The new songs

The New Songs invite you to experience music containing a unique and delicate awareness of sound. Using voice, prepared piano, prepared guitar, baroque guitar, zither and various objects they create a deeply personal version of how a song can be built, performed and sound but still remain a song.

After successful concerts (UMea Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival and Festival Meteo to name a few) and livebroadcast at Radio France and Swedish National Radio they will finally release a much longed for debut record in spring 2012 at record label Umlaut Records France!

The new songs is a mutlinational group consisting of four strong musicians. Despite their young age they all achieved high acclaim on each side.

Members :

Sofia Jernber (SE) : voice

Eve Risser (FR) : piano, preparations

Kim Myhr (NO) : guitar, baroque guitar, zither, glockenspiel

David Stackenäs (SE) : guitar, preparations, e-bows

The New Songs is aiming to revitalise the otherwise heavily burdene tradition of the song form. Eve and Sofia have composed pieces that deconstruct, fragmentise, question and put the song into a new musical context.

The ground material rest onthe four musician's interest in abstraction of sound, sound illusion, extended playing ; all of them are deeply involved in the world of free improvised music. The  challenge is to integrate these elements with lyrics and in form of a song. In order to do so they have had to free the music from dogmatism and stylistic demands and as result place themselvesin between sound texture, melody and noise, harmony and dissonance, abstract and concrete, conventional and unconventional, linear and horizontal.

The aesthetics doesn't suffer from this attitude but stays solid and brings to life an updated conception of the song. This quartet does not "play safe" ; these musicians are brave enough to step out of the comfort zone and challenge any ambition of pureness.

Quotes :

"They dare caring nothing for categories, that's what they do! To summarize, it's extremly original, nondescript and immensely stimulating, to be followed." (Adrien Chiquet - Festival Meteo)

"This band's music is extremely artistic, sensitive and fragile." (Jouko Kirstilä - Jazzrytmit)

"Improvised subtle and superbly arranged chamber jazz with vocals without words." (Ingrid Strödmdahl - Svenska Dagbladet)

"An eminently poetic music which cutlivates mirror's games, furtive shatters, sensual and light touch." (Anne Montaron - Radio France)