Burn

Magnus Holmen’s album Burn is a mix between hard rock and folk. I enjoyed the fact that all of his music incorporates some form of acoustics. Magnus definitely knows the instrument well. There really isn’t much else needed. The music is soothing and not at all busy. It sounds to me like a collaboration between Bob Dylan and Staind; it is neither as punk as Staind nor as country blues as Dylan.

The song “Mary Jane Died Young” is the most like a country song with it’s story like lyrics. It’s a plaintive tale of a girl that marries young and is killed at the hands of her husband. I don’t really care for the first two songs on the album. They way they’ve been recorded does nothing for Holmen’s voice. It makes him sound nasally. He’s heard well above the music but it doesn’t sound good. The first couple of songs tend to be slower, more somber.

“Hollywood”, which is something of a love song, begins slowly. There seems to be a metaphor between the city and a woman. I think the song works well with the chorus in the background. The song is moving and more upbeat toward the end although it’s about leaving a love behind. The start of the song reminds me of Don McLean’s “Bye Bye Miss America Pie” with it’s slow start then it moves into a lively chorus. “I Live’, one of the last songs on the album, starts off much stronger than the other songs. There seems to be a steady tempo through out the entire song. The overall tone is empowering. It could be taken as a song of encouragement, to press on. This and “Burn” are by far one of my favorites. “Burn”, the last song and the title of the album, sounds much more like a live performance. This isn‘t necessarily a bad. If Holmen were to perform this album live it would definitely be a show I’d pay good money for. His voice can be heard well heard above the music.

Holmen’s wide range of experience with various instruments is definitely beneficial to his music. He doesn’t need to be backed by an orchestra to make an impact on his listeners. His use of choral music with his folk rock style works very well and makes for easy listening. Despite some minor vocal issues on a song or two I would recommend giving Magnus Holmen‘s “Burn” a listen.