Fortress Round My Heart is the debut album from Norwegian musician Ida Maria. Released in Europe in 2008, the album finally gets a North American release this week.
Part PJ Harvey, part Karen O., Maria brings both a more punk attitude and a greater pop sensibility than either to her own work.
Swinging seemingly effortlessly from punk-fueled songs ("Oh My God") to Libertines style pop ("Louie"), the catchiness and big hooks never fail her. A song like "I Like You So Better When You're Naked", with its Romeo Void undertones, is almost guaranteed to be a singalong in indie dance clubs around the globe.
When Maria does slow it down the hooks fail her. A song like down tempo "Keep Me Warm" really disrupts the flow and energy of the record.
The songs are constructed in a quirky storytelling manner. Tracks like "Stella" and "Forgive Me", with their themes and structure are reminiscent of the tales of Regina Spektor, especially when delivered by Maria's wavering, deep voice.
Not every track on Fortress Round My Heart is a knock out, but there's only a handful of questionable moments on the record. This is definitely a winner.
Best tracks: "Oh My God", "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked"
Track listing for Fortress Round My Heart:
- Oh My God
- Drive Away My Heart
- Louie
- I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked
- Keep Me Warm
- Forgive Me
- Stella
- Morning Light
- Queen Of the World
- See Me Through
8.0/10
1 praise/complaints:
love her. saw her at coachella - just saw this interview about her too: http://bit.ly/IdaMariaMTVdd
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