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It’s a long time since Erik Faber consolidated his position as one of Norway’s leading purveyors of pop. “Faber will be an artist to count on in the future,” wrote the newspaper VG when his debut album Between the Lines was released in 2002. After having sold around 40,000 copies of that album and its follow-up, Century, there’s no doubt that this prediction was correct. Four singles from his debut album (On Top of the World, Between the Lines, Waiting, and Sleep) reached the Norwegian Top 20 radio chart. He followed these up with hits like the elegant Yesterday’s Call, Last Night’s Boogie, and Century. This success and Erik’s many concerts in Norway have heightened expectations regarding his third album. But that’s no problem for a pop craftsman like Erik. Not Over, the first single from Passages, shows that Erik still has a good nose for overwhelming melodies, meaningful lyrics and an unmistakable mood. This is classy pop music, very catchy and with timeless quality. It’s how quality pop should be. “I want to make melodious music,” Erik says of his relationship to himself as an artist and his new album. “It’s important for me to do what I feel is the right thing here and now. It’s no more difficult than that. I experience the same relationship when I listen to music.” While his first two albums were released in relatively quick succession, his third has taken a bit longer to make. Along with touring and songwriting, he has pushed himself to become an even better pop artisan. “I can’t read music and I don’t know music theory, I have always learnt by trial and error. This produces revelations all the time. Suddenly you see new possibilities and directions for a song that you didn’t see before. You simply develop, both lyrically and melodically.” Erik has also been working alone more than before: “In the past, I wrote with other people, but this time I’ve written most of it by myself. The people I’ve worked with have obviously given me input when I needed it. But I’ve woken up now and I have a new confidence in my music. Every chord, every note and every melody are there because I think they sound good.” His duet with Marte Wulff, Racing, is no exception. She’s an artist who Erik respects a lot and wrote the lyrics she sings. However, all the other words in Passages are Erik’s. Words that at once may seem dark and sad. “I’m not too keen on happy music, that’s why I don’t make happy music myself. At the same time, I don’t want music just to be sad. There must be some hope somewhere, and I think my songs have that,” believes Erik. Life’s most important elements – life, death and love – are recurring themes on his third album. “The usual empty phrases,” a smiling Erik calls them. “I take myself and people around me as a starting point, thus the songs are small reflections of things I’ve experienced and learnt in the last three years.” Passages was recorded and mixed during the summer and autumn of 2006 in Disclab Studio in Oslo by producers Jørn Dahl and Hans Olav Grøttheim, and reveals a more live-oriented and organic artist. His band, consisting of Bjørn Sæther (drums), Ørnulv Snortheim (guitar), Bernt Moen (keyboards) and Lars Kristian Folkvord (bass), has left its mark on the album by taking part during the whole recording process. “Obviously I want to work with people who like my music and can add something to it. After a while, you learn who you should play and work with, and this album has been a frictionless affair.” Erik Faber is back. There’s no doubt that Norway’s pop scene will bear witness to that this autumn.
