Oh Laura: A Song Inside My Head A Demon In My Bed

Elly Roberts reviews

Oh Laura: A Song Inside My Head A Demon In My Bed
Distributed by
Cosmos RecordsCover

  • Released: June 2008
  • Rating: 8/10
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Swedes excellent bitter sweet debut – went ‘Gold’ in two weeks in Sweden. Tim Rice is a big fan.

When the voice of Oh Laura’s Frida Ohrn hit our TV screens on last year’sSAAB advert, singing Release Me, I was stunned, really. It was seen by a staggering 240 million viewers.

On first hearing, it sounded like Bjork, but soon realised the song wasn’t bonkersenough, so some internet trawling ensued until she was tracked down. In all, 50,000downloads were registered from the SAAB website alone. I was one of them. BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris described like her like this “It sounds like a wholelife has been lived through Frida’s vocals.”


And so it is, somewhere between Bjork, and Roisin Murphy’s huskiness. This incredibleblonde babe now gets a chance to show what she can do on the band’s debut whichruns – in at around a short and sweet 35 minutes. She hasn’t written any songs,so she’s left to front and only sing and play the odd bit of harmonica.

The single, Release Me was a sensation in their native Sweden, with hopefully,the album due to make waves in the UK. This five-piece from Stockholm knew theywere onto a winner with Frida’s vocal talents which are adaptable for this folkypop bonanza, though nothing quite matches Release Me. The songs are very goodindeed which make for a pleasurable listen, sometimes veering into Fairground Attractionterritory.

At the core of all their work is a deep sense of gorgeous melody and harmony,even when they clash with unsettling lyrics on Black and Blue – “Beat meblack and blue / As long as you forgive me (repeat) / Lock me in your room /As long as you are with me / Honey, there ain’t nothing I wont do,” she singslovingly as the tables are turned by her lover.


If Release Me doesn’t make the national airwaves, then chirpy Fine Line’sradio friendliness will do the trick. Their folk influences surface on thedivine melancholic ballad Raining In New York. It ambles along nicely, until swayingstrings boost the chorus with Frida’s voice at its peak, and heart warminglybeautiful.

She describes the album as a love story, “But a fragile love story wheresomething uncomfortable and uncertain is ever present”, highlighted by thedark Killer On The Road, which has some fine Latino brass breaks.Thunderbird Motel opens much like Chris Isaac’s Blue Hotel with itsjangly guitar strums, turning into a simple but effective Americana ballad.

File under: promising future.

Weblinks:ohlaura.net /myspace.com/laurasweden


The full list of tracks included are :

1. A Call To Arms
2. It Ain’t Enough
3. Release Me
4. Black N’ Blue
5. Fine Line
6. Raining In New York
7. Out Of Bounds
8. Killer On The Road
9. The Mess You Left Behind
10. Thunderbird Motel

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