Todd Terje - It's Album Time
- Written by Rob Crozier
When I first saw this new album I thought it was by legendary house producer Todd Terry. However It’s Album Time is the debut album from Norwegian bearded wonder man Todd Terje.
Born Terje Olsen, he has been remixing, editing and producing since 2004. He has an eclectic mix of Scandinavian easy listening through to straight out dance floor fillers, and has even found the time to work with Bryan Ferry – their version of Robert Palmer's ‘Johnny And Mary’ appears on the album. This is one of the highlights of an album that clearly was a lot of fun to make. However, this track does feel slightly out of place.
In honesty, many of the tracks on this album have the same feel and start to all sound the same. Whilst this may be no bad thing the album has a kind of film score feel to it or worst still a sense of what could easily be described as background lift music. The first half of the album contains a slow laid back synth jazz feel to it. The opening few tracks such as ‘Leisure Suit Preben’ and ‘Svensk Sas’ display Terje’s talent for creating these sounds, which you can’t help should accompany a '70s movie. This is by no means a bad thing, and his ability to incorporate layered synth lounge music into a very modern album is certainly a talent; ‘Svensk Sas’, for example, has a Latin quality that borders on the comical.
The mood and direction of the album changes after the Bryan Ferry track. ‘Swing Star Parts 1 and 2’ has a more digital disco feel with rolling drum loops and fading synths. The Norwegian producer has seen his star soar in recent years, with singles ‘Ragysh’ and ‘Inspector Norse’ achieving unlikely crossover status. ‘Inspector Norse’ continues in the not too serious theme with a happy bouncy track which can’t help but make you smile and allow yourself an inward chuckle.
Todd Terje’s debut album can therefore been seen as a glitzy blend of piano jazz, synth-pop and, naturally, disco, with a cover of ‘Johnny And Mary’, at its centrepiece. It’s refreshing to listen to an album that does not take itself seriously although at times it can sound almost too comical. Terje is clearly a talented producer and musician in his own right. It remains to be seen if he can grow to accommodate a more serious sound.
It's Album Time is available from iTunes (here).