Sordal were with us as recently as July but I make no apology for finding them some more space for this super (and super long) single, ‘I see you every day in her eyes’.
They’ve been around since 2008 and in the previous review we mentioned that their styles evolved to embrace country, pop and soft rock, and with occasional folk‑roots and Americana influences. Quite a melting pot.
For starters I like heavily emotive titles like this. It immediately brought to mind James’ seminal ‘Sometimes’ (“when I look deep into your eyes I swear I can see your soul”).
That’s one powerful song with a hook to die for but Sordal matches it here in one that is mainly exquisite piano early on and then after a robust but elegant guitar solo goes all hard rock for a while before returning to its original format and then plays out instrumentally.
It’s quite a tour, a mini opera in the way ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is and that’s before it has even been examined lyrically.
The James song uses a storm as a metaphor for intense emotions and relationship turmoil while some interpretations have it as a more general reflection on the power of nature and the human experience of confronting challenges.
Similarly it is not immediately clear what Sordal’s creation is describing. It appears to refer to a loss of some kind, literally or figuratively, of the father of the family perhaps as suggested by the final lines:
“The sky is red, rain is gone/Maybe you were here all along
I still hear your engine roar/The sound of your air brakes breathing
Devoted friend and father/I see you every day in her eyes.”
The eyes being those of the daughter.
But the beauty of oblique lyrics like this is that in times of stress many meanings can be read into them and in their own way they can bring comfort accordingly.
I’ve come at the song quickly when it probably needs serious attention over at least half a dozen listenings with some time out between them. But I am slowly forming the opinion that in time this piece, with a depth and gravitas I’ve rarely heard before out of the Nordics, is going to be regarded widely as a highly respected standard.
(Continues after the Spotify link)
Written by Stein Roger Sordal.
Vocals – Stein Roger Sordal
Guitars – Michael Aadal
Keys – Kenneth Silden
Bass – Bjarne Severinsen
Drums – Gunnar Sæter
Find Sordal on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sordalmusikk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sordalmusic/
