A recent album release from Havard has a wondrous way of delivering a lot of thick personality and character throughout a nine-track record that tells stories with such descriptions that you can picture things in your head as songs unfold.
Mercy Sea is a record that feels incredibly personal and a lot of that of course, has to do with the lyrics and how you perceive them but, he is telling stories and each of these stories seems like they're a chapter in his life almost like you're reading a book.
The record can be slightly eclectic at times but there is a warm and almost cinematic undertone to a lot of the songs.
Tracks like "The Spirit" have very vast and expansive undertones to them and feature instruments like piano and many textures and sounds that float through the ethers of the songs creating an atmosphere of their own.
Atmosphere is a perfect word for what this record has. You get engulfed by the soundscape and eventually washed away by it all.
You get elements of folk, jazz, and some pop undertones here and there but there is, at times, a little bit of dark edge that's due a lot to the honesty of the songs and how they can connect with you.
A song like "Mama" boasts some very personal and detailed lyrics but does so in an Americana and folk approach, so there is a warmth to it beneath the surface and if you pay attention you pick up on that.
No matter what you get the sense that these songs are coming from someplace completely authentic and that in turn is part of what gives it so much character as I mentioned earlier.
Havard is joined for a few tracks by Maria Solheim who does an amazing job of creating a fresh sense of perspective. Her vocals are very smooth and flowing which goes very well with folk, Americana, or even just those very cinematic feeling sounds.
She is featured on two songs including the title track "Mercy Sea" which, in my opinion, is one of the best songs on the record.
Havard has a vocal approach that has depth to it. It draws you in from its tonality alone but gets you to pay attention to what he's singing about.
There's some genuine emotion that's delivered on a good amount of these songs and he's able to harness that and put it out there so well that you can tell there are layers of depth to this music.
All of this has a very particular aesthetic. Once you get a few songs in, you begin to realize that there will be different approaches to how it's all put together genre-wise, but also a staple mood and atmosphere to the record that will serve almost like an escape.
As I said before, it's almost like reading a book. This record will most certainly pull you away from whatever you're doing and whatever you are, and it'll put you into his world for a good chunk of time.
That alone is a gift if you ask me.
The first track is called "Alone At A Table for Five" and sets the tone for what you can expect but, you can't just listen to one or two songs from this record.
You may get an idea of the thematic vibe but only by listening to the full record from beginning to end will you get the entire spectrum of what it has to offer.
Again, there are stories to be told here. There are musical, textural, and personal layers that are strewn throughout this album and to soak it all in properly, you need to listen to it in full.
The album is almost 40 minutes long and is well worth the time it takes to sit there and go through it in one shot.
It's a beautiful record with so much to grab onto that by the end, you don't want to let go.
Take a deep dive into Mercy Sea. When it's over, reacclimate yourself back to your own reality again.
Remember where you heard it first.
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