A couple of end of the day songs from artists that have appeared previously, with both of them singing their own version of a ‘lullaby!’
Johan Hoffman (Sweden) – Waves (single/future album track)
Johan Hoffman released his third and last single on 15th August, before a full album release on October 3rd, with ‘Waves’.
As usual he constructs the song around vocals and a trusty Stratocaster with a touch of Moog synthesiser to flavour it up.
The opening guitar sounds like it could have been lifted from a spaghetti western as Clint squares up again for a shootout at the OK Corral with Lee van Cleef or some or other behatted, moustachioed villain, then turns into a meditational lament for the world, the universe and existence itself as he wails “I don’t know how it’s going to end.”
But this isn’t Putin threatening the west with his aging nukes again and that comet is still coming.
We’ve all been there. It’s a Saturday night/Sunday morning. What started as a great night out with your girlfriend ended up with her dumping you over something and nothing, you losing a couple of teeth in a confrontation with her brothers, then getting stopped and charged with DUI by the cops and arriving home to discover you’ve locked yourself out. Then a blizzard sets in.
“I don’t know how it’s going to end” indeed, none of us do; but only Johan Hoffman can personalise it majestically with a few notes and even fewer words.
Find him on:
Website: https://johanhoffman.carrd.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johan.hoffman.984
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johanhoffman_/
Victoria Akua (Denmark) – Goodnight (Organic version) (single)
The Danish born and now Germany based Victoria Akua’s latest single is another version of a lullaby altogether – a true one.
She says, “Last summer I was visiting a friend in the south of Germany. On the very first evening, we started improvising together — the only thing we knew beforehand was that I had this impulse to sing a song for falling asleep. I asked myself: “What would I want to hear as I’m falling asleep?” And three minutes later… there it was: ‘Goodnight’.
She adds, “I’ve kept this recorded version very raw, near and ‘organic’ as if it is sung directly as a lullaby for the listener.” And that’s true – she could be in the room right next to you.
I suppose the constant repetition of six notes on an acoustic guitar from beginning to end – the first time I’ve ever heard that – helps a lot but it genuinely does what it says on the tin and any airline that doesn’t add it to their in-flight entertainment catalogue for this purpose needs to sack the Marketing Manager.
And if you’re thinking lullabies don’t sell as records, the best selling single in Iceland a few years ago was one of them. Björk, Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Co. couldn’t get a look-in!
As the Two Ronnies used to say “it’s goodnight from me and it’s goodnight from him.
Find her on:
Website: https://heartofgaia.dk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriaakuamusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoria.akua_/
