Norwegian duo prove 3 is the magical number. Best known for their 2006 covers album Melody Mountain, Susanna And The Magical Orchestra have veered dangerously close to become the arthouse Novelle Vague. Their third album, however, shows there´s more to Susanna Wallumrod and Morten Qvenild than incongruous takes on Crazy, Crazy Nights and It´s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll). While the band- bolstered by members of Jaga Jazzist and Wildbirds & Peacedrums – can´t resist a version of Rush´s Subdivisions, 3 has an ancient-modern character of its own. Recall has the Hounds Of Love on its tail, Palpatine´s Dream is through-the-looking-glass electro-pop – yet the piano introspection of Lost sounds completely off-grid. Not a destination if you wanna rock & roll, but otherwise idyllic. 4/5.
Mojo (UK)

Dominated by Susanna´s impressive, considered tone, the music dances around her in flighty shimmers with markedly more apparent electronic sounds added to the mix. “3″ demands your full attention and is worth every minute spent on it.
Clash (UK)

Karen Carpenter meets Joy Division in gothic synth-pop heaven. The cult Norwegian duo´s third album more than upholds their excellent standards while offering a further twist to the tale: a full conversion to beyond-the-pale 1980s keyboard sounds. Not all the 10 songs here are equally good but at it´s best – “Recall”, “Someday”, “Palpatine´s Dream”, a beautiful cover of Roy Harper´s “Another Day” – this is truly awe-inspiring music, provoking deep thoughts and sublime feelings.
The Independent On Sunday (UK)

Perhaps it´s the overall beauty of Susanna´s wistfully appealing new age-y vocals on originals such as “Recall” and “Game” and a perceptive interpretation of Roy Harper´s “Another Day” that will ultimately enable them to succeed on word-of-mouth recommendation rather than any possible air-time – that may come later. Though by no means a Kate Bush or Björk-soundalike, Susanna exhibits similar theatrical traits, while some of her lyrical scans are faintly reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. That said, Susanna is unquestionably her own woman.
Jazzwise (UK)

The arrangements here are a shade more electronically focused, and Wallumrød´s vocals have an assertive edge that lends her a more diva-ish air. As ever, it´s very tasteful, thoughtful, Sunday-morning listening. All that´s lacking, still, is a killer tune to break the spell of calm introspection. STMO almost manage this on the uplifting chorus of the album closer, Someday.
The Sunday Times (UK)

Offering a suite of self-penned songs which mix atmospheric vocals with electronica arrangements that provide a subtle, yet moody backdrop, this is an absorbing album to explore and savour.
Record Collector (UK)

…Im Fokus aber steht die klare, immer ein wenig melancholisch wirkende Stimme von Susanna, die in Verbindung mit den kleinen elektronischen Soundwelten um sie herum in einen verträumten und zugleich dunklen Kosmos hineinziehen. Dieses Mal sind nach dem letzten Cover-Album „Melody Mountain“ nur zwei Fremdkompositionen zu hören: Roy Harpers „Another Day“ und „Subdivions“ der kanadischen Rockband Rush. Aus beiden Stücken macht Susanna wieder ihre ganz eigenen, tempomäßig verschleppten und im Falle von „Subdivions“ auch noch ziemlich synthesizerlastigen Nummern. Man meint ja, ihr Konzept des minimierten, des leisen Liedes müsse sich doch irgendwann erschöpfen. Auf „3“ tut es das jedenfalls noch nicht.
Jazzthetik (DE)

…Ihr dritter Streich enthält meist eigene Stücke und entstand tief in den norwegischen Wäldern. Ähnlich wie Goldfrapp entführt das Elektronik-Duo in entrückte, manchmal dunkle Gefühls- und Gedankenwelten. Susanna Wallumrøds feenhafte Stimme ist dabei der Leitstrahl.
Coolibri (DE)

Keine Chance, nach der Stimme der norwegischen Singer-Songwriterin Susanna Karolina Wallumrød nicht süchtig zu werden. Ihre reduzierte Musik schwelgt in Melancholie und geht mit jedem Hören tiefer…. Das klingt zeitlos schön, unaufgeregt und einfach wundervoll, zieht in diesem Fall mitunter auch das Tempo an und gräbt sich in die Seele.
Leipziger Volkszeitung (DE)

…Im Mittelpunkt stehen immer richtige Songs, die Susanna betörend intoniert. Mit ihrer facettenreichen Stimme kreuzt sie die musikalischen Genres, tönt mal glockenrein wie eine Folksängerin, mal ätherisch entrückt, mal experimentierfreudig wie eine Jazz-Vokalistin…
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Lira (SE)

The Decision to record a covers album can suggest a failure of imagination. Not so with Norway´s Susanna Wallumrød. Joined by The Magical Orchestra, she produced astonishing torch versions of Jolene and Love Will Tear Us Apart, and her second solo album weaves similar interpretative magic. Backed by funereal piano, her tremulous vocals strike to the disaffected heart of once-raucous anthems from Thin Lizzy and Prince, and renders ABBA´s Lay All Your Love On Me both desperate and devastating. Elsewhere, more predictable selections from Sandy Denny and Nico still beguile, while two of her own songs prove she´s no slouch in the songwriting department either. 4/5.
Q (UK)

The incredibly minimal piano accompaniment, full of unconventional chord changes, gives extra weight to Susanna´s voice – an extraordinarily pure instrument that sounds more like Sandy Denny´s every day. Perfect music for the nights of early winter, “Flower Of Evil” will long keep casting its shadows, and its spell.
The Word (UK)

Inventive interpretations, exquistively executed have always featured both on record and in her live sets. It´s a rather crass distinction, but her versions can be divided into the likely and unlikely, the former represented by Sandy Denny´s quivering “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” and Nico´s brittle but haunting “Janitor of Lunacy”, the latter by Lou Reed´s “Vicious”, Tom Petty´s “Don´t Come Around Here No More”, “Changes” by Black Sabbath and – most startingly – by Thin Lizzy´s “Jailbreak”. This manifests as a ghostly piano lament grazed by Susanna´s lustrous vocal, her chilly, gunmetal-grey beauty suggesting Emmylou Harris in a mile-deep fjord. That Bonnie “Prince” Billy is also onboard underlines the tremulous loveliness of this project. Listen alone – and weep with pleasure.
Time Out (UK)

Susanna has a genuinely moving voice, which makes the listener just stop and pay attention. At times her voice is haunting and at times it has a deep warmth. Despite the odd misfire, “Flower of Evil” is a chilled-out masterpiece from a truly great singer.
Bearded (UK)

Susanna (usually followed by “And The Magical Orchestra”) has focused on cover versions on this latest release, giving her unique interpretation of twelve songs, some well known, others not so. Bonnie “Prince” Billy joins her on a harrowing run through Thin Lizzy´s “Jailbreak” and Badfinger´s “Without You”, while elsewhere the effect is of a permafrost Cat Power, which is obviously a very good thing.
Clash (UK)

These interpretations are nothing less than intense. Thin Lizzy´s “Jailbreak” and Abba-Agnetha´s hit “Can´t Shake Loose” are almost unrecognisable, as are Lou Reed´s “Vicious” and Prince´s “Dance On”. The bleakness of the arrangements turns them into something new and captivating. And already-sad songs such as Badfinger´s “Without You” and Sandy Denny´s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” express a different kind of desolation. I am certain Nico would have loved this version of “Janitor Of Lunacy”. 4/5.
Rock N Reel (UK)

Ganz zart klingt das zweite Soloalbum von Susanna. Die norwegische Sängerin und Pianistin covert auf ”Flower of Evil” allerdings Stücke von Thin Lizzy, Nico, Abba, Lou Reed, Black Sabbath, Sandy Denny, Roy Harper, Prince, Tom Petty und Will Oldham. Gute Mischung, oder? Letzterer singt auch zweimal mit ihr im Duett. Einen solchen Querschnitt der Überraschungen hat Oldham ja bereits mit Tortoise gemacht. Susannas Varianten aus dem kalten Norden, mit klarer Stimme gesungen, sind noch einiges ruhiger und fragiler.
Choices (DE)

Coverversionen sind ein heikles Thema, das von bierseliger Stumpfsinns-Reproduktion von Typen, deren Plattensammlung aus drei frühen Böhse Onkelz-Platten besteht, bis zum Feuilletondiskurs reicht. Bei Susanna hat man es natürlich mit letzterem zu tun. Sie hat begriffen, dass die Originale von u.a. Black Sabbath, Abba, Prince oder Mariah Carey nur als Mittel zu einem höheren Ziel weiter verarbeitet werden können. Für gewöhnlich filtert sie selbst aus beschwingten Popsongs ein tragisches Moment heraus und walzt dieses zu einer schwermütigen Moll-Orgie aus, die dich selbst dann an den Rand des Freitodes treibt, wenn du zehn Minuten zuvor den Lotto-Jackpot geknackt hast.
Vice (DE)

Singer-Songwriterin Susanna Wallumrød liebt die Reduktion…. Diese fast ausschliesslich Cover-Versionen hinbreitende Musik ist eine Sensation ohne Verfallsdatum, nicht nur wenn sie mit Gastsänger Bonnie ”Prince” Billy den Schmachtfetzen ”Without You” entschlackt.
Leipziger Volkszeitung (DE)

Ett filter av melankoli ligger över skivan, tempon är neddragna och enkla arrangemang görs tunga av sorg och vemod. Det är stillsamt, känslosamt och riktigt bra. Susanna Wallumrøds vackert sorgsna röst passar så väldigt fint. ”Flower of Evil” har snurrat mycket i cd-spelaren. Versionerna av ”Jailbreak” och ”Vicious” är fantastiska! Bara att ge sig på dem talar om både gott mod och om gott självförtroende. Och Susanna Wallumrød gör det med den äran. Att hon dessutom förädlar dem och gör så egensinniga tolkningar är otroligt coolt!
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Continuing the slow-burn intensity of the Magical Orchestra context, Wallumrød creates a little gem of an album. “Demon Dance”, “Born In The Desert” are typical of the hushed, reflective and melancholy musical world she inhabits. Not one for grand proclamations, these understated songs of clarity and quiet intensity yield different meanings each time you listen to them.
Jazzwise (UK)

This latest offering tears at the heart strings once more, positioning Wallumrød somewhere between Bjørk and Joni Mitchell. In the current climate of bland female songstresses, Wallumrød stands out as the rel deal.
Flux (UK)

Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmo is a personal album filled with precious thoughts and inner conflicts. Each lyric has been carefully thought through and Susanna sings pensively as if whispering treasured lyrics. Susanna is the sister of Christian Wallumrød (ECM-signed Norwegian pianist who also plays on the album), and is mostly known for her successful concerts with the Magical Orchestra.The air of mystery and a touch of fantasy in the title of her album and its first track “Intruder” bring to mind Bjork, but Susanna’s voice is warmer, more folk-like and mellow, and she holds her words closely to herself, making the songs a lot more intimate. The track “Hangout” is a seamless masterpiece with an effective harp accompaniment.
Unknown Public (UK)

“Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos” recalls the pallid minimalism of Low and Nico. There are subtle embellishments of piano, mellotron, double bass and slide guitar, but this could be music to chill the shores of an Ingmar Bergman film.
Uncut (UK)

Based around her clear, pure voice and negligible keyboard backing, coloured by touches of harp, mellotron and guitar, the chiming guitar of the lilting “Better Days” is about as upbeat as it gets. Sublime and captivating. 4/5.
What´s On In Birmingham (UK)

All of which is to say it is quite beautiful. Begin with “Stay” and see if you can resist. She may be solo, but the magic´s still there.
Leeds Guide (UK)

Like a modern day Nico, she coerces us into emotional involvement while forever remaining coolly detached. The majestic “Stay” and “Better Days”, built around the hypnotic arpeggios of Øystein Greni´s guitar, are sublime in their expressions of sadness. The sparsest of accompamiment. a piano chord here and a strum of harp there, only heightens the tension of her words. If Wallumrød´s songcraft requires a little spit and polish, it is only so the beauty of her voice can be better served.
The Wire (UK)

A quite lovely and haunting piece…the album floats on a bed of emotion.
Record Collector (UK)

Aus Norwegen erreicht uns eine Stimme wie eine Landschaft. Susanna hat mit ihrem Solo-Debüt ”Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos” einen weithin sichtbaren Pflock in den Treibsand des zeitgeistigen weiblichen Jazzgesangs geschlagen: kompromisslos, klar und ungewöhnlich reif für eine gerade mal 27-jährige Sängerin und Komponistin. Fernab allen modischen Geplänkels hat die Schwester des Pianisten Christian Wallumrød, der hier auch als Gast zu hören ist, ein durchweg ruhiges, perfekt instrumentiertes Album eingespielt, das getragen wird von der Melancholie einer Stimme, die nicht nur singt, sondern in bisweilen fast autistischer Konzentration ganze Landschaften malt. Eine Entdeckung.
Jazzpodium (DE)

Klasse hat auch die Sängerin, Musikerin und Songschreiberin Susanna, die bislang zusammen mit ihrem ”Magical Orchestra” aufhorchen liess. Jetzt kommt die Norwegerin mit ihrem Solodebüt daher, einer leisen, langsamen, aber sehr ins Zentrum der Seele zielenden Platte. ”Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos” verknüpft poetischen und eindringlichen Gesang mit sparsamen, aber sehr wirkungsvollen Instrumentierungen. Wunderschön.
Zeitungshaus Bauer (DE)

Auf stille Klagelieder hat sich diese 27-jährige Norwegerin spezialisiert. Für Aufsehen sorgte sie bisher durch radikal schöne Cover-Versionen (”Love Will Tear Us Apart”) mit ihrem Magical Orchestra. Auf ihrem Solo-Debüt haucht sie eigene Tristesse Deluxe Lieder zu Klavier, Gitarren und Harfen: die perfekte Musik für dunkle nordische Nächte.
KulturSPIEGEL (DE)

Die Stücke entfalten so eine sehr ruhige, intensive manchmal schon fast melancholische Stimmung. Gesungen wird über Sehnsüchte, Verletzungen und das Leben als Aussenseiter. Wer also einen Soundtrack für die dunkle Jahreszeit sucht, sollte zugreifen, um bei einer Tasse Tee und etwas Gebäck der klaren Stimme Susannas lauschen.
Ox-Fanzine (DE)

Aus Norwegen erreicht uns eine Stimme wie eine Landschaft. Susanna hat mit ihrem Solo-Debüt ”Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos” einen weithin sichtbaren Pflock in den Treibsand des zeitgeistigen weiblichen Jazzgesangs geschlagen: kompromisslos, klar und ungewöhnlich reif für eine gerade mal 27-jährige Sängerin und Komponistin. Fernab allen modischen Geplänkels hat die Schwester des Pianisten Christian Wallumrød, der hier auch als Gast zu hören ist, ein durchweg ruhiges, perfekt instrumentiertes Album eingespielt, das getragen wird von der Melancholie einer Stimme, die nicht nur singt, sondern in bisweilen fast autistischer Konzentration ganze Landschaften malt. Eine Entdeckung.
Jazzpodium (DE)

Klasse hat auch die Sängerin, Musikerin und Songschreiberin Susanna, die bislang zusammen mit ihrem ”Magical Orchestra” aufhorchen liess. Jetzt kommt die Norwegerin mit ihrem Solodebüt daher, einer leisen, langsamen, aber sehr ins Zentrum der Seele zielenden Platte. ”Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos” verknüpft poetischen und eindringlichen Gesang mit sparsamen, aber sehr wirkungsvollen Instrumentierungen. Wunderschön.
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Wallumrød and Qvenild manage to eat that same Joy Division classic for breakfast, like it’s no big deal, but how can anybody do that? This is the song that marks the cusp where all our modernist souls perch, right? Because don’t call this shit fragile. Qvenild’s music maybe, a collection of creature synths simply hiding in the underbrush, knowing how to get out of the way and rustle nervously and perfectly around Wallumrød’s voice, but that latter is a diamond bit drilling its way through sound and space to inscribe intricate designs on your sweating forehead. This stuff is difficult and glorious to listen to precisely because Wallumrød acts like it matters a lot, in the same way that Nina Simone would take just about anything in the ‘60s and ‘70s and reinterpret it as the most harrowingly personal tune ever. Emergency Ward (1972) is a lot of fun, yes, but watch how Simone transforms Harrison’s tunes into the most immediate and driven odes ever, that’s the kind of energy we’re talking about here, as SatMO exploits the thin quivers of Wallumrød’s voice into narrow and specific deliberations on humanity, breathing new life into songs that were already fully inflated. A different kind of breath, I guess, and that’s what a covers album should be, right? And yes, we did need another cover of “Hallelujah.”
Cokemachineglow (US)

This album is all covers of other musicians’ songs, but don’t let that keep you away. Susanna Wallumrod and Morten Qvenild make these songs completely their own, to the point that you may barely recognize the version you are already familiar with. Susanna’s beautiful, strong voice and Morten’s supportive orchestrations make you simultaneously want to listen to the original versions and never hear the originals again; they simultaneously make you think that the original must be even better than you remember, and that it can’t possibly be as good as this. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” is rendered more spacious and warm than Joy Division’s version, removing the cynical tone and thus making it more a song of longing than of recognizing distance. But my favorite would have to be Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”, which is given a freshness that allows you to feel how poignant the song must have been when it, too, was new. At first, I was sad that this album wasn’t an offering of new, unique music by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra themselves but, after listening only once, I’ve been won over. 9/10.
Foxy Digitalis (US)

This is exactly the kind of album I’ve been wishing one of the hot young things who enter and leave the revolving door of pop music would release. More often than not, I have to suffer through the bland pap regurgitated by singers like Joanna when their voices would be much better served offering up new takes on classic songs. Of course, now that Susanna and the Magical Orchestra have cover records on lockdown, the utility of those pretty faces has dropped yet another notch. Comprised of singer Susanna Karolina Wallumrod and multi-instrumentalist Morten Qvenild (of Jaga Jazzist and The Shining), the group’s gathers together ridiculously disparate territories of the pop landscape –Leonard Cohen, AC/DC, Joy Division, Bob Dylan and Prince, to name just a few– under the umbrella of bleak minimalism. All of the songs are stripped beyond their basest musical element leaving only the familiar vocal melodies to the gorgeous voice of Susanna and the task of creating a single musical instrument accompaniment to Qvenild. It’s hard to say which of the two is more of a marvel. Surely the project wouldn’t succeed nearly as well if Susanna’s pristine and fragile lilt wasn’t as inviting and sorrowful as it is, but who else besides Qvenild would dare select a dark, plodding harpsichord to sum up the musicality of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” or the staccato one-note keyboard stabs that drive Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”? With even light-hearted material taking a dark turn in the hands of these two, it’s understandable that Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” would be absolutely brutal. Susanna’s voice is at its mournful best here, pausing before sighing the chorus, while Qvenild’s murky keyboard ascension is barely audible at times, creeping like a foggy wave of memory. It’s nearly sacrilege to say that someone could do this song better than its writers, but this version is a very close second. It’s a rarity that I can say a covers records will likely find its way onto my top 10 list at the end of the year, but I have confidence in this one’s ability to resonate just as strong in eight months as it does today.
Ink19 (US)

Susanna´s icily beautiful deadpan vocals are perfectly offset by Qvenild´s spectral backings; they don´t so much inhabit a song as mournfully haunt it.
Time Out (UK)

Wallumrød´s sweetly melancholic voice is offset by the spare instrumentation in reinventions hushed and funerally slow. 4/5.
Uncut (UK)

Anyone tackling Joy Division´s Love Will Tear Us Apart better have a pretty good reason for doing so. Susanna Wallumrød does and her decelerated version, sung to Morten Qvenild´s doeful electric piano arpeggios and synths, is immensly moving, capturing a deep and aching sense of regret. Her voice is extraordinary, effortlessly wedding mountain-stream purity to a deep soulfulness. Kiss´s Crazy Nights is transformed into a fond memory of times past that is utterly convincing. And as one wonders what point there might be in yet another cover of Leonard Cohen´s Hallelujah, Susanna answers with a performance of such distilled tenderness it´ll stop you in your tracks. 4/5.
Mojo (UK)

AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top turned wistful harpsichord-led ballad? Theoretically preposterous, this telling cover fills the road anthem with bittersweet regret. Elsewhere Susanna Wallumrod manages to make Leonard Cohen more melancholy yet and applies a gossamer touch to Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. Norway seems to be stuffed with wistful ice maidens, but Susanna is something special. 4/5.
The Times (UK)

A lovely new album of cover songs.
New York Times (US)

It´s simplicity works wonders in a sweet, sad, soothing way.
Mixmag (UK)

AC/DC´s It´s A Long Way To The Top sounds more like an epitaph rather than the valedictory original, while Kiss´s Crazy Crazy Nights is strictly morningafter. They even strech more mileage from Love Will Tear Us Apart, but it´s the virtually unknown These Days by Matt Burt that really catches the imagination, a gosthly reverie that more than matches Jolene for hair-prickling delight. 8/10.
Rock Sound (UK)

There is some audacious and beautiful work here. Not only have they taken on classically sad songs, but they´ve managed, without irony or archness, to find a lonely, tremulous heart to songs by Kiss and AC/DC. Prince´s Condition Of The Heart is my current favourite, but it´s all quite, quite gorgeous.
The Word (UK)

Otherworldly hymns of Nordic elegance. A beguiling and moving experience.
Clash (UK)

There is a seductively hypnotic power to her trancelike ability to hold a note, slowing a song´s narrative to a single moment of distillation against Qvenild´s mystical electronic washes.
Jazzwise (UK)

This superb follow-up of oddball cover versions is deeper and richer still. Starting with Leonard Cohen´s Hallelujah and ending with Sandy Denny´s Fotheringay, via AC/DC, Prince, Dylan and Joy Division in between, Wallmrød´s pure, anguished voice and Qvenild´s spare settings create a spectral music of great beauty and passion. If you thought the best had already come and gone, try this. 5/5.
Independent On Sunday (UK)

Morten Qvenild´s minimalist electronic soundscapes form a suitably melancholic foil for Susanna´s pristine vocals, as some well-known songs get a Norwegian makeover. Their astonishing, heartbreaking deconstruction of Love Will Tear Us Apart could keep you awake for days.
Leeds Guide (UK)

Wonderful interpretations of other people´s songs is harder than it seems, but Norwegian singer Susanna pulls it off. AC/DC, Joy Division and Prince get the magic treatment.
ET Life (UK)

The duo tackles one of the most covered songs ever in “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and fortunately their quiet, electric piano rendition is one of the most effective I’ve heard, cutting to the core of the emotional lyrics without playing it for laughs or simply running through the motions with a more faithful recreation. Such is the nature of all the pieces on the release, taking songs and stripping them to their very basics while focusing in on texture and of course the vocals themselves. In places, the results are absolutely stunning, as on the cover of KISS’s “Crazy, Crazy Nights,” where Qvenild turns the original guitar-romp into a stunning, fluttery backdrop of gorgeous swells while Wallumrød seems to bring out another side of the vocals. Likewise, the thumping electronic pop of Depeche Mode is turned into a creepy lullaby on the ultra-melancholy “Enjoy The Silence.” ”Melody Mountain” (with production by Deathprod) is one of the most gorgeously-produced albums I’ve heard in some time. Subtlety is the rule on the disc, and it really seeps into your being on good headphones or nice speakers.
Almostcool (US)

It’s a fine line to toe without falling into kitsch and irony traps, but this set of songs, some predictable, some unpredictable, is mesmerizing all the way through.
Other Music (US)

It´s all about execution. Susanna almost breathes out her vocals rather than belting them, next to her Joni Mitchell and Beth Orton are barrelhouse mammas, and Qvenlid never uses more than one instrument when accompanying her. The performance of each song makes them seem as though they have been handed down from generation to generation. A remarkable record.
Sonomu (UK)

As for Melody Mountain, it only takes one listen to know that this is something special. The eclectic tracklisting includes AC/DC, Prince, Sandy Denny and the obligatory Bob Dylan but the real gems are elsewhere. It kicks off with a fractured, minimalist rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, a song which is nearly always better when sung by other people. Clearly she is never going to match Jeff Buckley’s definitive version but the mere fact that she gets reasonably close is remarkable in itself. Another highlight is Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence (which also features on the Tori Amos album) which actually makes me look back on my fellow Essex lads with a tad more fondness than I expected. But the absolute classics, the songs that should be on everybody’s iPod or Zen Creative or whatever, form one of the oddest and most effective couplings on any album I own. Track 5 is a heartbreaking and truly goosepimpling cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart. It takes your breath away. And it is followed, in a genius piece of sequencing, by Crazy Crazy Nights by Kiss. That is, and I know is this a terrible word to use but I can’t find another that does the job properly, awesome. Truly awesome. One of my albums of the year and I have only had it a few hours. Do yourselves a favour and check this out.
The Friday Project (UK)

One of the world’s most eclectic collections of noir-heavy pop oddballs and classics ever filtered through the cloud of smoke emanating from the ghost of Marlene Dietrich’s cigarette.
Billboard (US)

So the album is a novelty, yes, but there’s artistry at its core. Hearing Melody Mountain, you think less of where the songs came from and more about how they sound, right here, at this moment.
LA Weekly (US)

Susanna And The Magical Orchestra have coaxed something very special from their record collection, opening with Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and successfully dodging the looming shadow of Buckley to make it their own. Relying on Wallumrod’s crystalline vocals and the merest hint of organ, ‘Hallelujah’ is the kind of song which can’t fail to elicit an emotional response – a situation which is reprised throughout. With an evident highlight being their phenomenal version of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’, the duo also make the likes of AC/DC’s ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top’ and Kiss’ ‘Crazy, Crazy Nights’ into tender bruises that are as delicate as a butterfly. Elsewhere, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ manages to justify its inclusion (how many versions can you take…?), ‘It’s Raining Today’ from Scott Walker is a majestic piano reading, whilst the unknown (to me at least) ‘These Days’ from Matt Burt is an all out tear-jerker. Dictionary definition of the word magical.
Boomkat (UK)

I defy anyone to find more than a handful of female voices that are more intoxicating than Susannas in the world today. The overall end result of the album is no less beautiful than their debut, but on an emotional level is very slightly less affecting. if you’ve been craving a truly amazing female vocalist for a long time then either this or their first album are wholeheartedly recommended.
Tohellwith (UK)

Songs as seemingly insubstantial as AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” and Kiss’ “Crazy, Crazy Nights,” broken down to their most basic elements, miraculously achieve substance here in the hands of Wallumrød and Qvenild.  The AC/DC cover, with its out-of-left-field use of cembalo (!) is particularly striking.  Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” has been covered to death (and in fact featured on the first Nouvelle Vague album), but Wallumrød’s frail voice, backed by electric piano and a smattering of synths, make this an interpretation to treasure.  Another highlight is the album’s closer, the lovely Sandy Denny cover, “Fotheringay”, with its effective (and unexpected) use of church organ. It’s also an ideal selection, as Melody Mountain is the perfect aural accompaniment for a wet, grey autumn afternoon.
Being There (US)

It’s rare to stumble upon a record that truly and deeply moves you, that brings tears to your eyes, runs shivers up and down your spine like little ants running to and fro, and makes you sit down and think about what it is that matters in your life. Melody Mountain is one of these records. It’s hauntingly beautiful, eerie and, well, magical. I tried extremely hard not to use “magical” anywhere in this review unless strictly referring to the duo themselves, but I just can’t help myself. They definitely hit the nail on the head with this one, as their name fits perfectly with their sound. The record is made up of ten songs that I’m sure will leave quite a mark on its listeners. They have taken music from a large array of artists, such as AC/DC, Leonard Cohen and Prince (to name a few), and have made it their own. Their interpretations are unique and personal, and if you ask me, just plain fucking great. For me, there’s usually one song on a record that will leave that extra special impression, and this one is no exception. I don’t want to come off as being extremely dramatic (which I don’t think I am), but the first time I heard their spin of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (Joy Division), I was literally in tears. It brought with it a rush of memories of heart wrenching events of the past and of loves lost. Yeah, that might sound depressing, but let me assure you, I felt cleansed and refreshed after the experience. I guess all an artist can really do is make music that means something to them, even if not truly all their own, and hope that the same is true on the other side, and that the audience will see it in and receive it in the same light. For me, this record definitely did its job. Most of the music in my collection, and the artists I go back to time and time again, are the ones that distinctly remind me or bring me back to a specific time, or make me think of a certain person. I have a feeling this record might make it into this collection, and will always and forever bring me back to Victoria, in October of 2006, when I first began writing for Two Way Monologues and was trying to figure out the rest of my life. Whether it’s holding all of your attention in the palm of its hand, or simply whispering in the background, Melody Mountain is a beautiful experience right through to the last note. Enjoy.
Two Way Monologues (CA)

Beautifully arranged with a highly original and personal take on each cover, Melody Mountain is simple and understated. 5/5.
Record Collector (UK)

The song begins with a series of carefully chosen organ notes, reverberating against a dead velvet silence.  Against this somber background, Susanna Karolina Wallumrød slips in, her voice somewhere between eider down and crystal, soft at the edges but full of shivery, diamond-faceted light.  The words are widely spaced, allowing for gentle commentary in keyboard arpeggios between the phrases, and the whole experience is so transfixingly strange that you may not notice until mid-way through that the song is familiar.  It is Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Part” and yet it is not.  It is something entirely other, more serene and more unearthly.  If the angels met Ian Curtis as he made his crossing and if they were in a forgiving mood, they might sound just like this.  The cut is one of ten superlatively beautiful covers by the Norwegian singer and her “Orchestra”, actually one Morten Ovenild (of Jaga Jazzist, Shining and In the Country).  Not surprisingly the artists are able to wring surpassing loveliness out of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (though it does raise eyebrows when they nearly wrest ownership of the song from Jeff Buckley).  However, due to the sheer chilly grace of Wallumrød’s voice, songs by AC/DC (“It’s a Long Way to the Top”), KISS (“Crazy, Crazy Night”) and Prince (“Condition of the Heart”) are nearly as gorgeous.  The disc closes with the church organ solemnity of Sandy Denny’s “Fotheringay,” a song so encased in mist and melancholy that even Susanna can hardly make it sadder…but she can make it more angelic and beautiful.
Popmatters (US)

Joni’s ‘River’, like Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear us Apart’, is one of those songs that shouldn’t be done any more, because there are now so many versions, and beauty and revelation becomes cliche. Still, my favourite cover of the year is ‘Love Will Tear us Apart’ by Norway’s Susanna and the Magical Orchestra from their Melody Mountain album, they also do ‘Hallelujah’, as if no one else ever has, not even Cohen, as well as austere, monumentally wistful non-novelty versions of Kiss, AC/DC, Dylan and Depeche. They do more with next to nothing than most do making a big rowdy fuss. With their ‘Love Will Tear us Apart’, they show how a truly great song can continue to release surprising meaning no matter how many times it has been done. It is definitely ‘Love Will Tear us Apart’, but something else altogether.
Observer Music Monthly (UK)

There are beautiful, incredibly stark versions of Prince´s “Condition Of The Heart”, Depeche Mode´s “Enjoy The Silence” and Bob Dylan´s “Don´t Think Twice It´s Alright”. You might think Leonard Cohen´s “Hallelujah” didn´t exactly need to be slowed down any more than it already is; but for my money Susanna´s version stomps all over it, and absolutely obliterates Jeff Buckley´s effort. Every song is a highlight, but there´s something about their funereal version of Joy Division´s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” that sums it all up. This is not a novelty record, there´s no irony. This is about songwriting stripped so bare it gives new meaning to the originals, as if this is how they were always meant to be; one of the prettiest, saddest songs here is AC/DC´s “It´s A Long Way To The Top”, so good it´s embarrassing. This album is practically transcendental. Wallow in it.
Bizarre (UK)

Jeg vil hjem til menneskene
Susanna Wallumrød synger Gunvor Hofmo
Grappa Musikkforlag 2011 GRCD 4337
Get the album here

The musicians playing on the album is Ståle Storløkken (keys), Erland Dahlen (drums/percussion), Jo Berger Myhre (bass) and Hans Magnus Ryan (guitar), and it is produced by Helge Sten. The album received great reviews, and the band has been playing concerts with the material throughout the spring and early summer. They will play at Canal Street festival in Arendal (N) on the 28th of July, and do a tour again in September.

You can listen to one of the tracks from the album here:

I en mørk natt by Susanna Wallumrød

For those of you living outside Norway, you can order the album from Susanna’s “home”-label Rune Grammofon, go to the news section on this page:

Rune Grammofon