04092014 - Thea Hjelmeland "Solar Plexus"

Beautiful musical magic from Thea Hjelmeland (yes, another Thea), an artist I had never heard before, but who I will most certainly follow from now on. Who is she? I don't know. Who does she sound like? Quite a few names spring to mind throughout this adventure of an album, but none so much that you can pinpoint her as a Kate Bush disciple, Anja Garbarek student or Ane Brun follower, although she has a similar vibe to all three artists. I guess the similarity is something as elusive as the fact that Thea, like them, has a distinct voice that is her own, but is not afraid to paint with a broad palette. She borrows from African highlife artists, chilly spartan popsters and more experimental vocalists like Meredith Monk. I don't know, it's just brilliant music, I guess. definitely pop, mostly melodic, but far from mainstream.