Article by Umberto Scaramozzino
Underestimating and hastily cataloging an artist like Daniel Norgren it would be extremely simple. A “traditional” singer-songwriter, one might say, whatever that means. One of the many minstrels who, despite coming from northern Europe – to be precise from Sweden – could easily embody the nostalgic spirit of the narrative rock, blues and folk American. Right? No, nothing could be more wrong. Norgren is indeed very skilled in overturning that poetics and lightly departing from the cornerstones such as Bob Dylan And Neil Youngto place oneself in a territory of destructuring.
Just with the last album, entitled Wooh Dang and released five years ago now, the Swedish singer-songwriter has sublimated his mystical and rural vision which makes him unique in a panorama in which even just emerging is difficult if you don't throw the boomerang of the one-hit wonder, or the single that catapults you into the mainstream and then make you live in its shadow.
What emerges is not the individual moments but the suggestions, it is not the refrains but the melodic intuitions, it is not the singing virtuosity but the harmonizations with irresistible charm. Everything is done his way. So much so that he went from recording albums at home, using a four-channel cassette recorder, to doing it in an isolated farm a few steps away, with more equipment but with the same intentions as an independent artist sheltered from logic of the industry.
In this strong dichotomy between what a contemporary folk singer-songwriter should be and what Daniel Norgren is, lives the secret of an artist capable of making his way without compromise and today filling small clubs across Europe with curious people ready to let themselves go amaze. Passing through the middle of the audience, the five musicians go up onto the small but welcoming stage space211 Of Turin and they arrange themselves in a semicircle, with the frontman at the piano with his back to the audience, hidden in the shadow of his hat. The start leaves one as disoriented as it is fascinated: it seems almost difficult to identify the origin of the many sounds that intertwine and compose the colorful soundscape of the singer-songwriter originally from Borås.
Norgren doesn't fall into the trap of embodying the comfortable stereotype of the folk singer-songwriter and is thus very focused. There is nothing constructed or taken for granted in his artistic journey and in his live proposal. The only vaguely pandering moment is the one in which he vehemently takes off his cap, then throws it to the ground and resorts to the motto “I want to watch you all”, with a dazzling repertoire smile. In reality it is an absolutely functional move, because it breaks down that thin but consistent wall that seemed to have been created at the start of the concert, allowing the audience to immerse themselves even more in the band's atmosphere. The very few centimeters that separate the front row from the stage are eliminated and from then on the show takes on the contours of an intimate secret show within welcoming domestic walls.
Although this is not a concert of indispensable songs and it is an organic performance, the longest shiver down the spine comes as expected with As Long As We Lastsingle from the excellent album Alabursy which became known to a new audience as the mainstay of the award-winning film's soundtrack.”The eight mountains”, an adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, written and directed by Felix Van Groeningen And Charlotte Vandermeersch. This is the piece to take home and place under your pillow before sleeping, thinking back to how beautiful and surreal this evening was.
He was hiding in plain sight, Daniel Norgren. He was just a few steps away from us doing remarkable things, but we needed a blockbuster film with Alessandro Borghi and Luca Marinelli to make us remember him and open our eyes to see what was hidden beneath the surface. But what luck: we would have missed out on a more unique than rare artist.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
