Velkomen fellow tourists, it is so good to be back writing for all of you again! During these past months I’ve been very busy traveling and of course gathering more souvenirs to share with all of you. For our first one back from the break I thought I’d share a Souvenir of the Week that will fit the mood of the changing seasons, luckily during my travels I discovered an interesting jazz album from Norway that I think will do just the job. This album is the self-titled work of Norwegian Christian jazz band That’s Why.

 

 

With an origin story that reads like that of a guest on Comedy Bang! Bang!, That’s Why’s self-titled album will pleasantly surprise all of you who may be doubting it. Despite the fact that most religiously focused music isn’t usually enjoyable for the casual listener, That’s Why can be enjoyed completely without ever really having to consider the album’s religious messages. This is due to the fact that virtually all of the vocals are in Norwegian, so unless you understand Norwegian the indiscernible vocals can be enjoyed purely for the talent of the singers. So if you were worried about that before hopefully you aren’t now, oh and click ->here<- if you want to read the band’s backstory its pretty interesting. Anyways, lets get back to talking about why this album is worth listening to.

 

For a band that seems to be relatively unknown, with little to no information available online, and seemingly only this one album under their belt this release is incredibly solid. All of the instruments are well played, I especially like the folk guitar on tracks Children of the Future Age and Mattheus 25.  The vocals are also quiet pleasant, some of my favorites are on the tracks Gud Skylden Er Var Alene, Dyp Av Nade, and Tiden. This stuff plus a bunch of other things you should find out about for yourself make this a good jazz album with replay-ability.

 

Also, the influences of the band’s religious beliefs causes for an interesting sound. With the use of organs and group vocals, feint images of Motown come to mind and the complexity of the jazz sound seems to only be enhanced by these religiously based additions. Some excellent examples of these two styles working together in harmony are the tracks Tiden and Noe Annet.

 

At the end of the day, regardless of what you believe in this is a good jazz album. The noticeable religious influences only seem to add to the music, introducing beautiful vocals and instruments to listeners in an interesting and fun way. My favorite tracks are Children of the Future Age, Tiden, Den Oppstadne, and Gud Skylden Er Var Alene. I think this album will be perfect to listen to as things start to get a bit chilly and the leaves start changing colors, hopefully those things start to happen here soon. If you want to buy this album check out the band’s bandcamp page by clicking right ->here<- . Well, that’s it for now hope you all enjoy this week’s souvenir and I’ll see you all next time,  ha det!

 

Photo credit: http://thatswhy.bandcamp.com/