Susanna - Triangle
- Published in Albums
Norwegian songstress Susanna may just have a bit of darkness in her soul. Her latest venture, Triangle, is a chilling collection of twenty-two slots in Susanna’s psyche and is chock full of self-conflict and unease.
Susanna sings: “Black is where my soul lives,” in the LP’s sixth track ‘Holy’. A song that oozes desperate escape but no matter what, she is always pulled back. The complexity of this track comes from her vocals, they’re upbeat, as though to allude that although she may fall she’s not afraid.
Following on from ‘Holy’ we are invited into the deepest corners of Susanna’s soul with ‘Shepherd’. Singing: “In the need of a shepherd”, we are introduced to an eeriness, like a wailing call of desperation, looking for someone to guide her.
The LP is an assortment of emotions. 'Before The Altar' and title track ‘Triangle’ are blissful but others like 'This/Phenomena' and 'Burning Sea' could be the soundtrack to your deepest darkest nightmares. According to Susanna, ‘Burning Sea’ is about “giving in to something, surrender, and feeling trapped at the same time”. The static, wailing electronics and lyrics “I belong to the darkness” shows of this sense of dread and belonging.
The low lights of this album is the over use of repetitive phrases. Repeating a phrase can be effective, if used right. But what is the reason for doing it in Triangle? Some of the tracks it works for certainly (see the horrifying, distorted ‘This/Phenomena’), but others just don’t make that much of an impact, like ‘For My Sins’ and its repetitive “By the way”. If this track turned up on shuffle on your phone, it could easily be skipped.
But, being that this is a 22 track LP, it’s obvious there would have to be a little bit of filler. Triangle is essentially a satisfying album. It follows a certain pattern with the majority of tracks taking on a ghostly, eerie ambient of noise.
‘Holy/Sacred’ does enrapture you in but you need to put your complete focus into it to appreciate Susanna’s vocal and the LPs entire production. It’s not an album you can just have on as background noise, listen to it late at night and reflect on life. Take the plunge and give it a few goes.
