Agnes Obel may be an unfamiliar name to many of our UK readers, but this Danish born, Berlin based artist has already had a pan-European hit with her delicate debut, Philharmonics. The record spent seven weeks at number one in her home country and also earned a top ten place in the charts of France and the Netherlands. On May 2nd a deluxe edition of the album will be available to those who have not yet had the pleasure of hearing her sparse, atmospheric, sound.
Philharmonics was completely self-produced and performed. Its mixture of subtle piano melodies and softly sung vocals are entirely entrancing. Obel , who recently finished her first headline UK tour, has a rare ability to utterly captivate an audience with her tender tones. Creating an electricity by silencing a crowd is not easy thing to do, epecially if have had to do so while touring in support of I Am Kloot .
Obel began the recording process in 2006 after she moved to Berlin to study, using an old radio house as a studio. "It was a huge place and aside from a few studios there the rest of it was ruins unfortunately because people just took out stuff, even the floors in some places," remembers Obel, who spent many hours with limited equipment trying to get as close as possible to her ideal vision. "I am a perfectionist, but I had to learn to embrace my limitations. I decided I wanted it to be sparse. I wanted parts to be quiet so others would stand out. I was conscious of allowing the music to breathe."
The success that followed has been a huge shock, having not even obtained a record deal while making the record. "I actually thought it would be something that no-one else would like," admits Obel, who personifies the delicacy of her sound. "I was writing songs on my own but I felt as though they were too clasical somehow and I was afraid of being exposed to play in front of other people."
Now on a global tour, it seems these fears have been laid to rest. With such critical acclaim as Philharmonics has amassed, she can have nothing but confidence in her ability. Riverside is a fantastic example of the depth on display in the upcoming deluxe release. "I always start writing on the piano, and I thought the piano sounded like water," Obel describes. "The theme I was really interested in was creativity and also the idea of working, and what it is that drives you to work," she says. "I don't think it's a good thing to look at your life in this really rational, sensible way. Obviously you have to make a living, but it can take up so much space in your mind that you forget to feel what you want to do and you lose direction," she adds, further exploring her creative mindset.
Words: Simon Butcher
Photograph: Kat Durrant
10:01 AM | 02/05/2011
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