By now I guess you´ve listened to Fearless either here on my blog or on Soundcloud. I think I´ve really nailed that song now; of course not without help from a few of my best friends. The song turning out this awesome really got me thinking about the quality of the other songs I´m mixing. So, I invited Kim over to play some guitar on Himalaya. Eureka! Kim was what the song really needed. The song just came alive. Every motion more vivid; both more melancholic and more happy at the same time. Happy sadcore?

I think I´m gonna redo the vocals on both tracks. I´ve relied to much on the old auto- tune instead of emoting and bringing the words to the front. I´m a big fan of how Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie really makes you listen to the lyrics. I want to be able to do that. Maybe now that I´ve got all the instruments in place it´s easier to concentrate on the singing.

So, we´ll see what will become of this so called Autumnism EP. Maybe it´s my Smile or Chineese Democracy. Maybe it´ll be done this week. Maybe next. I´ll keep you posted.

This is an unmastered version of the song Fearless from the forthcoming Autumnism EP. Vocals, bass, and acoustic guitars by me. Drums by Ola Helland-Pedersen. Electric guitars by Kim Stensen Sollien. Backing vocals by Ragnhild Lunder. Thanks guys and girls for contributing to what I think is an excellent track :)

I’m so close to being finished with the EP it hurts. It will be only four songs, but that’s OK. I think of this as a bumpy but enrichening start to my solo project. The mastering guy is on stand-by. Gotta finish tonight or tomorrow. Wish me luck!

These are the lyrics for the song Fearless. I consider it one of the most personal songs I´ve ever written. Feel free to comment; especially if you notice any grammatical errors. I hate those :)

I recall the time that I

found out the sun will die

in a billion years or so

It made me realize

the thing that we call life

eventually will come to end

It came as a shock that day

just ask my dad he´ll say

I looked like I´d just seen a ghost

as we drove down the mountainside

I think we both knew that I

would never ever be the same

Now even to this day

at times when my mind strays

I feel that chill run down my spine 

But then you showed up

and made it stop

You knew just what I´d been thinking

I don´t know much

but I know enough

I fear death less when I´m with you

I guess I´m still that child

when I close my eyes

I still dream of the sun and earth colliding

But then you showed up

and made it stop

You knew just what I´d been thinking

I don´t know much

but I know enough

I fear death less when I´m with you

Kim laid down some awesome lead guitars for the song Fearless today. He’s not only my brother. He’s pure genius.

Well actually I haven´t really decided how many tracks there will be yet. It all depends on how much I get done before deadlines, really. Here´s some song names and their percentage of completion.

Wedding Singer, 90% - not satisfied with the lyrics on the second verse yet, but most guitars and vocals are done. The song reminds me a little of Funeral by Band of Horses. Slow paced and very melancholic. It´s almost biographical; though I didn´t intend it to be at first. I´ve played a few weddings :)

Autumnism, 50% - i don´t really know where to go with this song. I think minimalism would suit it good, so I´m considering recording it on something else than on my Mac. Maybe I´ll just use an old tape recorder. I made a demo on my iPhone, which I think sounds quite good actually. The song is mostly an intro to the EP. It doesn´t need to be long or complicated, so two verses, two choruses, done.

Birds of Passage, 75% - this one is mostly electronica. There´s a rhodes piano and a tight drum machine. I love the chorus; reminds me of the big singalong tunes from the 80´s; Steve Winwood anyone?

Fearless, 75% - just gotta finish the lyrics. It´s the fastest paced song of the EP. My brother Kim will play lead guitars. Maybe we´ll add some drums, but I´m not sure if it´s necessary. My guitar is tuned in DADGAD; a great alternative tuning. You guitarists should check it out.

A Man for all Seasons, 90% - campfire Radiohead with a hint of Björk. A quite haunting song about growing old. A big sawtooth synth bass underneath a weird beat with acoustic guitar arpeggios.

Too slow for love, 90% - acoustic number with voice, acoustic guitar and maybe piano. The title is a spoof on a Mötley Crüe song :)

So there you go. There´s a lot of work that needs to be done in a hurry. But I like the challenge. Keeps me on my toes.

This summer I had a lot of free time to write songs. You would think that the nice weather and all the happy people would inspire me to write songs of happiness and bliss. Think again! I soon found out I had written songs most fitting for the autumn. Moody and dark songs mostly, but with an optimistic undercurrent throughout. That´s when the concept of releasing an conceptual EP with songs about the autumn emerged. The concept evolved even more as I intend to release an EP each season for a year. Sufjan Stevens will never finish his one record per state project, but my one EP each season project seems within reach.

I´m not a professional record producer or engineer so the recording process has been part joy and part pure frustration. Either way, I´m not the kind to quit when I set goals. Autumnism EP will be released early october through my bandcamp via my website and Gogoyoko.com.

Still got three or four songs to record. I´m gonna let you in on the progress.

Here´s a free download of one of the happier tunes: