Description
ADRIAN COX – ESCAPE AND TRANSFORMATION (1988)
Adrian Cox, actually Askild Hagen, played in the band Nedbør, which eventually became the synth group El, which released a single, Et hvilested, on Hagen's label Kulturinstitusjonen Piivv in 1987, and in the years that followed, there were many cassette releases with synth music in different moods, before today's LP - Adrian's only one - was released the same year, in a limited edition of 500. This was followed by a bunch of cassettes, in addition to the somewhat absurd project Mormor & de 8000 Ungene, where humor and relaxed 90s synth music are mixed to interesting effect. In 1988, Hagen also became part of the writing group De Gyngende Seismologier, which contributed to radio and television programs such as Hallo i Luken and Egentlig. After this, our man ended up as one of the joke writers behind Nytt på Nytt, and can thus be said to be indirectly one of Norway's most popular unknown people. Adrian Cox in 1988 sounds like a fairly primitive synthpop-like mass, filled with bass and clarinet. The album consists of a total of 18 songs, mostly short fragments of under two minutes, but occasionally stretched out to over three. The rapid succession of songs means that it is a bit difficult to follow the turns, but at the same time the album, whose sound can become a bit similar in length, is not boring, as the song you hear is probably over before it starts to bore you. In terms of mood, it varies from pure, cheerful synthpop on "Sirkel 2" and "Klarhet ved foten av Niagara" to the mysterious "Jenta i vinduet" and melancholic pieces like "Over Europa", where a cello creates beautiful melodic leads. In addition to Hagen's own voice, a certain Kari Emilsen also sings, and her clear, elegant vocals give the already airy music a soaring, almost jazzy feel. The lyrics on the album are a mishmash of Hagen's own lyrics and settings of Jan Erik Vold's poetry, in addition to lyrics by Morten Jørgensen, Eli Katarina Kjønsberg and the Pole Czeslaw Milosz; the lyrical aspect is perhaps the dominant one on the album, as the relatively bare music allows the lyrics to emerge to such an extent that the album can be described as a collection of poems set to music. The album rewards repeated listening, and stands as an exciting collection of stingy pop songs by a slightly eccentric poet. (Thanks to Eine Kleine Angst Musik for plagiarizing the lyrics)
1 Clarity at the Foot of Niagara
2 The Girl in the Window
3 Dance
4 Eastward
5 Meeting
6 The bird from Kapingamarangi 3
7 Postlude No. 12
8 Where can I meet you?
9 Now you rise
10 With Hjerterdam on a journey east
11 Circle 2
12 Across Europe
13 They know
14 Resignation
15 Adrian's Dream
16 Like Flying in a Shadowland
17 When you bend over like that
18 The Light. When the Stone is Rolled