Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

Kari Rueslåtten (Trondheim, October 3, 1973) is a Norwegian soprano singer, songwriter and keyboardist, who was well known for being the former lead singer and songwriter for the now disbanded Norwegian doom metal/experimental band, The 3rd and the Mortal from 1992 to 1994. The 3rd and the Mortal was one of the early bands that used a lead female singer in the metal scene, in which inspired bands such as The Gathering, Flowing Tears and Nightwish.

~ wiki

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

Three years after that groundbreaking masterpiece of expression and beauty Tears Laid in Earth and two years after her exceptional and beloved Demo Recordings, Kari Rueslåtten rides her broomstick once again and paints colourful soundscapes through the brilliant melancholic norwegian skylines. Music from the land to us, through Kari Rueslåtten's mystical norwegian words… :)

by _Stephen_

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

Pilot is former (and original) The 3rd and the Mortal vocalist Kari Rueslatten's third solo album and marks a stylistic change in her solo career. Starting out as a folk-influenced pop singer on her first two discs, which are also great in their own right, Rueslatten made a foray into more experimental territory with this disc. Though there are plenty of trip-hop elements, with plenty of sound effects, distant keys, discreet pianos, and textured walls of sound, Rueslatten's beautiful vocals are never obscured. They are in the centre of the mix, be it on the straightforward pop song "Calling You," where she desperately repeats the mini-chorus, or on the more acoustic-based title track where she likens herself to "a pilot with no plane," using metaphors and beautiful imagery. It's, however, on the more textured experimental pieces where her grasp of song arrangement and melody development come through. "Smile in Your Sleep" sounds like a song lifted from Bjork's Vespertine: deep-running synth drones form the basis for a throbbling, unsettling bass figure which follows Rueslatten's a capella passage in the intro. The endlessly layered "Snow" boasts looped drums and harmonies surrounding her sweet, lullaby-like singing. If you want to hear her in a more piano-based singer-songwriter format reminiscent of Tori Amos, check out "Leaving." The song sounds simplistic with minimal instrumentation, but the raw emotion in her voice, her unique timbre, and her heartfelt delivery will melt you. The more industrial-sounding "Beautiful Morning" and "Denial" bring to mind The Gathering circa If_Then_Else: subterranean sounds rumbling under the main melodic themes, lots of bleeps and electronic glitches underscoring Rueslatten's vocals, and a song that is informed by a deep sense of motion and space. It is, however, on "Exile," the only song she co-wrote with other artists, and "Love I Gave" where she tests the limits of art-pop. The former sees her going back to her folk-inspired singing during the song's quiet, tension-filled passages before switching back and adopting a Bjork-esque vocal delivery to rise and peak amidst a densely mixed, far-reaching arrangement. On the other song, her doubled vocals provide counterpoint harmony: I can almost imagine this song finding a place for itself on a future re-release of Bjork's magnum opus Homogenic, with less experimental vocals.

If you listen to and like this disc, you're advised to also check out Other People's Stories if you want to see Rueslatten explore similar soundscapes with a clearer sonic vision. While still experimental, the songs unfold with a more focused sound development and suggest a vocalist carving her own niche. As for her 2014 album, Time to Tell, you can hear her in a more singer-songwriter context, with a more mature (and confident) vocal delivery opting for a more organic sound with more guitars, percussion, and a lot of piano. There is even a new reinterpretation of The 3rd and the Mortal's "Why So Lonely" from their first full-length disc here. All three albums are worth exploring. Kari Rueslatten does not disappoint.

by Murat Batmaz

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

That voice! Ever since hearing Kari singing on Tears Laid in Earth I've loved her voice. When I heard she'd gone solo, I hunted high and low for her first album. I just love that voice!

After her, in my mind, a bit too minimalistic/experimental Pilot, she came back in 2005 with this brilliant album. This is a modern, heavily atmospheric electronic folk album. There's some triphoppy, almost dubby, stuff going on here and there ("Dog Star", "Ride", "Carved in Stone") and some very mellow, ambient moments with Kari's warm voice ("Fishing", "Life"), as well as the more "traditional" folk/singer-songwriter stuff ("Other People's Stories", "Sorrow To My Door").

But it all comes together into a very beautiful blend of folk music coupled with modern electronica.

by Teishi, rateyourmusic.com

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close

After a long gap of nine years, former The Third and the Mortal vocalist Kari Rueslåtten has come back with her fifth solo album Time to Tell. Beautiful soft folky melodies provide a gentle background for the singers incredible voice. As soft, mesmerizing and ethereal as ever, it’s a great performance from Kari, including a reworked piano led version of The Third and the Mortal’s Why So Lonely, twenty years on, featuring Nightwish’s Tuomas Holopainen on the piano. While she sings in her typical stunning fashion, the more minimalist instrumental approach doesn’t recreate the mystical all-enveloping atmosphere of the original, even though its still an admirable version. And perhaps this is the album’s one shortcoming. The songs are gentle and pleasant, but with Kari’s incredible voice, a more ethereal atmosphere would suit her better – you can’t get quite as lost in some of the songs as you would hope. That said, it’s still a very good album for what it is, containing lovely soft folk songs with her voice pervading through – the music’s gentle and pleasant, if a little too much so. Rainy Days Ahead and Wintersong are the highlights, and they are both absolutley stunning – the former is absolutely beautiful and serene, sung so sublimely, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. Kari is touring in the winter with Anneke Van Giersbergen and Liv Kristine as The Sirens, and I cannot wait!

by swirlsofnoise, rateyourmusic.com

×

Kari Rueslåtten: Discography (1995 - 2015)

Close