Kari Rueslåtten - Other people’s Stories

Bandname: Kari Rueslåtten
Title: Other people’s Stories
Genre: Ethereal / Pop Noir / Pop
Release Date: December 2004
Record Company / Label: GMR Music Group / Peach Music

Some of you might remember Kari’s name and wonder. Let me help you. Kari used to be the lead vocalist with Norway’s avant-garde Gothic/Doom metal band Third & the Mortal. A cult band that has never been the same since Kari left after 2 CD’s in 1994. In the late nineties this Norwegian lady released solo-albums through Sony Music Norway, but in the year 2000 she left Sony and her home-country and settled in London. She signed a recording deal with GMR and released the album “Pilot” in 2002. With her typical voice (resembling the likes of Tori Amos), her Norwegian accent, her love for nature and her ability to write surprisingly beautiful songs, she now has returned with a brand new album, “Other People’s Stories”.  Not really metal or gothic, but I do believe that there are a lot of gothic metal fans that might like the works of this attractive lady.

Line-Up

Kari Rueslåtten – Vocals

Frode Flemsæter – Keyboards, Piano, Organ & Vocals
Jørn Flemsæter – Guitars
Lars Lien – Guitars
Roald Ladestad – Guitars
Stig Sandbakk – Guitars & Double Bass
Håkon Austheim – Drums & Percussion
Bjarte Sandøy Grønning – Bass
Roy Ole Førland – Programming, Sounds & Chimes
Bjørnar Habbestad – Additional Programming

1. Other People’s Stories  – 3:19
A laid-back beat, a sweet voice (you can hear her smile), acoustic guitars, keyboards…. This going to be a relaxed trip through open fields and outstretched countryside. “Minimalistic”, is my first impression. To push it to the limit when it comes to the motto “just play what the song actually needs”.  Kari shows that she can really express emotions through her voice by the means of timbre. What might be off-putting for some people is Kari’s Norwegian accent. Her lyrics are in English, but some sounds that are typical to the Scandinavian languages are clearly present. I don’t mind at all. It makes it authentic.

2.  Sorrow to my Door – 3:31
A laid-back percussive song about “no regrets”. It has a Norwegian folk feel to it. At first I thought it was a reworking of one of the songs she did in 1995 on her demo’s (folk songs). The chorus opens up and has a majestic feel to it, while the verses give you the urge to sing/chant along.

3.  Cry – 3:56
As the title of the album already gave away; another song about an emotion. It slightly reminds me of Hooverphonic. Quiet programmed sounds in the background. A happy sounding vocal line with a not so happy message.

4. Dog Star – 4:24
Wow, this sounds like Portishead for a minute. A catchy melody-line guides you through the choruses. A smothered drum beat slowly pushes on through to the end. In the verses it’s just Kari, the drum-beat and an organ. And when Kari sings almost alone, it’s angelic. Fragile, but so well controlled. Something a lot of aspiring vocalists in the soprano category can learn so much from.

5. When lilies bloom on winter Days… – 3:56
A bass-filled sound fills the speakers. Percussion creates a trance-like drive. Melancholy drips from every pore. The emotions crackles Kari’s voice in the sorrow-filled passages, only to get back momentum when she sings “No more shall I fear the night…” in the chorus. So far the most beautiful song of the album.

6. Push – 3:36
And then all of a sudden some distorted guitars fill my speakers, disappearing as quick as they entered them. An up-tempo computerized beat and programmed bass make the soundtrack to which Kari spills her lyrics. The loudest song of the album? Yes, I think so. Though loud is a bit exaggerated. Nothing is really loud on this album. Half way through there’s just a muffled piano and some whispered vocals. Building up to the noise again.

7. Ride – 4:46
Soundscapes and Kari’s folky vocals singing “I ride with my dottir (that’s daughter with a Norwegian accent)”. Then the keyboard bass line is back and the whole feel of the song turns to a slight industrial, cold approach. I would almost categorize this track as experimental. Something Kari wasn’t afraid of in her past. I would almost say that the vocals were recorded without the music…

8. Fishing – 4:10
More than a minute long it’s just Kari singing, before an organ comes by to accompany her. A very moody piece of work. Nothing more gets added and after the 4 minutes it’s over in a flash, leaving you a bit melancholic.

9. Carved in Stone – 3:46
Another atmospheric highlight. Almost as good as “Lillies…”. I’m surprised how she manages to create these songs without a real beat. Harmony vocal lines adding to the angelic impression she leaves behind. Offering the listener a shoulder to cry on.

10. Life – 3:09
A more poppy song. More positive… or is that just the way she wants you percept this. It’s definitely more approachable than some of the song on this album. An easy-listening tune that just adds to the bigger picture of the album.

11. Orlando – 1:40
A standing bass, or double bass if you like, together with Kari’s fragile voice. It sounds like a light-hearted song she just sang to a child or close friend. Very short. And after just under 2 minutes it suddenly ends, and so does the CD. Leaving a void.

Total playing time: 40:18
Total numbers: 11

Cover pictures
 

Conclusion

I sort of followed Kari’s career throughout the years since her time with 3rd & the Mortal, and in that time I really got to appreciate her vocals. She is one of the best female vocalists around, that’s for sure. But I can also understand that her accent and her tone might not appeal to everyone. I, on the other hand, think it adds to the charm this lady pours on her recordings. Always inbetween happiness and sorrow. Very atmospheric yet not cliché or too ethereal. Experimental, but approachable. I can recommend everyone who isn’t ashamed of the fact that they might have a Tori Amos record at home or that they like certain goth metal bands because of the vocals and not the way the vocalist looks. She hasn’t had much of a following outside Scandinavia and that’s a bloody shame! One of the most enchanting ladies in the music business…

Music: 9
Sound: 8
Extra's: n/a
Total: 8,5