Inland, Where it’s Warm and Cozy – Leif Vollebekk Album Review

Posted on February 10, 2010

Every time mid-February comes around, it starts to feel as though I’d be willing to do anything to escape the eternal coldness of the Canadian winters. Perhaps you’ve also found yourself asking why, oh why, would anyone ever want to colonize such a cold part of the world. Maybe you like the cold… I don’t know. But one thing I do know for sure, is that we all need a little extra warmth come this time of year, right? First time I listened to Leif Vollebekk‘s album, Inland, I immediately knew there was something there. The melody struck me as solid and voluptuous and unpretentious.
Folk is a genre that has been done and spun every which way. It’s also a genre that most people will either love, or stay away from completely. If you’re a fan of Folk, you’ll most definitely like this Montreal gentleman. Inland is a soft and intimate album. It’s the type of record I want to listen to in bed, curled under the warmth of the duvet. This album is comfort, it’s dreamy, floaty. It’s so warm and heartfelt that nobody could listen to it and doubt the sincerity of the artist who made it.

It often feels like a serenade, like a beautiful cocoon lovers make in the narrow space between their bodies. However, Inland also has a sound that’s free, a sound that wants to travel. Most of the songs don’t use much percussion, but doesn’t mean it lack rhythm for that much. Imagine yourself on a train, with giant headphones on, so it’s just you and the fleeing scenery… trees, fields, everything is wild, open and free. It’s just this, you, his beautiful, poignant voice, his guitar and a few modest arrangements… That’s the way I like to picture Inland in my head.

The album is well thought through. Some of the songs swing much in the way of a soft waltz with an airy piano leading the way (Don’t Go to Klaksvik) and a soft acoustic guitar strumming away in the background, pulled with a voice full with intent and wonderful sentiment. And the thing is, Vollebekk truly has the voice to pull it off. It comes from the proper part of his body to carry the different moods of all of his proficiently written ballads. The album was just recently released, and is a very worthy purchase for smooth folk lovers. It’ll be on repeat on your stereo until tulips start popping the snow (at the very least). It just so happens that Vollebekk is playing with Basia Bulat at L’Astral this weekend. If you can’t make it to that show, he’ll be back in Montreal at Casa del Popolo on February 27th.

Photo by ingimar björn daviðsson