By Alex Jesus (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: October 15, 2014
When it comes to our day-to-day playlists, everyone is different. Everyone has an artist he or she can listen to over and over, and still feel the same electric touch each time. That’s me and Bernhoft.
After listening to his previous two albums Ceramik City Chronicles and Solidarity Breaks, my mind was blown — so when I heard Bernhoft was releasing something new, I freaked out. After I thought it couldn’t get better, my mind was effectively blown a second time. Bernhoft does it all over again in Islander.
Jarle Bernhoft is an indie-funk-soul writer from Norway who burst onto the scene in 2008. He is not well-known in North America, yet his talent for creating unique soulful music knows no bounds. This comes through clearly in Islander. What seems to be an album containing 11 songs turns into a magic carpet ride through the lands of the Norwegian underground indie music scene. The record opens up with “Come Around With Me,” a track with falsetto trills and an empowering guitar that sounds like something straight out of an ‘80s movie. Bernhoft’s unique voice will send chills down your spine.
Right after, we hear “Wind You Up,” a sassy, groovy tune that almost sounds like an indie version of a Beyoncé song. A few songs later, out comes “Don’t Let Me Go,” a heartbreaking ballad, which goes to show how diverse this artist’s work is. The variety doesn’t end there; if “Esiwalk” doesn’t get you out of your chair and moving your head and hips, I don’t know what will. There’s even a point in the song about two minutes in where he changes his voice to sound like Stevie Wonder for a little bit. Then finally, he caps off the album with “I Believe in All the Things You Don’t,” a beautiful, raw composition full of emotion that truly caps off the album gorgeously.
Ultimately, if you love indie, funk, and soul music, and overall just want to experience something brand new that you definitely haven’t heard before, I highly recommend checking out this record. It very well could make it onto your high priority playlists, as it has on mine.
