Magnet "On Your Side" (Filter)
By Tim Den
Thursday. Jan 27, 11:31 PM
A unique hybrid of Americana-meets-Scandinavian frostbitten melancholy.

Magnet (aka Even Johanssen) is a respected and successful artist/producer in his native country of Norway, but here in the States he has so far been an underground’s underground secret. He released a solo album under his real name on Five One Inc. a few years ago, but On Your Side aims to be his first real entry into the American musical marketplace. Good thing, cuz the album contains the best songs he’s written so far.

Endowed with a voice akin to Elliott Smith and Denison Witmer’s, Magnet’s songs are drenched with lapsteel, gurgling synth, holy choirs, and a unique hybrid of Americana-meets-Scandinavian frostbitten melancholy. The sadness is trademark Norwegian, but the lonesome quality of the instrumentation recalls Ryan Adams at times. But ever the leader of the pack, Magnet distinguishes himself from any comparison by dabbling in electronic flourishes (something he’s quite good at: check his work with Poor Rich Ones), giving On Your Side just enough modernistic sheen to elude any backward glances at musical history.

Already a critics’ darling, I wouldn’t be surprised if On Your Side gives Magnet the same sort of reverence showered upon neighbor Swede Nicolai Dunger.
www.homeofmagnet.com
www.filterusrecordings.com

Tim Den

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