Marius Vareid - Telemark

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  • It's amazing how long some artists wait before striking out solo. According to Discogs, Marius Våreid has been around since at least 1997, and yet it was only three years ago that his name first appeared on a record alone. Like Telemark, that release was on Prins Thomas' Full Pupp, an imprint which could barely be better suited to his carefree sound. Much to their consternation, the label and its friends have invariably been associated with disco over the years. With this latest release, one can understand their frustration: It doesn't have much to do with disco at all. In fact, many of the tracks are kind of gaudy, almost too polished. And that's the worst than can be said about Telemark. At times, it's incredibly garish, tracks like "Skumle Planer" and "Telemark" brim with flocks of major-key chords at the expense of everything else. Otherwise, as you'd expect from an album that's built almost solely on flashy synth lines and arpeggios, it's a pretty pleasant listen. For instance, the opening track "Regatta" sounds uncannily similar to Little Big Bee's serene "Scuba." With bobbing chords and a sandy shaker, it too would make the perfect accompaniment for a dive. Then there's the pre-released single "Sang Til Sara," much more in line with the cosmic atmosphere so often attributed to Prins Thomas and Lindstrøm. Its stately chords sway alongside flanging percussion and rubbery bass, coming off as nothing less than transcendent. Similarly, the euphoric "Vallefarret" shows more restraint and is all the better for it. The final track, "Tropisk Storm," is also rather enchanting. While parts of it reach the aforementioned levels of corniness, the periods of quiet calm and convincing storminess that bookend the track save the day. Unfortunately for Våreid, however, there's just not enough of these moments on Telemark for it to make a lasting impression as a whole.
  • Tracklist
      01. Regatta 02. Skumle Planer 03. Telemark 04. Sang Sil Sala 05. Sandstrand 06. Vallefaret 07. Molen 08. Villa Farris 09. Jeger 10. Tropisk Storm
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