Live Maria Roggen - Apokaluptein (2016)

"I’m left with a feeling of unease, that there's something wrong, but we all just avoid talking about it. We cling to the wish that everything will be just like it used to be. I wanted to look a few uncomfortable truths in the eye, turn them over in my mind and write about them."
This is what Live Maria Roggen says about her new album, “Apokaluptein“. The title means “uncovering“. This explosive volcano of a CD is an hour-long work with Live Maria Roggen (vocal, lyrics and music), Eivind Lønning (trumpet), Lene Grenager (cello), Hilmar Jensson (guitar), Sondre Meisfjord (bass and vocal) and Audun Kleive (drums).
Live Maria Roggen has already been nominated for the “Edvard” award for her lyrics. “Apokaluptein“ was commissioned for the Vossajazz festival in 2015. She is well known as the singer in the jazz band Come Shine, and has been one of the driving forces in the vocal ensemble Trondheim Voices. With pianist Helge Lien she is also known for the duo Live&Lien. Live Maria Roggen has won a number of awards. Her first and so far only solo release “Circuit Songs” (2007) won the Spellemann award in the open class.
Among the themes she deals with in the extremely dynamic and powerful work. “Apokaluptein” are climate change, migration, greed and love. At no time will listeners feel that Live Maria Roggen is feeding them propaganda or serving quick-fix answers to the important issues she raises. Instead, the nerve in the music and her raw expressiveness are a revelation of vulnerable surfaces and our own weakness and denial of the things our comfortable minds want to keep at arm’s length.
“Apokaluptein” was recorded in Kulturkirken Jakob this winter and produced by Live Maria in cooperation with the sound technician Martin Abrahamsen.