Melankton (album review)

Kate Havnevik - Melankton
Continentica Records, 2007 (US)

For those who are blissfully irrelevant to the ABC medical "dramedy" Grey's Anatomy and apathetic to its waning wit, Kate Havnevik happens to be the resident musician for the show's soundtrack. Avid followers of the show rave about scenes such as the characters Grey and Shepherd's momentous tryst in the season two finale while Havnevik's exclusively-composed song "Grace" plays in the background. The show has also featured five of her other songs throughout other episodes.

To avoid pigeonholing Kate Havnevik any further into the background music for one American television show, she is a classically-trained Norwegian musician and singer. A native of Olso, Norway, she currently bases out of the UK. Her enthralling voice may be familiar to fans of Norwegian trip-hop duo Röyksopp since she has done the supporting vocals on two of their songs from The Understanding [buy] including the wistful "Only This Moment" which she co-wrote. She has also collaborated with British producer Guy Sigsworth to do supporting vocals on the stellar song "Someday (I Will Understand)" by the internationally-renowned songstress Britney Spears. Fortunately for her reputation, after much pleading, Kate persuaded Guy Sigsworth to work with her on more worthwhile endeavors with her own voice at the forefront. Not coincidentally, her collaborative pieces with Guy are reminiscent of Björk and Imogen Heap (Frou Frou), who have also worked with Guy Sigsworth.

Featuring three of Havenik's collaborations with Guy Sigsworth, Melankton [buy] is her debut album, finally released in the States this March. The album swirls in a blend of refined classical pop, and spacey trip-hop. Throughout the album, the dynamic is simultaneously deliberate and delicate. Subtly, the album betrays an underlying chill that is icy but refreshing like this delicious recipe for peach gelato. In an unfortunate endeavor, expansive orchestration offsets this chill with organic accompaniment. Although elegant, this accompaniment borders on being too pervasive, lingering in many conservatively pastoral moments.

Aside from these sluggish arrangements and often nondescript lyrics, Havnevik's hushed vocals fortunately salvage the album, starting with the album's first track, "Unlike Me". A fitting opener, it begins with a pensive verse and steadily builds to a pithy chorus that mourns "There is no time..." The graceful arpeggios of a harp assist in the orchestral accompaniment which is appropriately understated since the song is a collaboration with the previously-mentioned producer Guy Sigsworth. "You Again", another of the Sigsworth-Havnevik collaborations, showcases more of Havnevik's vocals and has a more intimate feel than the opening track. To aid in the song's earnestness, a flute whispers a riveting introduction and evokes an atmospheric mood that continues into the rest of the song. Appropriately preventing the song's ambiance from being too monotonous, the flute accented by fresh-sounding violins played pizzicato blooms in a trembling interlude to the entreating melody. Kate's voice exhibits its best potential toward the end of the album with the lush, seven minute "New Day". It commences with strings humming a wandering theme that soon unites with Havnevik's voice and quirky electronic beats for a symphonic euphoria, the album's high point.

Amid these cryptic laments, heartwarming pleas, and surreal reveries, Melankton sheepishly tries to hide a few embarrassing low points. "Not Fair" pouts away in a prosaic depression that, with a little imagination, could be sung by Celine Dion. While "Suckerlove" does not sound as stale, its introduction is abrupt, seemingly incomplete. The song proceeds lethargically, awkwardly languishing in a forgettable melodrama. Equally forgettable is "Solo", included on the US version of the album anticlimactically after "New Day". Obviously, it is an b-side and an afterthought. Simplistic and acoustic, it is innocuous, great material for an easy-listening radio station.

Despite its low points, Melankton is otherwise a fascinating work. It soothes and relaxes, creating an ideal setting for, say, a cool summer evening. It displays solid imagery that is captivating and almost eerie at times. Protests that the album is unoriginal and unadventurous quickly become extinguished in the album's dreamy mist that causes the listener to become happily lost in the unfamiliar magic of night.

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