Sometimes I discover music that I find breathtakingly Beautiful. This is the case with the music of the Norwegian artist Vermeer, a.k.a. Solvor Vermeer. 

I am deeply touched by this fragile and delicate music, and the first time I heard "The Beaming light", I sat there listening with tears in my eyes. The two songs I’ve heard so far both have a very distinct sound, – the elements she use in her songs are few, with a piano and her soothing vocals as the main instruments. Treated samples of the vocals are layered on top, and small natural sounds from the recording room adds a unique atmosphere to the music.   

Solvor tells us that she usually makes her music at night, and she has to keep everything quiet not to disturb her neighbours. She does the composing and recording in one go, and does not change anything on a composition after she is finished playing. "When I think too much, my creativity vanishes", she says. The melodies and the lyrics are created side by side, at the same time, she tells us. I am surprised, because her music is not "easy", – it has several complex elements within the boundaries of minimalism and simplicity, and the elements sound so perfectly placed, like they were planned and structured. If I understand Vermeer correctly, nothing is planned, and everything happens in the moment. Clever! 

I love the small natural sounds, which probably wasn’t intended – but which adds so much atmosphere to the recording -, like the sound of the small movementsof a chair or the small clicks and noises you can hear in the background. At first, I thought "hmm, strange to have the piano in just one speaker", but after approx 3 seconds into the song, I thought "Wow, this is perfect!"
Solvor Vermeer has a lot in common with artists like Hanne Hukkelberg, Stina Nordenstam, Tori Amos or even some of the more quiet and less electronic works of Björk. I’m also reminded by another artists we’ve recently written about, – the Norwegian singer/composer Silje Nes.

Solvor has not yet released anything as Vermeer and she is still unsigned. I hope someone with a sense of great music gives her everything she needs to record a full album, and I hope Vermeer continues to record at night and does it with her own basic equipment…

Vermeer – The Beaming Light

Solvor Vermeer is also involved in an electronica project and in the folk-rock band Bob Haley.

Readers: Did you like this one as much as me? Please comment!