Cisser Mæhl - Innemuseum (2023) [Hi-Res]

Cecilie 'Cisser' Mæhl's debut solo album is a slow-motion set of hushed Danish lullabies that's well worth filing alongside Björk's "Vespertine" and Colleen's "The Weighing of the Heart".

Back in 2019, composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Mæhl moved from Cophenhagen to Norway to work at a mountain lodge. In her spare time, she'd make environmental recordings while she wandered through the impressive landscapes, and when she relocated to Oslo a few months later and began to assemble a suite of songs, these recordings were the inspiration. In Oslo she became friends with Jenny Hval who introduced her to avant-garde legend and producer extraordinaire Lasse Marhaug, and it's Marhaug who ended up producing the record, putting important finishing touches on Mæhl's quietly epic songs.

The gust of fresh Nordic air hits immediately on 'Menneskeaftryk', carried by Mæhl's gentle plucks and oh-so-sweet Danish vocals. Her voice is like a falsetto purr, somewhere between Susanna Wallumrød's trained jazziness and Jenny Hval's vulnerable near-crack, and sits on top of the sparse instrumentation as if its a feather bed. Stylistically the songs aren't a million miles from Björk's "Vespertine", if Matmos and co's glitches were removed and replaced with faint orchestral whines and submerged drums. 'Banegård' is particularly impressive, hitting a cinematic note with smooth vocals and a quivering, cardboard box beat.

1.01 - Cisser Mæhl - Menneskeaftryk (3:25)
1.02 - Cisser Mæhl - Små Ting (2:40)
1.03 - Cisser Mæhl - Dugpunkt (5:09)
1.04 - Cisser Mæhl - Klaverstemmeren (2:02)
1.05 - Cisser Mæhl - Mellemting (0:59)
1.06 - Cisser Mæhl - Banegård (4:49)
1.07 - Cisser Mæhl - Punktum (2:06)
1.08 - Cisser Mæhl - Nordbjerget (2:11)
1.09 - Cisser Mæhl - Oslo-Bergen (2:03)
1.10 - Cisser Mæhl - Se Nu Stiger Floden (3:27)