Magnus Eliassen is an independent acoustic-pop artist from Norway with soul to spare. Aside from being a model for DIY done right, his new album, Second Grace, is equal parts contemplative, charming, and sensuous. Considering just how good it sounds, it’s also quite surprising that he recorded the whole thing at his grandparents’ house. After performing around 100 shows around Europe, many of them sold out, and some press adding up, it seems that Magnus might be fast on his to way to becoming a force in indie music. That is, if he’s worried about that kind of thing.
One of Magnus’ strong suits is certainly the consistency in his music. Each song is an instantly enjoyable journey into earnest and soulful-coffee house territory with a irresistibly deep clap-along back-beat and lyrics that laud the joys of love. It should also be noted that all of the lyrics are sung in English, which is no small feat considering that Norwegian is the national language. There is also a subtle undercurrent of a Latin influence as well which is brought out by the use of castanets, staccato guitar, and the occasional odd time signature. Although currently promoting himself as a solo artist by name, he is also joined by three other musicians who masterfully help see his vision to fruition.
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