Let me say right up front that I can't take credit for finding this one as Lie In The Sound had it last year. But I don't know how many of you read Lie In The Sound (you really should, though; they have much better taste in music than I do). Nonetheless, I absolutely love this song and it fits my weird criteria for this feature in that "Merrily Merrily" will be included on the forthcoming album from Hilma Nikolaisen, "Mjusic", due November 30.
Hilma is a Norwegian Alternative Indie Rock artist at heart, though "Merrily Merrily" is much more a Dream Pop single. It's interesting how different people hear different things in the song. I hear contentment and optimism, others hear cynicism, and Lie In The Sound heard something in between (hope). But the sound is the thing that makes me swoon. Some cite Phil Spector but, while I understand why they reach for that, I get much more of the lush sound of the Lite music of Percy Faith melded with 60s Psych guitars and thoroughly contemporary Indie sensibilities. It's sonically sweet, but with enough of a rough edge to command your attention. "Merrily Merrily" grabs both your head and your heart and doesn't let go. Overall, the song is like catnip for me.
Lie In The Sound seemed especially taken by the virtual flip, "Ring Ring (Bring It On)", which was originally released back in 2015, before Hilma scored with her breakout 2016 album "Puzzler". Lovely in it's own right, no doubt, "Ring Ring" is edgier and leans more heavily on the Psych. But, for me, "Merrily Merrily" has a sound that resonates with my nostalgic side and that added ingredient, I think, makes it a song that will better resonate with others, regardless of age or taste.
"Merrily Merrily" b/w "Ring Ring" can be purchased from Amazon or Bandcamp, Or you can wait for the release of "Mjusic", which will supposedly be available in physical formats. That album releases Friday and is titled after a childhood Punk Band that Hilma and her brother started when she was just 5 years old. Much like the band Mjusic, the album shows a decided Punk influence. You can hear it in the lead single "Election Day Blues" which, to my ears, has less to do with politics and more to do with new beginnings and the choices we make. But that's just me.
Hilma is a Norwegian Alternative Indie Rock artist at heart, though "Merrily Merrily" is much more a Dream Pop single. It's interesting how different people hear different things in the song. I hear contentment and optimism, others hear cynicism, and Lie In The Sound heard something in between (hope). But the sound is the thing that makes me swoon. Some cite Phil Spector but, while I understand why they reach for that, I get much more of the lush sound of the Lite music of Percy Faith melded with 60s Psych guitars and thoroughly contemporary Indie sensibilities. It's sonically sweet, but with enough of a rough edge to command your attention. "Merrily Merrily" grabs both your head and your heart and doesn't let go. Overall, the song is like catnip for me.
Lie In The Sound seemed especially taken by the virtual flip, "Ring Ring (Bring It On)", which was originally released back in 2015, before Hilma scored with her breakout 2016 album "Puzzler". Lovely in it's own right, no doubt, "Ring Ring" is edgier and leans more heavily on the Psych. But, for me, "Merrily Merrily" has a sound that resonates with my nostalgic side and that added ingredient, I think, makes it a song that will better resonate with others, regardless of age or taste.
"Merrily Merrily" b/w "Ring Ring" can be purchased from Amazon or Bandcamp, Or you can wait for the release of "Mjusic", which will supposedly be available in physical formats. That album releases Friday and is titled after a childhood Punk Band that Hilma and her brother started when she was just 5 years old. Much like the band Mjusic, the album shows a decided Punk influence. You can hear it in the lead single "Election Day Blues" which, to my ears, has less to do with politics and more to do with new beginnings and the choices we make. But that's just me.
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