Brandur Enni Blog

We finished the album!

2009 has just moved by so quickly…a lot of things have been happening - so it feels like a good time to put it briefly into words:)  Can’t believe that we’re actually done recording the album…and I can’t go into the studio to change it now - a kind of strange feeling - but also a big relief since I am very glad how the recording turned out…  The first session in Aerosol Grey Machine Studios was for one week in March - I stayed in a little house on the prairie one kilometer away from the studio…the snow was still on the fields and on the trees, there was just a great vibe to it all. These were probably the most intense days of my life. We’ve recorded everything on tape machines from the 60’s to get the old warm sound - recordings used to have. It all was  a whole different way of working, since I’m used to recording digitally, it was weird not being able to edit each take as much as I’m used to. But then that’s why we chose this studio. I knew I couldn’t fix things in the afterwork - which apparently  gave me an extreme kick - the fact that it was now or never and I gave it everything throughout the takes - I was surprised to find how less editing can leave you with so much more feeling in a recording. I guess there’s some kind of red line in the phrase recorded from beginning to end and when you don’t stop in the middle of everything.

The producer Christoffer Lundquist had to go on a tour with Per Gessle, so we waited 6 months and I returned to his legendary studio on a warm summer day - August 25th. The album was finished Friday night at 10pm -  September 11th. It was a crazy feeling… something deep inside me said that this was worth a celebration, but we had worked 24/7 in an almost three-week-race, so Christoffer wanted finally to be with his family which I totally understand…so I went down to the little house where I’d stayed, feeling kind of melancholic and proud at the same time - and extremely hungry for some crazy party - the only problem was that I was all by myself in a little house in the middle of a dark forest - not knowing a soul. I drank some bear and put some Swedish “snus” under my lip, what I never do unless something very special’s happened…I tried to read a novel, the only one that seemed interesting for the time being, but I got restless and bored. Then I hear somebody’s screaming/singing Gasolin songs somewhere in a distance. I go outside and find that  my only neighbor is having one hell of party! But I’m too shy to go over and join them…I tell myself that I can’t  just walk in there if he’s having a very personal party. I made pictures of the situation turning creepy with a stranger suddenly turning up. But after walking around my house for half an hour hearing their wild karaoke songs, I felt so alone that I finally built up some courage and grabbed my guitar and went over to introduce myself as the new neighbor! It turned out to be one of the very best parties I’ve ever joined…the hosts were the warmest people you can imagine…we played and sang all through the night. No club or magical bar could ever compete with that spontaneous garden party!

In July - Jana & Tony recorded a video for Sometimes Truth Needs a Lie, in a deserted mental hospital in Sundvall. The place was very creepy…but it was perfect for the video. you can watch it here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKkF5×2dBV4

During the summer I had a few concerts in Stockholm and one in the Faroe Islands as well as being opening-act for some big outdoor concerts in Stockholm, Gränna, Borås, Liseberg - Göteborg ,  for Sanna Nilssen, Shirly Clamp, Sonja Aldén and Charlotte Perrelli.

In August before returning to the studio. I went on an Inter-rail trip together with three friends of mine, down through France, Germany, Schweitz and Italy. I had to keep my voice fit beacuse I was  going to the studio directly after the trip. My friend Jonas Molinder and I played on the streets in pretty much every town we visited…we met so many wonderful people out there. When we played in Venice a french beat boxer came to join us, and he was fantastic…everybody gathered around us and we went on for a great while…  The pleasure in seeing people stop just to listen felt amazing, ’cause they don’t know who you are, they don’t even care -  they just listen to what they hear and stop if they really like it….no pressure - just  some honest music-lovers

My latest adventure was  getting the honor of being the opening act to Alexander Rybak’s  concerts here in Sweden (Eurovision winner - Moskva 2009). It was a blast getting to know him and his band + crew…we had a lot of fun.

What I really enjoyed about it was playing in these beautiful old theaters and concert houses in Stockholm, Jönköping, Göteborg and Malmö.

There’s more to tell, but I’ll leave it for now…

All the best,

/Brandur