Why May I Not Go Out And Climb The Trees? –

If You Look At The Picture Too Long –

So if y’all remember from last year I ended the year with the band that had the biggest impact upon me that year. That spot went to the classic rock/blues/prog/folk/metal band Jethro Tull, and while there was a lot of great music that I discovered in 2016, it was fairly easy to decide upon an artist. This year, not quite as simple. Joining a monthly vinyl subscription and becoming a more serious concert goer and record collector tends to broaden your musical horizons. ^^; But! I finally decided upon…

Alabursy (2015), Daniel Norgren. Hey, it’s that Swedish Folk singer again! There was some amazing music I was introduced to over 2017, but there really isn’t anyone that holds a candle to Norgren for me. I still get goose bumps to this day thinking back to his small, yet powerful, performance at a local bar in downtown Denver.

This album, Alabursy, remains my favorite outing of Norgren’s. Like several of his other records, it both begins and ends with beautiful, calm instrumental tracks. This record is possibly more subdued than some of his other works, but it is able to craft this sublime atmosphere that is so utterly unique and a perfect match for his musical style. This record is the ideal choice to just wind down with at the end of the day, or listen to for your daily quiet moment. The songs on the album are a mix of introspective lyrics and mellow stories that relate back to themes of fear, loneliness, and yet beauty in the small everyday things.

I could give the usual spill here of “how it was so hard just to pick two songs,” but I feel that should just be a gimme for this album. In the end though, it felt only fitting to choose the first song I heard from Norgren (“Why May I Not…”) and the opening song from the concert (“If You Look At…”). The track “Why May I Not Go Out And Climb The Trees?” immediately caught my attention on my first listen, and while “Moonshine Got Me” and “Black Vultures” cemented my interest in the artist, “Why May I Not…” easily remains one of my favorites. This was definitely the tune I was most excited about when Norgren began to play it at the concert.

“Why May I Not…” tends to stand out from the other tracks on the album Alabursy, with it’s distinct back-and-forth, two-person dialogue structure for its lyrics. The speakers can be understood as a young child and an adult (probably the child’s parent). It follows this structure of presenting the child’s question followed by an answer from the adult. The child’s questions are given in a simple and innocent way, while in contrast the adult’s answers feel cold and purposefully frightening to the child. The answers are also framed in such a way that the listener realizes that aren’t meant to be taken literally. For example, the response to the title question is that the “trees have fingers that may steal the eyes from thee”. While trees don’t literally have fingers, you can read the deeper worry the parent may have for the child’s safety.

“If You Look At The Picture Too Long” is a little more complicated of a tune, and yet simpler. While Norgren and his two other band members (Anders Grahn and Erik Berntsson) technically walked on to stage with the instrumental track from the beginning of this album (“The Summer Chafer”), he opened the night with this tune by himself on the piano. I wasn’t closely familiar with it prior to the performance, but it peaked my interest to go give it a closer listen afterwards. The lyrics present us with a beautiful painting, but the speaker warns that the closer we inspect it and scrutinize it, the less real it becomes. We begin to doubt its vision, or more specifically the vision of the artist responsible for the painting. I’ve ran the lyrics through my brain several times now and I’m not confidant I could give its ultimate meaning, but it provides a fun brainteaser and some gorgeous poetry.

I believe Norgren’s albums are finely crafted from start to finish, but I really can’t stress enough how it’s his live performances that take those excellent songs and truly craft them into something even greater. When live, Norgren is free to take his simple songs and transform them into long, impressive jam sessions occasionally punctuated by his poetic lyrics. Slow songs shift to faster speeds each time he repeats the tune, but then slow down to almost nothing but a crawl and a single instrument. The constant shifts and turns, as well as his emotional delivery of the vocal parts, make for an unforgettable performance.

2017 was an amazing year for music and I could have easily chosen something released this past year. Sadly, even with the abundance of spectacular music from last year, it was also filled with some extremely heartbreaking losses of some very talented musicians. As we move on into 2018, I hope we remember the highs and lows from last year, honor the memory of those no longer with us, and seek out ways to make 2018 the best it can be. Cheers! ^^