Back For Another Post: Janove Ottesen

For the past few weeks now, I've intended to get a hold of Janove (pronounced ya-no-vah) Ottesen's debut album, Francis' Lonely Nights. Janove reigns from Norway, but you would have no idea when listening to his voice. He's got a Noam Gallagher-Oasis type feel to him, but perhaps more delicate.

What I love about Ottesen is what I would call his versatility. On the first song, Black and White Movie, he's able to sing beautifully over a lush orchestration of trumpets and cellos, all brought together by a great rock composition. The song is emblematic of the whole album altogether: what Janove lacks in his lyrical skills, he makes up for with his music writing skills. He seems to be extra attuned to what makes a sounds a listener wants to hear, and then he takes them a little bit off the beaten path to explore some other kinds of music.

The first half of the album, in my opinion, is a bit stronger-and brighter as well. "Juliet" and "Forget About Me" flow together quite well with the album. Although the album tends to lag towards the end, "Wonderful Show"-a thoughtful ballad to his wife, thanking her for all that she does-really saves the latter half. Many of Ottesen's songs are more of the darker genre, but just as Nick Drake would sing dark lyrics over the prettiest of arrangements, so too does Janove Ottesen pull off this feat quite nicely.
Definitely go out and buy the album.

I apologize, but currently I do not have the capacity to upload or link to any songs, seeing as that I am at a summer camp. If you pick up a copy of PASTE magazine, you can find "Black and White Movie" on the sampler CD.