Louder Than You Molecules & Erlend Skomsvoll

• 1 Fall 05:43
• 2 Her Hair 04:39
• 3 Politics 04:01
• 4 Tip Toe 04:30
• 5 That Easy 07:50
• 6 Perfume 05:45
• 7 What You Should Do 03:16
• 8 I'm a Sailor 02:11
• 9 Try Not To 04:52
• 10 Lagoon 05:34
• 11 Bumblebee 04:52
• 12 Half Way Across the Sea 01:34
• Total Runtime 54:47

Info for Louder Than You

The Norwegian six piece jazz group Molecules lead by composer and vocalist Karoline Wallace has together with the Buddy Award-winning Erlend Skomsvoll (known from Come Shine and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra) made a sensational new album. An exciting collaboration with seven jazz musicians sharing a true pleasure of playing with a love for each other and the music. The compositions were written with the intent of creating space for the musicians individual interpretations and musicality, which is apparent on the album in the form of a highly personal interplay.

After winning the "Jazz i sikte”- contest in 2014, Molecules has performed at Nattjazz, Maijazz, Uhørt, toured Norway 2014, Norway and Switzerland 2015, and Norway’s west coast in 2016. The latter tour was the beginning of the collaboration with Erlend Skomsvoll. The musicians in Molecules all come from the Grieg Academy in Bergen and are all active musicians in a number of well established bands such as Håkon Kornstad Tenor Battle, Come Shine, 1982, Natalie Sandtorv and Vellichor.

"The debut album of the Norwegian, Bergen-based jazz sextet Molecules is a collaboration with pianist Erlend Skomsvoll, known from Come Shine and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Molecules was founded in 2014 by alumni of the Grieg Academy in Bergen – most known among them is drummer Øyvind Skarbø from the 1982 trio and Håkon Kornstad Ensemble. Molecules toured Norway, Switzerland and again, last year, Norway’s west coast, this time with Skomsvoll, and only then, on October 2016 «Louder Than You».

The group describes its songs, penned by leader-vocalist Karoline Wallace as «bordering between the frozen-song and a kangaroo». This childish observation, actually made by a three-years-old, captures somehow the essence of Molecules music. The songs of Wallace are based on strong melodic themes, sometimes quite sweet melodies, delivered by Wallace warm, fragile voice. But behind Wallace the vocalist there are six musicians, eager to add their individual voices and even mess with the melodic envelope.

This tension charges Molecules songs with elements of surprise and risk taking. Playful songs as «Her Hair» enjoy the guitar solo of Mathias Marstrander that extends the melodic logic of the songs into much more adventurous terrains. On «Politics» it is the wordless vocalizations of Wallace that take this role; on «Tip Toe» these are the brief eruptions of trumpeter Tancred Heyerdahl Husø and sax player Jonas Flemsæter Hamre and on «Bumblebee» it is Skomsvoll piano.

The most impressive songs are the ones where Wallace and Molecules plus Skomsvoll reach a delicate balance between her fragile delivery and the other six musicians tendency to play with it. The reserved «That Easy» and «Try Not To» are the most beautiful ones. Wallace and Molecules balance between her emotional, disarming delivery and the group thoughtful sonic envelope, with an impressive piano solo on the latter song." (Eyal Hareuveni)

Karoline Wallace, vocals
Erlend Skomsvoll, piano
Tancred Heyerdahl Husø, trompet
Jonas Flemsæter Hamre, saxophone
Mathias Marstrander, guitar
Petter Asbjørnsen, bass
Øyvind Skarbø, drums

Molecules & Erlend Skomsvoll
The Norwegian six piece jazz group Molecules lead by composer and vocalist Karoline Wallace has together with the Buddy Award-winning Erlend Skomsvoll (known from Come Shine and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra) made a sensational new album. An exciting collaboration with seven jazz musicians sharing a true pleasure of playing with a love for each other and the music. The compositions were written with the intent of creating space for the musicians individual interpretations and musicality, which is apparent on the album in the form of a highly personal interplay.

After winning the "Jazz i sikte”- contest in 2014, Molecules has performed at Nattjazz, Maijazz, Uhørt, toured Norway 2014, Norway and Switzerland 2015, and Norway’s west coast in 2016. The latter tour was the beginning of the collaboration with Erlend Skomsvoll. The musicians in Molecules all come from the Grieg Academy in Bergen and are all active musicians in a number of well established bands such as Håkon Kornstad Tenor Battle, Come Shine, 1982, Natalie Sandtorv and Vellichor.

This album contains no booklet.