Beirut – ‘Hadsel’ album review: a blissful glimpse into an ethereal Norwegian awakening
“During my time in Hadsel, I worked hard on the music, lost in a trance and stumbling blindly through my own mental collapse that I had been pushing aside since I was a teenager,” explained indie-folk singer-songwriter Zach Condon, best known by his moniker Beirut. Intertwining the idyllic atmospheres of Norway with musical artistry is probably something that most would never think to do, and yet, Hadsel is the perfect summary of such a marriage.
Hadsel was inspired by Condon’s travels to the titular Norweigan island, where he resided in a cabin and was given access to a nearby church organ. His sojourn was a trip to a time and a place where he gave his mind over to the swirling abyss of peace he found himself in, letting instincts and the surroundings inspire his musical journey. The resulting Hadsel is a powerful glimpse into the artistic freedom and personal healing he encountered.
Each song on Hadsel offers a poignant glimmer of hope, complete with Condon’s signature stamp of poetic melancholy. “I was left agonising many things past and present while the beauty of the nature, the northern lights and fearsome storms played an awesome show around me,” the singer explained. “The few hours of light would expose the unfathomable beauty of the mountains and the fjords, and the hours-long twilights would fill me with subdued excitement. I’d like to believe that scenery is somehow present in the music.”
And it is — opening with the album’s title track, Condon pulls back the curtain to showcase a front-row seat in a theatre of profound imagery, with accompanying arrangements that are both intriguing and exciting. Condon’s vocal is as sultry as ever as he glides through his varying ethereal musings, providing the ideal soundtrack for relaxation and achieving momentary inner peace.
Gliding into ‘Arctic Forest’, the bliss continues through Condon’s melodic chants as he pays tribute to his folk sensibilities while demonstrating the exact type of organic isolation he subjected himself to while working on the project. The lighthearted ‘Baion’ is a simple venture into Norweigan tranquillity — a slice of music that’s as much a visceral soundscape as a visualiser that captures the sense of ease within Condon’s environment.
‘So Many Plans’ is undoubtedly the album’s standout track. Along with seeking soulful truths on his personal journey of healing, the song maintains the album’s undertone of simplicity, the kind that encourages each instrument and lyrical syllable to come to the fore, combining depth and meaning with feeling in a track that perfectly encompasses the icy Arctic surroundings.
There’s a beauty to Hadsel, so much so that the weaker tracks fall victim to the high standards Condon establishes. After ‘So Many Plans’, there are some songs that risk falling behind, being forgotten, and being carried away by the gentle winds to linger in the creator’s own haze. However, even the parts that fall flat are forgiven by Condon’s instinctual creativity — by the time ‘Regulatory’ arrives, we’ve learnt a thing or two about what truly matters: striking the right balance between feelings of acceptance and hope.
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