When looking for new artist or a new album to listen to, you want something that is going to create an impact and stay with you for one reason or another. Today Magne Furuholmen releases his third solo alum but this time it is a different take on Christmas that you may not expect.

So Firstly, who is Magne Furuholmen?

This name may be one that sounds familiar to you, if it doesn’t then let me introduce you to his work. Magne Furuholmen is a Norwegian musician and  he is on of the co-founders of the band A-Ha as well as being the keyboard player. Magne’s music career spans over 35 years and has sold over 70 million records worldwide. Some of the stand out songs of his career include Take On Me, Manhattan Skyline, Forever Not Yours and Foot Of The Mountain!

Let’s Talk About The Album 

So yes, it may be October but the Christmas albums are being released and this is one of them. However, this album will be focussing on a different twist and consists of fourteen original songs that are ‘melancholic’. The album also consists of a couple of cover versions as well that you may not expect from this particular musician. Magne has stated that he wanted to create an album that ‘would be meaningful to those who fall outside our commercial Xmas frenzy’  and listening to the album it is evident that it is focussed on the darker side of the season.

Stand Out Tracks On The Album 

If you want a sample of the sort of tracks that are on the album then I definitely recommend listening to the songs below as they really give an idea as to what sort of sound you can expect and are the stand out tracks.

A Punch-Up On Boxing Day

A name like this is initially going to stand out due to the violent name and the theme in which it signifies. However when you listen to it, the melodic introduction feels like a contraction to the title.  It has a sort of Coldplay mixed with eighties feel to this song and it sort of creates a paradox with the lyrics.

Dark Days, Dark Nights

This song is one of the slower tracks on the album, the musical introduction takes you on a journey into the depths and the piano is played in a way that intertwines between sharp and flat notes that creates this haunting sound. It has an electronic feel to this song and also there is a lot happening musically all at once so you need to listen to it more then once to really embrace everything that is happening on the track.

The Ghost of Xmas Past

This song opens up with strings and it creates a powerful sad impact on your ears, you can feel the emotion pretty much straight away and it sorts of sticks with you. It makes you want to discover what this song is going to explore lyrically whilst also allowing you imagine a christmas past and a lot of snow around.  However this song does not have lyrics it is a musical interlude which is also interesting. One of the most unusual christmas themed songs I have heard but it has a melody that sort of captures the darkness and the happiness of the season at the same time.

What’s The Verdict?

The first christmas album by Magne really does capture a completely different angle to the season and when you walk away from listening to it, you do feel sad but also like you need time to just think about things. I think in the way that the world is at the moment, the current state politically, environmentally and physically, I feel that this album sort of reflects the emotions that a lot of people have had this year. Whilst it may not be the jolliest christmas song out there, it is still one to pay attention to as it does something different and that is really hard to achieve in this monotonous world.

Rating: 7/10