I really liked the first piece from the new album. But this one, phew, it’s an instant favorite for me also! A musical journey as I like them! 💙 Magnificent composition by Magne. 🥰🎶
I heard this last Friday and immediately liked it. It’s typically Mags in both sentiment and musical style, even if I’d heard it sung by someone else I think I’d have known it was written by him. I don’t know who the female voice belongs to but I really like the blending of her voice with his. I interpret the lyrics as bemoaning the fact that we seem to be in strange times where we’re just treading water or even regressing as a species whereas we should be progressing and forging ahead. It’s a rueful song, full of regrets at our missed opportunities and unfulfilled potentials.
Yeah, the most Magne title since "Forever Not Yours" - I'm sure there's been others. He's such a fascinating artist. If you didn't "know" him, you'd think he was some bloke who couldn't sing, recording songs in his bedroom using a Yamaha keyboard from a second hand store and a drum machine. The distorted, grainy production is all part of the ambiance. Most of these Magne songs could feature a music video that showed just his greyscale, bearded face on a white background, the picture occasionally distorting for a second or two, before returning to normal. The chords in the chorus are subtle but effective - probably lift the song a few percentage points. Just like the opener, it's one I feel will grow.
Well, I can't agree with all of this. I think if I didn't know who he was, I would still think he could sing. 😁I would still love his voice and his music is amazing to me. For the majority of his stuff, especially when I hear his voice, I get a sappy smile on my face and this warm feeling in my heart. There is something about his mostly melancholy with many times a touch of hope style that really touches me. His voice is perfectly vulnerable and full of emotion. I do get he's not Morten or Pål, but I wouldn't change a thing about how he sings. ❤ It's all good though. Will definitely agree to disagree here .😁
In some respects, Mags' aesthetic approach reminds me of Leonard Cohen circa "I'm Your Man." There's an interesting moment in the new podcast series where Mags speaks about mixing "Past Perfect Future Tense" with Michael Brauer in New York. Brauer had started the work by himself and put together a smooth, radio-friendly version of "Kryptonite" that sounded fantastic. But Mags made him strip the track back closer to the rawer, more DIY early mix made during the recording session. So it's clearly a conscious direction on Mags' part.
I agree with you, this song instantly won a place among my favourites in Magne's solo catalogue, though others have the weight of nostalgia backing them up. ☺ I love the composition and the arrangement, love how it builds gradually (those 25 seconds after 4:00 are awesome), love the "solemn" piano note at the end... Magne's voice really sounds great and smoother, as you say, and that higher-pitched backing vocal is surely his (he does that a lot in the backing vocals in a-ha songs). Shell has thankfully spared me a lot of the work quoting Magne himself on the second episode of his podcast ("no animals were hurt during the recording of this series" 😁), and of course you were spot-on in your intro when talking of the title and how it gives a darker side to an expression usually used more positively (just read Magne's words in Shell's comment 😉). I was also going to mention that I agree that there may be a positive reading of the lyrics (though I haven't caught them all, to be honest), and Shell has already explained exactly what I had in mind: though we haven't apparently come very far until now, there is hope that we will; "when you think that we are done" seems to indicate we aren't, in fact, done. 🙃 Haha, in full Dodgers gear today, t-shirt and mug! 🤗
Thanks again for sharing this, babe. And I like that reading, the tense of the phrasing suggests there might still be distance traveled and growing yet to come. 🥰 And hahaha, yes, I couldn't resist wearing another one of my new Dodgers shirts.
What? Where did my response to your comment go? Man....Will try again. I agree about the part after 4:00. I also love Magne's "Ooooohs". They sound like a cute little puppy howl.🥰
I am with you, Matt. I truly love this song as well. I just truly feel this album and the songs came at the right time for me. Perhaps maybe that's why I am getting into them so much? Well, it's Magne too, so there's that. 🤷♀💞💞😉 Truthfully though, I am not one to just like a song because a certain person does it. There are songs, heck, even whole albums of Magne's I don't listen to, so I do believe I just truly love this. That was a nice catch on the "roaming star" to "rising star'. At first, I thought he sang "Morning star", but "roaming star" could make more sense for sure. Yes, as a way of becoming more hopeful. I also see "Look how far we haven't come" as a double meaning.....how we haven't done enough, but at the same time, still hope for how we can do so much more good. To me again, Magne has done a perfect mix of melancholy with hope. I do love the backing vocals too. It goes along with the title with the mix of Magne's maybe more melancholy deeper voice with the higher and softer hopeful voice. You are right , Matt, his voice is a little smoother here too. I know some say they would love to hear A-ha do these songs, but......well....I am sorry about this, but I will definitely have to agree to disagree here. I do love Morten's voice, but really, this is Magne's personality and heart in these songs, his whole being. I think his voice matches. Morten would just give a different vibe to me. Also, I think Morten wants to take a big long break. I feel that anyway and I could be wrong, but I feel and get the vibe he needs a long breather. I am sure he will have some of his own stuff out there, eventually. No doubt that Magne and Pål would be able to write more A-ha like songs in the future too, if they are all up for it. I am fine and understanding with their dynamics as how they do stuff as a band and then do their own things. I am just happy when they do any of it. Also understanding when they need a break or heck, even if they don't wish to do anymore. They are human, they gave us so much, they are world treasures, I honor their choices. 💖 Okay, so here is what he said about the song in his podcast......The title is a very simple play on idioms on what people say when people are down "But hey, look at the bright side...look how far we've come". That wasn't really the feeling he was having. (he snickers a bit) He says you look for titles that are slightly unusual or as unusual as they can be. That he might not be the most amazing at that, but he likes to try to find things that "trip up your expectancy a little bit". Whether this is one of them it's not for him to decide, but it started the idea, the lyric. Then he goes more into how he comes up with the lyrics and it's not so much about the song, so I will stop here. I could easily just write about the whole podcast, but if people wanted that, they would listen to it themselves, no? 😂 I will say it was a fun and interesting one again. Well, for me anyways. Cool thing is he asked fans to send in questions. The question this week was what animal would you be, if you could. He said he would be his dog because of how well his wife takes care of their dog. 😂 Also, he said the more he is with his dog, the more he doesn't want to be around people.🤣🤣 Ah yes, I can definitely feel that way myself. I think my job is pretty perfect for I get to be around animals all day. I do need to remember to go out and socialize with people here and there though now. Perfect for this Introvert though. I used to hate when I worked with people and in the service industry. I was frustrated for I used up most of my energy on people I worked with and customers and then had little energy for the real important people in my life, family and friends. Now I am just with animals, I have more energy to meet up with friends and family. Win win. He also made up a new word, "Magicable". Not sure if that's how it would be spelled. He was trying to say able and magic, as likes to be able to make magic with his music. I agree that he is "Magicable". 💞🥰 Anways...Oh Right! The other thing. Magne posted on IG the other day that he has a new Christmas song. A little bit of what he said "Before you brace yourself for another furugrinch-version of yours truly ragging on xmas, it is called 'Giving into Xmas', so yes folks-this is my atonement for ruining yuletide for yáll last time around." 😂 " I have decided that in these uncertain times, with the world on edge in just about every way, maybe exactly what we need is to huddle together in the darkness and just find company of friends-plastic ornaments, broken baubles, and the rest of it. But just don't expect too much merriment though...it just ain't my jam. "😂😂 Ahhhh that's our Magne alright.😂 💖 He is going to Japan. Japan asked him to add the Christmas single as a bonus track to his album. I am a little confused here, but that is what he said. 🤷♀He did say "Well any excuse to go back to Japan in my book, even if I have to dress up as Santa...and my beard IS getting whiter...." 🎅😂😂 Sorry all if you didn't care to actually read all of this. I am so excited. I need Magne stuff right now and I am so grateful to him. 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼Also, Matt wasn't the only one who scored nice A-HA swag. I bought me a cool hoodie. 😎🤟🏼 Hey, I knew I would need some cheering up, so I couldn't resist. It's in my photo if you want to see it.👈🏽👈🏽👈🏽👈🏽
Wow, thank you for doing all that work! 🤗 You saved me some typing. 😁 Congrats on the new hoodie, also. I see it, looks very nice! Though I can't make out the print. 😜
@@SofiaMarques18 Well, seems you're the only one who cares about it. Quite a few likes for everyone else below and one for me. They probably saw the length of it and thought "Agggggghhhhhh! No thank you." 😱😂 Ah well, I understand. Will just mean that the Christmas song could really be a surprise for a few people, no doubt. I don't mind writing about Magne updates at all even if only 1 or 2 people read it. 🥰 Okay, I can't find the 3rd song, but I found the new Christmas song on his RUclips channel. Did you see the 3rd song anywhere?
@@shelld1261 The 2nd “like” is me!!! 😁👋 Am I just the second person to read and appreciate this detailed comment? Certainly not Shell! 😉 I always take the time to read your comments which are unique and very original. As for the word "magicable", I think this second song from the album has the characteristics; this piece carries a melancholy which is both dark and luminous which is also found in the musical work of A-HA. Magne interprets it with all his artistic sensitivity, the arrangements are superb... In my opinion it is a song which will become an important piece of his repertoire. 🥰🎶
Shell, what an amazing comment, and seriously, this tune is fantastic. And I did indeed read the full comment (and hahaha, my beard is getting whiter just like Mags). Also thank you so much again for the "magicable" shirt, it will be making another appearance this Sunday for the a-ha double. ☺
Love this one I have to say, would have made a good a-ha track
I really liked the first piece from the new album. But this one, phew, it’s an instant favorite for me also! A musical journey as I like them! 💙 Magnificent composition by Magne. 🥰🎶
I heard this last Friday and immediately liked it. It’s typically Mags in both sentiment and musical style, even if I’d heard it sung by someone else I think I’d have known it was written by him. I don’t know who the female voice belongs to but I really like the blending of her voice with his. I interpret the lyrics as bemoaning the fact that we seem to be in strange times where we’re just treading water or even regressing as a species whereas we should be progressing and forging ahead. It’s a rueful song, full of regrets at our missed opportunities and unfulfilled potentials.
I believe it's Tini Flaat Mykland, who Mags mentored on "The Voice."
@ Thanks…I didn’t know that.
Yeah, the most Magne title since "Forever Not Yours" - I'm sure there's been others.
He's such a fascinating artist. If you didn't "know" him, you'd think he was some bloke who couldn't sing, recording songs in his bedroom using a Yamaha keyboard from a second hand store and a drum machine. The distorted, grainy production is all part of the ambiance. Most of these Magne songs could feature a music video that showed just his greyscale, bearded face on a white background, the picture occasionally distorting for a second or two, before returning to normal.
The chords in the chorus are subtle but effective - probably lift the song a few percentage points. Just like the opener, it's one I feel will grow.
Well, I can't agree with all of this. I think if I didn't know who he was, I would still think he could sing. 😁I would still love his voice and his music is amazing to me. For the majority of his stuff, especially when I hear his voice, I get a sappy smile on my face and this warm feeling in my heart. There is something about his mostly melancholy with many times a touch of hope style that really touches me. His voice is perfectly vulnerable and full of emotion. I do get he's not Morten or Pål, but I wouldn't change a thing about how he sings. ❤
It's all good though. Will definitely agree to disagree here .😁
In some respects, Mags' aesthetic approach reminds me of Leonard Cohen circa "I'm Your Man." There's an interesting moment in the new podcast series where Mags speaks about mixing "Past Perfect Future Tense" with Michael Brauer in New York. Brauer had started the work by himself and put together a smooth, radio-friendly version of "Kryptonite" that sounded fantastic. But Mags made him strip the track back closer to the rawer, more DIY early mix made during the recording session. So it's clearly a conscious direction on Mags' part.
I agree with you, this song instantly won a place among my favourites in Magne's solo catalogue, though others have the weight of nostalgia backing them up. ☺
I love the composition and the arrangement, love how it builds gradually (those 25 seconds after 4:00 are awesome), love the "solemn" piano note at the end... Magne's voice really sounds great and smoother, as you say, and that higher-pitched backing vocal is surely his (he does that a lot in the backing vocals in a-ha songs).
Shell has thankfully spared me a lot of the work quoting Magne himself on the second episode of his podcast ("no animals were hurt during the recording of this series" 😁), and of course you were spot-on in your intro when talking of the title and how it gives a darker side to an expression usually used more positively (just read Magne's words in Shell's comment 😉).
I was also going to mention that I agree that there may be a positive reading of the lyrics (though I haven't caught them all, to be honest), and Shell has already explained exactly what I had in mind: though we haven't apparently come very far until now, there is hope that we will; "when you think that we are done" seems to indicate we aren't, in fact, done. 🙃
Haha, in full Dodgers gear today, t-shirt and mug! 🤗
Thanks again for sharing this, babe. And I like that reading, the tense of the phrasing suggests there might still be distance traveled and growing yet to come. 🥰 And hahaha, yes, I couldn't resist wearing another one of my new Dodgers shirts.
What? Where did my response to your comment go? Man....Will try again.
I agree about the part after 4:00. I also love Magne's "Ooooohs". They sound like a cute little puppy howl.🥰
@@mattsnider2667 I guess someone's optimism is rubbing off. 😁😘
I am with you, Matt. I truly love this song as well. I just truly feel this album and the songs came at the right time for me. Perhaps maybe that's why I am getting into them so much? Well, it's Magne too, so there's that. 🤷♀💞💞😉 Truthfully though, I am not one to just like a song because a certain person does it. There are songs, heck, even whole albums of Magne's I don't listen to, so I do believe I just truly love this. That was a nice catch on the "roaming star" to "rising star'. At first, I thought he sang "Morning star", but "roaming star" could make more sense for sure. Yes, as a way of becoming more hopeful. I also see "Look how far we haven't come" as a double meaning.....how we haven't done enough, but at the same time, still hope for how we can do so much more good. To me again, Magne has done a perfect mix of melancholy with hope. I do love the backing vocals too. It goes along with the title with the mix of Magne's maybe more melancholy deeper voice with the higher and softer hopeful voice. You are right , Matt, his voice is a little smoother here too. I know some say they would love to hear A-ha do these songs, but......well....I am sorry about this, but I will definitely have to agree to disagree here. I do love Morten's voice, but really, this is Magne's personality and heart in these songs, his whole being. I think his voice matches. Morten would just give a different vibe to me. Also, I think Morten wants to take a big long break. I feel that anyway and I could be wrong, but I feel and get the vibe he needs a long breather. I am sure he will have some of his own stuff out there, eventually. No doubt that Magne and Pål would be able to write more A-ha like songs in the future too, if they are all up for it. I am fine and understanding with their dynamics as how they do stuff as a band and then do their own things. I am just happy when they do any of it. Also understanding when they need a break or heck, even if they don't wish to do anymore. They are human, they gave us so much, they are world treasures, I honor their choices. 💖
Okay, so here is what he said about the song in his podcast......The title is a very simple play on idioms on what people say when people are down "But hey, look at the bright side...look how far we've come". That wasn't really the feeling he was having. (he snickers a bit) He says you look for titles that are slightly unusual or as unusual as they can be. That he might not be the most amazing at that, but he likes to try to find things that "trip up your expectancy a little bit". Whether this is one of them it's not for him to decide, but it started the idea, the lyric. Then he goes more into how he comes up with the lyrics and it's not so much about the song, so I will stop here. I could easily just write about the whole podcast, but if people wanted that, they would listen to it themselves, no? 😂 I will say it was a fun and interesting one again. Well, for me anyways. Cool thing is he asked fans to send in questions. The question this week was what animal would you be, if you could. He said he would be his dog because of how well his wife takes care of their dog. 😂 Also, he said the more he is with his dog, the more he doesn't want to be around people.🤣🤣 Ah yes, I can definitely feel that way myself. I think my job is pretty perfect for I get to be around animals all day. I do need to remember to go out and socialize with people here and there though now. Perfect for this Introvert though. I used to hate when I worked with people and in the service industry. I was frustrated for I used up most of my energy on people I worked with and customers and then had little energy for the real important people in my life, family and friends. Now I am just with animals, I have more energy to meet up with friends and family. Win win. He also made up a new word, "Magicable". Not sure if that's how it would be spelled. He was trying to say able and magic, as likes to be able to make magic with his music. I agree that he is "Magicable". 💞🥰 Anways...Oh Right! The other thing. Magne posted on IG the other day that he has a new Christmas song. A little bit of what he said "Before you brace yourself for another furugrinch-version of yours truly ragging on xmas, it is called 'Giving into Xmas', so yes folks-this is my atonement for ruining yuletide for yáll last time around." 😂 " I have decided that in these uncertain times, with the world on edge in just about every way, maybe exactly what we need is to huddle together in the darkness and just find company of friends-plastic ornaments, broken baubles, and the rest of it. But just don't expect too much merriment though...it just ain't my jam. "😂😂 Ahhhh that's our Magne alright.😂 💖 He is going to Japan. Japan asked him to add the Christmas single as a bonus track to his album. I am a little confused here, but that is what he said. 🤷♀He did say "Well any excuse to go back to Japan in my book, even if I have to dress up as Santa...and my beard IS getting whiter...." 🎅😂😂 Sorry all if you didn't care to actually read all of this. I am so excited. I need Magne stuff right now and I am so grateful to him.
👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼Also, Matt wasn't the only one who scored nice A-HA swag. I bought me a cool hoodie. 😎🤟🏼 Hey, I knew I would need some cheering up, so I couldn't resist. It's in my photo if you want to see it.👈🏽👈🏽👈🏽👈🏽
Wow, thank you for doing all that work! 🤗 You saved me some typing. 😁
Congrats on the new hoodie, also. I see it, looks very nice! Though I can't make out the print. 😜
@@SofiaMarques18 Well, seems you're the only one who cares about it. Quite a few likes for everyone else below and one for me. They probably saw the length of it and thought "Agggggghhhhhh! No thank you." 😱😂 Ah well, I understand. Will just mean that the Christmas song could really be a surprise for a few people, no doubt. I don't mind writing about Magne updates at all even if only 1 or 2 people read it. 🥰
Okay, I can't find the 3rd song, but I found the new Christmas song on his RUclips channel. Did you see the 3rd song anywhere?
@@shelld1261 The 2nd “like” is me!!! 😁👋 Am I just the second person to read and appreciate this detailed comment? Certainly not Shell! 😉 I always take the time to read your comments which are unique and very original. As for the word "magicable", I think this second song from the album has the characteristics; this piece carries a melancholy which is both dark and luminous which is also found in the musical work of A-HA. Magne interprets it with all his artistic sensitivity, the arrangements are superb... In my opinion it is a song which will become an important piece of his repertoire.
🥰🎶
Shell, what an amazing comment, and seriously, this tune is fantastic. And I did indeed read the full comment (and hahaha, my beard is getting whiter just like Mags). Also thank you so much again for the "magicable" shirt, it will be making another appearance this Sunday for the a-ha double. ☺
@@SofiaMarques18 Oh yes, Sofia, the print is "Sycamore Leaves A-Ha 90" 👍
Maybe I has been busy with de old tree o'tree today. Maybe I is not Magnet Furry Home Men.
What? 😂 I get the last part, funny play on words. 👍 I do not get the tree o'tree though.
@@shelld1261 Only those with loyalty will ever know.
@@handsolo1209 Okay🤷♀😅
@@shelld1261 Haha, he made a track with the 303, AKA the acid-box (on his Patreon). You should check it out, it's super good!
@@mattsnider2667 I will have to do that sometime. 👍