Gothenburg born multitalent Elisabet
Hermodsson was a rare ange bird on the scene. An author, journalist,
painter, songwriter, singer, with an education in rhythmics, she was
involved in the 70's feminist movement but the three albums she made
during the decade was of a more reflective personal kind without exhausting in-your-face politics. She appeared in the stage performance ”Röster i ett mänskligt landskap” along with
Lena Granhagen, released on album by Proprius in 1971.
Vad gör vi med sommaren, kamrater?
(Proprius, 1973)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **
Hermodsson's first solo album showcases
her style at its best, with an abundance of hushed songs, with
delicate arrangements underlining the inherent melancholy. Recorded
with Arne Domnérus, Georg Riedel and Rune Gustafsson to mention but
three of the musicians, ”Vad gör vi med sommaren, kamrater?” has
mild jazz strokes without ever becoming a jazz album. It's hard to
pinpoint Hermodsson's style; she's too original to easily fit in with
any defined genre. There's a particular kind of Swedish music called
'visa' (plural: 'visor'), somewhere between singer/songwriter and
French chansons, and that would be the most appropriate
classification for Elisabeth Hermodsson. Whichever way, ”Vad gör
vi med sommaren, kamrater?” is a dimly lit and ultimately touching
album.
Disa Nilsons visor (Caprice, 1975)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
Swapping the small back-up unit on her
debut with a larger ensemble of new musicians diminished the
emotional impact of Hermodsson's songs. The songs are still poetic
and the arrangements are carefully crafted but lack the element of
surprise that helped making ”Vad gör vi med sommaren, kamrater?”
a captivating album.
Vakna med en sommarsjäl (Caprice,
1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
Despite being subtitled ”Disa
Nilsons visor II”, ”Vakna med en sommarsjäl” is different to
the first volume of the two centered around the fictious Disa
Nilson character. The album again utilizes a new set of musicians,
this time including the likes of
Jan Schaffer,
Björn J:son Lindh,
Stefan Brolund and wind player Sven Berger. Also featured is
classical string quartet Freskkvartetten. The mood is closer to ”Vad
gör vi med sommaren, kamrater?”, often sombre and dusky, although
not on par with the special intimacy of her debut.
Both ”Disa Nilson” volumes were
combined to one CD, unfortunately with the tracks from the two albums
jumbled up to a new track sequence.
Elisabet Hermodsson spent most of her time living in Uppsala and her summer house on Fårö (a place familiar to director Ingmar Bergman fans). She died in 2017 at the age of 89.
Disa Nilsons visor
Vakna med en sommarsjäl