Agnes Obel

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Agnes Obel
File:Agnes-obel-1315691380.jpg
Agnes Obel in Brussels (2010)
Background information
Born (1980-10-28) 28 October 1980 (age 43)
Origin Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres Folk, classical
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 2009–present
Labels PIAS Recordings (2010)
Website www.agnesobel.com

Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel (born 28 October 1980 in Gentofte, Copenhagen)[1] is a Danish singer/songwriter. Her first album, Philharmonics, was released by PIAS Recordings on 4 October 2010 in Europe. Philharmonics was certified gold in June 2011 by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) for sales of 10,000 units.[2] At the Danish Music Awards in November 2011, Agnes Obel won five prizes: Best Album, Best Pop Release, Best Debut Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Songwriter.[3]

Life and career

Early life

Obel, and her younger brother Holger, grew up in an unconventional environment. Her father had three children from another marriage. He loved to collect strange objects and instruments. Her mother, Katja Obel, was a jurist and musician. She used to play Bartók and Chopin on the piano.[4] With a house full of sound and music, Agnes learned to play the piano at a very young age. About her learning, Obel says: "I had a classical piano teacher who told me that I shouldn't play what I didn't like. So I just played what I liked. I was never forced to play anything else."[5]

During her childhood, Obel found inspiration in Jan Johansson's work. Johansson's songs, European folk tunes done in a jazzy style, have influenced the young musician a lot.[6]

In 1990, Obel joined a small band as a singer and bass guitar player. The group appeared in a festival and recorded some tunes.[7]

In 1994, Obel had a small part in the short film The Boy Who Walked Backwards / Drengen der gik baglæns by Thomas Vinterberg. Her brother, Holger Thaarup, played the main character in the movie. Credited as Agnes Obel, she appears in two scenes. She plays a pupil who shares her table with the new student Andreas (Holger Thaarup).[8]

She attended high school at Det frie Gymnasium, a free school where she was able to play a good deal of music. However, she quickly dropped out of school.[9] "At seventeen,(...) I met a man who was running a studio. I gave up quickly my musical studies to learn sound techniques."

Personal life

Agnes Obel has lived in Berlin since 2006[10] with boyfriend Alex Brüel Flagstad.[5][11] Flagstad is a photographer and animation artist who filmed and directed the music video for "Riverside" from Obel's debut album Philharmonics (2010). Flagstad has also directed videos for titles from her LP Aventine (2013), including "Dorian", "The Curse" and "Aventine".

Philharmonics

Obel debuted as a solo singer with her first album Philharmonics (2010). She writes, plays, sings, records and produces all her material herself. "The orchestral or symphonic music never interested me. I always was attracted by simple melodies, almost childish.(…) I put a long time before writing texts because the music seems to tell already a story, to project images."[4] Her piano is really much more than an instrument—Obel says, "The piano and the singing are two equal things to me – maybe not inseparable but very connected. You can say they are like two equal voices."[12] Obel says that, "The music is the most obvious means to express what I am, where I am."[13]

All of the songs in Philharmonics are original work except "Close Watch" ("I Keep A Close Watch" by John Cale) & "Katie Cruel" (a folk traditional; as the iTunes bonus track of the album). In Live à Paris, released on 11 April 2011 on iTunes, Obel sings a cover of Elliott Smith's "Between The Bars". Furthermore, Obel did a duet with Editors singer Tom Smith, performing "The Christmas Song" by Mel Tormé – to be found on the Smith & Burrows album Funny Looking Angels (released in November 2011).

For the promotion of Philharmonics, Agnes Obel appears (under the lenses of Mali Lazell) beside an impressive and worrying owl. This is clearly a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds. However, there is no owl in Hitchcock's film and many people find more connection with Ingmar Bergman universe. "Agnes, really superb, looks like Liv Ullmann in Ingmar Bergman's Persona or Tippi Hedren disguised in a proud Marnie rather than to its catatonic character of The Birds.[14]

Philharmonics has garnered generally positive reviews with for example James Skinner from BBC saying that "the compositions... are slow, sombre, sepulchral even, but not without a sense of occasionally singular beauty".[15] In the French cultural magazine Les Inrockuptibles, Johanna Seban speaks about a "disarming purity" and states, "There is, in these deeply melancholic ballads, the clearness and reassuring nobility of bedside discs."[16] At last, in Musicomh, Ben Edgell writes, "Obel sings with a hushed and tender grace that waxes wistful and serene over yearning cello, harp, and piano vignettes. She's a fey siren, with a dusky, near-whispered vocal that speaks to Ane Brun or Eva Cassidy."[17] French journalists have called Obel "A revelation to follow".[18]

Obel's first album was a critical and commercial success. Critic Philippe Cornet said that Philharmonics is "A success that hypnotizes a greedy era of peace and redemption." [1] In March 2011, Obel appeared for the first time in the United States. At the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Obel performed all the songs on the album.[19]

Three songs from the album were on the soundtrack of the 2009 film Submarino.[20] "Riverside" was featured in the episode "Not Responsible" of Grey's Anatomy and in Episode 12 of the second season of Offspring. "Avenue" was played in the episode "Trust" from Revenge.[21] "Riverside" was played in the episode "Duplicity" from Revenge and in the episodes "What Are You Doing Here, Ho-Bag?" from The CW's Ringer.[22] "Fuel to Fire" was used in the episode "The Big Uneasy" of The Originals (TV series). In April 2011, the Danish group Lulu Rouge have released a remix version of Agnes Obel's Riverside. Keeping the track's original beauty, Lulu Rouge have added their special electronic tempo on this famous song.[23] Prior to the release of "Philharmonics", the soft, soothing tunes of "Just So" were used as soundtrack of a commercial of Deutsche Telekom on German TV in 2008.

File:Agnes Obel au Cirque Royal, Bruxelles.jpg
Agnes Obel at the Cirque Royal, Brussels (2011)

PIAS Recordings released, on 7 February 2011, a 'Deluxe Version' of Philharmonics. This Deluxe Version contains five more tracks. Two instrumentals ("Riverside" and "Just So") and three live versions: "Over the Hill", "Just So", and a new song "Smoke & Mirrors". In Riverside EP, Agnes Obel sings "Sons & Daughters". This work is only available on this album.

In June 2011, Philharmonics was certified gold by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) for sales of 10,000 units.[2] In February 2011, Obel's first album was nominated for 'Impala European Independent Album of the Year'[24] and the title Riverside (from the Submarino's soundtrack) won the Robert Award for the Best Song of the year 2011.[25]

In October 2011, Obel won the 2012 European Border Breakers Award. The prize celebrate the top new talents in European pop music who "have all succeeded in reaching out to audiences beyond their home country through their talent and energy."[26]

In November 2011, Obel won five prizes at the Danish Music Awards for her first album Philharmonics. She won Best Album Of The Year, Best Pop Release Of The Year, Best Debut Artist Of The Year, Best Female Artist Of The Year and Best Songwriter Of The Year.[3]

Aventine

Obel began working on her second album in 2011. About her new album, she said, "I started to write new pieces, but all were instrumental ones, with the piano alone… In this moment, I feel more inclined to compose instrumental pieces. I already started to write some texts, but for me, it's more difficult to compose melodies."[13]

In January 2013, Obel finalized her new album with a serial of mixing sessions.[27] On 20 June 2013, Obel revealed that her new album Aventine would be released on 30 September 2013.[28]

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"On the last album, I didn't want to disturb the melody with too many stories. This time, I wanted to know if I was able to create images with words, with the sound of words.(...) I think that’s a good thing when the one who is listening, is feeling it in a different way that the one who creates. We are all listening with different perspectives.(...) I don’t want to impose my subjectivity to the listener."

—Agnes Obel on Aventine[29]

On Aventine, Obel commented: "I recorded everything quite closely, miking everything closely in a small room, with voices here, the piano here – everything is close to you. So it's sparse, but by varying the dynamic range of the songs I could create almost soundscapes. I was able to make something feel big with just these few instruments."[30]

Obel played at the iTunes UK Festival at the Roundhouse in London on 17 September 2013.[31]

Frank Eidel, from quebecspot.com, commented: "It's a fascinating collection of remarkable pieces, with rich and intense arrangements supported by Obel's dazzling voice."[32]

On 24 September 2014, Aventine became available on iTunes. Tom Burgel wrote: "The few reactions collected have been very positive and, already, full with love: The elegance of Agnes and the rare grace of her writings will cause, without any doubts, some strong palpitations in the hearts of the amateurs."[33]

File:AGNES OBEL in concert 2014.jpg
Agnes Obel (piano), Charlotte Danhier (cello), Sophie Bayet (violin) at Würzburg, Germany (2014)

The web site Mushroompromotions said: "‘Aventine’ is a beautiful record, intriguingly unhurried. If the first record was a wander through the forest, this one takes the time to see the beauty and feel the texture in a single leaf. It is at once microcosmic and universal. (...) Agnes creates her own world, or as she calls it, a bubble or bell jar, to make her music. Once inside (or should that be outside?), she’s no longer conscious of what’s going on. This is the mystery of her modus operandi, something she cannot explain. Which simply adds to the ethereal quality of her music."[34]

In October 2014 a deluxe edition of 'Aventine' was released. This album featured 3 new songs. The deluxe edition also contains a remix of 'Fuel to Fire' by David Lynch. The legendary filmmaker, who is also a musician, has declared about Obel : “I loved doing this remix. I was turned onto Agnes’ music through my record label… I think she has a most beautiful voice and can do things with her voice that are unique and extraordinary.”[35]

In October 2014, Obel played for the first time in the legendary music hall L'Olympia in Paris.[36]

New Album

During her 2014 Tour, Obel began work on her third album : "I’m planning to work less with piano, and more with other kinds of old keyboards (...) I’m trying to find new instruments to work with, so it’s sort of on the research phase and starting to write things."[37] Agnes says also : "I have some clear ideas but I’m not sure it is a good idea to go into specifics on such an early stage. I mainly plan to work with old keyboards like spinet and harpsichord and then see where they take me."[38]

In June 2015, Agnes Obel worked on her new album with a serial of mixing sessions. She recorded strings with new musicians : Frédérique Labbow, Kristina Koropecki and John Corban.[39]

Influences

Agnes Obel is influenced by artists such as Roy Orbison and also by the French composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie.[4] She also likes Edgar Allan Poe and photographers Sybille Bergemann, Robert Mapplethorpe, Tina Modotti and Alfred Hitchcock.[40] Concerning Hitchcock, she says, "I adore his enigmatic style, his sophisticated esthetic but always with an extreme simplicity."[4] The cover of her first album, photographed by Berlin photographer Mali Lazell,[41] is an 'homage' to The Birds. Agnes Obel also likes the experimental filmmaker Maya Deren. Sometimes, Obel tests some of her demos on Deren's movies.[42] Obel is also a huge fan of Nina Simone : "I have a fantastic live album by Nina Simone on which she sings “Who Knows Where the Time Goes”. Her vocals seem to come out of nowhere. Magic."[43] In addition to classical music, Obel listens to artists like Mort Garson (The Zodiac – Cosmic Sounds), The Smiths (How Soon Is Now?), and Françoise Hardy (Où va la chance).[44]

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
DEN
[45]		 BEL
[46]		 FRA
[47]		 IRE
[48]		 NLD
[49]		 NOR
[50]		 SWI
[51]		 UK
[52]
Philharmonics 1 1 8 — 8 — 58 —
Aventine
  • Released: 30 September 2013
  • Label: Play It Again Sam
  • Formats: LP, CD, digital download, box set
 1 1 2 38 5 23 9 63
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Extended plays

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
FRA
[47]
iTunes Live à Paris 131
iTunes Festival: London 2013
  • Released: 25 September 2013
  • Label: PIAS
  • Formats: Digital download
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions showing year released and album name
Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
DEN
[45]		 BEL
[46]		 FRA
[47]		 GER
[60]		 NLD
[49]		 SWI
[51]
"Riverside" 2010 2 3 71 — — 58 Philharmonics
"Just So" — 62 — 44 87 —
"Brother Sparrow" 2011 — 65 — — — —
"The Curse" 2013 — 43 112 — — — — Aventine
"Fuel to Fire" — — 88 — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Other charted songs

List of singles, with selected chart positions showing year released and album name
Single Year Peak chart positions Album
BEL
[46]
"On Powdered Ground" 2011 76 Philharmonics
"The Christmas Song"[63]
(Smith & Burrows featuring Agnes Obel)		 2011 — Funny Looking Angels

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Agnes Obel live in Berlin
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ http://www.france24.com/fr/20130926-musicienne-agnes-obel-on-trouve-liberte-limitant
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  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 danishcharts.com – Discography Agnes Obel. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 ultratop.be – Discographie Agnes Obel. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 Discographie Agnes Obel. lescharts.com, Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 dutchcharts.nl – Discografie Agnes Obel. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  50. ↑ Discography Agnes Obel – norwegiancharts.com, Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Discographie Agnes Obel – hitparade.ch, Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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