Bewitched - Laufey
Track List:
Dreamer
Second Best
Hunted
Must Be Love
While You Were Sleeping
Lovesick
California and Me (Feat. Philharmonia Orchestra)
Nocturne (Interlude)
Promise
From The Start
Misty
Serendipity
Letter To My 13 Year Old Self
Bewitched
What is this?
This album was recommended to me by my 16 year old son. He tolerates the variety of music I listen to and other than just saying jazz for once when I asked him about music he likes he gave me this artist. He suggested this album of hers. I listened to a bit of a song of hers but didn’t really take note of it so I don’t know what to expect, perhaps jazz?
Dreamer
An all female barbershop quartet? A retro swing sound. The song is about a woman declaring her independence,
Second Best
So the band behind the singer is a swing jazz style band that helps highlight her tone and make this feel very heartfelt. This is an intimate reflection upon a relationship that has passed, she isn’t fully over it and is reassuring herself that she is in a better place. I think the relationship may be an affair where she is the other woman.
Hunted
A much more full soundstage to introduce this but the instruments fall away to leave a void for her voice. She does layer her vocals at times it sounds nice when they do, she is good at harmonizing with herself. This is another look at the relationship touched upon in the last song.
Must Be Love
The vocal layers are really cool on this one. She is describing falling in love with someone. It isn’t clear if this is the affair partner or some new person.
While You Were Sleeping
A look back on the events of her falling in love with someone
Lovesick
This is much more pop rock sounding. I think this is probably more accessible for a listener more used to music that would play on terrestrial radio. The song is about missing a lover.
California and Me (Feat. Philharmonia Orchestra)
The music is gorgeous. She is given songwriting credits so that’s impressive even with the talented. This features her voice excellently. She is singing about an ex who left her to chase another woman across the country.
Nocturne (Interlude)
Just a piano piece. I am guessing Laufey has some background in classical music. So far this album has sounded cinematic in parts, others I would expect to hear in a bar filled with stale cigarette smoke in some pulp universe.
Promise
Another song about breaking up. Her voice is amazing on this one, she plays it like an instrument.
From The Start
A song about being madly in love with someone but scared to death of it. It pains her to hear the person she loves talk about others.
Misty
So this one is an Ella Fitzgerald cover that I don’t have any familiarity with. I listened to a bit of it and it’s pretty true to the original. I think this song helps show off Laufey’s low range.
Serendipity
I can see how this could be put in and worked as background music pretty easily. It’s pretty and easy to listen to. The song is about having a crush and being superstitious.
Letter To My 13 Year Old Self
The title is on point. I think this is an expose of Laufey’s insecurities. I don’t think this was influenced by Harry Chapin but I think the storytelling styles are very similar.
Bewitched
Another song about falling in love with someone.
Thoughts
I like this. Much of the album is bare, with her voice being the single focal point and she is an amazing singer. Many of the songs on the album deal with falling in love or complications with relationships. As I indicated in the interlude this was very stylistic and thematic in my opinion and very well done. I hear some parts that are very much clearly pop music and others that are way too abstract to consider pop. So much of the music is her singing and expression of emotions in her voice beyond just the words she says.
