Sordal - 2021 - Juno & Jupiter

(45:40; Apollon Records)

Track list:
1. You Make It So Damn Easy to Love You 4:39
2. Moral Police 4:28
3. Should I Cry for You 4:47
4. Ashes Bound 4:30
5. Transartic Lover 2:59
6. I Don't Believe in Science 4:12
7. Into the Ocean 4:08
8. Nothing up My Sleeve 4:41
9. Granit 4:14
10. Mother Receive, Mother Return 7:02

Line-up (according to discogs):
Stein Roger Sördal - vocals, guitars, synthesizers
Bjarne L. Severinsen - bass
Tommy Jacksonville - drums
Michael Aadal - guitars
Kenneth Silden - synthesizers
with:
Endre Kirkesola - synthesizers
Ole Jörgen Bardal - saxophone
Tom Anders Klungland - guitars


Norwegian project Sordal is the creative vehicle for composer and musician Stein Roger Sördal, who is most well known for being a member of progressive metal band Green Carnation. On this ongoing solo project Sordal has chosen to explore rather different types of music than with his main band, and from what I understand the style explored can be rather different from album to album as well. "Juno & Jupiter" is the fifth album to be created under the Sordal moniker, and was released through Norwegian label Apollon Records in the fall of 2021.

As I wrote in my short, descriptive mini-review of this album a while back, this production struck me as something of a love letter to the music of the 1980's. The liner notes of the album confirm this, and expand a little bit about the context of how this album came to be made to boot. An interesting read for those who still prefer to have a good old CD in their collection rather than to rely on leasing access to the music from one service or another.

Giving this album a more close inspection does give me a few additional observations. One of them is that the rhythm section appears to be as inspired by the 1980's and early 1990's as the rest of the contents on this production, and that they along with the keyboards and synthesizers adds a certain mechanical quality throughout. The liner notes indicate that this is a planned effect, and that the overall sound is just as important as the style of music explored here. Emphasizing the love letter to the 1980's aspect of this creation as a whole you might say.

As far as references go, I name-dropped artists like Erasure and Paul Young on my initial brief inspection of this album, but an artist I think I failed to mention was a-ha. That Sordal use his voice in a manner rather similar to Morten Harket at times, including using some of his catchphrase vocal movements here and there, certainly adds a bit of character to the songs these details appear in, and concluding song 'Mother Receive, Mother Return' also include at least a handful of minor keyboard details that avid fans of a-ha who know their 80's album in particular will instantly recognize. I'm fairly certain that there's a multitude of other references I haven't managed to catch when going through this album too: There's a limit to how much I can recall from 40 or so years ago after all. But I do note that at least some of the songs here are closer to the radio friendly rock music of the era too, and that synth dominated and driven excursions don't totally dominate this album. And while I might be mistaken here, I did note at least a few faint resemblances here and there towards the kind of material good, old Genesis made when they decided to become a pop band. This may well be an accidental observation though, as Genesis at that point included many elements that were popular and explored by others at that time too.

At last I do note that guitar sounds have a larger role in many of the songs here than what I can recall they had on the music that probably inspired the creation of this album, and that for me at least this is a positive aspect of this production as it does add a bit more energy and vitality to the songs. On the other side of the coin we do not escape a few visits from the time typical saxophone solo runs of the 80's, but thankfully they do not make many appearances here.

This is an album made by someone who know and love popular music from the 1980's, and probably someone with a greater knowledge and affection for this type of music than the average person being of a certain age in that time period too. I'm unsure if this is an album that will appeal all that much beyond people who were young in the 1980's, although I have reviewed other artists exploring similar landscapes - like UK band Tenek. Still, if you have an affection for 80's pop music or if you were young when artists such as a-ha and Erasure dominated the airwaves and you fondly remember those days, then this is an album you probably should give a spin at some point: Chances are very good that you'll find it interesting.

Olav M. Björnsen, November 2021

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sordalmusikk
https://www.apollonrecords.no/