Cosmos (2023)
Release: March 24th, 2023
Produced by Darling West (Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken, Christer Slaaen and Thomas Gallatin)
Recorded in FA Studio by Christer Slaaen & Thomas Gallatin.
Additional recordings in Ocean Sound.
Mixed by Kai Worley
Mastered by George Tanderø
Wild Dreams
Video by Nikolai Grasaasen. Running by Darling West.
Still here
Who knew that Chris can dance? Oh my, just look at him go! Video by Nikolai Grasaasen. Choreography by Josephine Gracia
Lyrics and credits
-
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken, Christer Slaaen)
There was a time, there was a place
Where I would fall into grace
Spending hour after hour counting the starsI would get lost, I would feel home
Under a glorious dome
Waiting for the streetlights to bow before the dawnWhen all the stars strangely align
When cosmos draws me its design
Like that moment when you finally find the missing rhyme
Or feel a perfect basslineI reminisce about the past
And the year before last
When the world was waking I was waking with youThe morning is new, it’s like I knew
Our days would be few
The mountains are the same, but I don’t recognize the viewMari: vocals, omnichord, harmonica
Tor Egil: Fender Bass VI, 12-string electric, acoustic guitar, vocals
Christer: 12-string acoustic, electric guitar, piano, vocals Thomas: drums, percussion
Kjetil Steensnæs: pedal steel, electric harp -
(Mari Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
What I’ve learned from all these years
is to just keep on moving
What I’ve learned from all these tears
Is that the road is long
So reach out and take my hand
And we’ll walk it together
And we’ll see when the haze clears
That there’s light aheadThere is light ahead, there is light ahead, there’s light ahead
On your darkest day, there is light aheadWhat I’ve learned from feeling weak
is that I will get stronger
What I’ve learned from those who speak
Is that I have a voice
So reach out and take my hand
And we’ll sing out together
Knowing that when things look bleak
There I s light aheadMari: vocals, vocoder
Tor: Fender VI, banjo, fuzz-gitar, slide, vocals
Christer: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, OP-1, fuzz-gitar, Casio SK-1, mellotrone, acetone, vocals
Thomas: drums, percussion, Casio SK-1, vocals
Matthew Logan Vasquez: vocals
Silje Kilmork Vemøy: harmony vocals -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken, Christer Slaaen)
I remember the thrill of the way too late-night phone calls that never amounted to much
The electricity that ran through my fingers
the very first time that we touchedI remember the heat from a way too late-night summer road
We never thought it would end
On the radio the sound of love would linger
And follow us around every bendWhen mornings stuck on repeat start weighing you down
What have become of you and I
You said you’re hurt
Well, so am I
What will become of you and I
You’re still here
And so am II remember the words that could never be unspoken
The consequence of things left unsaid
How we carried on while leaving something broken
A silent hope of better times ahead
When mornings stuck on repeat turn slowly into years
And all of your fears start weighing you downMari: vocals
Tor Egil: Fender Bass VI, banjo, vocals
Christer: Acoustic rubber guitar, electric guitars, mellotrone, vocals
Thomas: vocals, drums, percussion
David Wallumrød: keys (juno 60) -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
An old man with a suitcase
Older than himself
Passing through the waiting hall
Like a ghostHe doesn’t know where he’s going
He can’t hide where he has been
I can hear the deepest blue
In his voiceOne Two, the rumors are true
Three Four, to walk the ocean floor Count Five, and wait for the tideHe wears a sadness with honor
And his torn coat with pride
A lifetime of belongings
In one handAnd as I’m leaving the station
I can see him standing there
Looking for a friendly face
In the crowdMari: vocals
Tor: vocals, fretless bass, fretless banjo, guitarlele, Fender Bass VI
Thomas: drums, percussion, mellotrone
Christer: whale synth
Rob Moose: engineer, string arrangements, violin, viola
Torjus Vierli: upright piano -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken, Christer Slaaen)
Lurking, distant
In the corner of my eye Climbing roof tops
But I never reach the sky The waning sensation
No layers left to peel
It’s like a paper cut
A sting that just won’t healI saw it coming
Coming from miles away
While I kept on running
Running from the part I’m bound to play
(Here I go again now
Will I ever know how)Wall of silence
Nothing to convey
I search for something
To keep myself at bay
The mounting pressure
Tears at every seam
Missing notes inside
a melodyMari: vocals
Tor Egil: Fender Bass VI, banjo, vocals
Christer: 12-string electric, vocals
Thomas: drums, percussion, vocals
Lars Horntveth: vibraphone, synth, pedal steel -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
Awake, here I am
Overwhelmed by regret and recognition Big ideas, disbelief
Of where I was even goingTry once again, to recall
There’s a part of me that clings to Reenactment, repetition
It’s a pathway back to zeroAll colors fade
Turning into shades of grey
Telling me I’m not okay
Oh, if I could change
A part of history
Get me out of this misery
Surrender to the healing light ofLove, oh love, oh love
Sweet, incomplete
Pioneer, when I need a perfect savior
In defeat, reaffirm me
Cause I need the absolutionStill unfulfilled, I’m undefined,
And in want of locomotion
Cause I sense that agony
Was never a useful notionMari: vocals, dulcimer, whammy bgvs
Tor: Fender Bass VI, slide & delay guitars, vocals
Thomas: drums, percussion, vocals
Christer: 12-string guitar, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, zither, piano, vocals
Silje Kilmork Vemøy: harmony vocals -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
He was never a rebel,
More of a friend-kind-a-guy
We all thought we knew him
We thought he was fineShe was married in summer
She was blue in the fall
She was longing for winter
To cover it allI know it’s tempting to give in
When your voice is lost in the howling wind
You’re pushing away from a course, but you’re standing still
When just getting through makes a decent day
And you’re overcome by the price you pay
Even when you feel there’s not much more to say
We'll keep on going till night turns to dayGot a call from my best friend
He was fighting the dread
I could hear he was shaking
And here’s what he saidI’ve been down in the darkness
I have crawled on the ground
But I’ve learned how to walk here
Till I come back aroundMari: acoustic guitar, vocals
Tor: electric guitar, Fender Bass VI, slide-guitar, vocals
Thomas: drums
Christer: acoustic guitar
Harmony vocals: Michaela Anne
Rob Moose: engineer, string arrangements, violin, viola -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken, Christer Slaaen, Thomas Gallatin, Odd Arild Nessa)
Moving, still not going places
Walking blind, there’s no oasis
Rocks and pebbles, sand is burning
A broken wheel that keeps on turningLet it go, let it fly
Let the wild dreams die
Let it go, let it fly
Let the wild dreams die
Let it go, let it fly
Let the wild dreams die
For the love of you and II draw close as you are baring
All the wounds that need repairing
We ache and hurt while lessons learning
A broken wheel can still keep turningMari: vocals, electric guitar
Tor: Fender Bass VI, banjo, fretless bass, 12-string electric, vocals
Christer: electric guitar, vocals
Thomas: drums, percussion, vocals
Jarle Bernhoft: harmony and ad lib vocals -
(David Wallumrød)
David Wallumrød: keys
Jonas Kilmork Vemøy: trumpet -
(Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
Out on the open road
I dream of coming back
My journey might sound tempting
But it's hard to stay on track
There is a certain calm
In never standing still
A promise might be broken
But our bond, it never willWhen I search for a place I can belong
I find that all the voices and the songs
Still echo in my mind a guiding sound
I’ll never leave behindThe smell of summer rain
The colors of the fall
I hope to be around a while
To pick up when you call
But this is what I do
I think too far ahead
Right now I need to savor
Reading stories by your bedMari: vocals, acoustic guitar
Tor: vocals, acoustic guitar
Christer: mellotrone
David Wallumrød: keys
Michaela Anne: Harmony vocals
Jonas Kilmork Vemøy: trumpet
Darling West decamped for a tiny island on Norway’s west coast to begin writing what was to become Cosmos, their fifth studio album. For the first time, the band’s core – married couple Mari and Tor Egil Kreken – have included band members Thomas Gallatin and Christer Slaaen in the songwriting and production process. As a larger united, Darling West has really evolved. Cosmos is indeed the sound of expansion.
West coast, cosmic folk, americana… Call it what you will – there are even hints of afro blues on here – but where the band once fit firmly in the folk/americana category, you might as well just call it pop these days.
Cosmos was recorded and produced in its entirety by Darling West. Vocal guests on the album include Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit) and Jarle Bernhoft, while David Wallumrød, Lars Horntveth and Torjus Vierli all excel on keys. Finally, the one and only Rob Moose (Paul Simon, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers) provides strings on “Till Night Turns to Day” and “Old Man”.
The listener is also awarded plenty of what we’ve come to love from Darling West: Mari Kreken’s gorgeous voice and Tor Egil Kreken’s incredibly versatile playing (guitar, bass, banjo, etc.) playing. The sum of these parts makes up a magical record, with songs and melodies that will stay on your mind for the unforeseeable future.
While many struggled to keep their heads up during the pandemic, the band did their best to contribute positively, and came out on the other side with a growing, dedicated fanbase, due to their incredibly popular “Family Sessions” on Youtube. A recurring concept where they featured a host of friends and other artists, thus creating a community – or family – which is still going strong.
The music on Cosmos searches outward, while the lyrics look inward. The resulting record includes elements of pop, while it pushes the envelope for what Norwegian americana can sound like. Cosmos is also about loving yourself, and there are of course a handful of love songs about shaky relationships – as we’ve come to expect from Darling West.
The band continues to develop their unique musicianship and Cosmos is indeed another masterstroke from the band.