backed by grasshoppers and children. And, well; it seems like there's a red thread throughout the EP: travelling. Maybe it's Thomas' diary from last year?

So how will the new album be like? I've heard some samples from it. And, yes...? Later.

Copyright © 2003 Håvard Oppøyen