18 September 2023
Newsdesk
From Norwegian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Bernhoft, comes his long-awaited album ‘Avenue of Loveless Hearts.’ 10 songs that intertwine aspects of pop and soul, serving as a musical story of love, life and growth.
After gaining incredible viral success with ‘C’mon Talk’ in 2014, Bernhoft stepped away from music after the death of his close friend and manager. He has metamorphosised from the lead singer of the critically-acclaimed rock-quartet Span to become the first non-American to be nominated for the Best R&B Album Grammy. Experiencing and overcoming the intensities of life, he has poured these experiences into the ‘Avenue of Loveless Hearts’
“Avenue of Loveless Hearts is an album written by a critically emotional guy,” he says, “I have long believed that I wasn't very emotional. Or rather that I was, but was able to control it, staying rational and principled and smart. All that turned out to be nonsense. I am as bogged down in emotional fog as all the people I've slagged off in the past.
“The album title is a slightly altered line from the opening track, ‘No Place Like Home’. In the song, it references how the level of ambition in world metropoles can squeeze all the life out of town. But the album title reflects how I view myself in retrospect. I used to be a cold ass human being! I see that both in how I've related to people and songwriting. Now, all windows are open, no holds barred. Everything passes through this here enormous filter of life that is me. This is the sound of my inner romantic, hitherto sealed off, but now unleashed. And I love it to bits.
“These songs are written in a city where the streets can feel cold, cynical and loveless, but that also distills what you carry inside.” - Jarle Bernhoft
The album opens with the evocative ‘No Place Like Home,’ delving into the allure of life on the road, juxtaposed with the gravitational pull of family life. ‘Carry You,’ stands as a sincere homage to love and support. With echoes of the legendary AI Green, Bernhoft masterfully captures the essence of emotional connection, illustrating the delicate balance between partners who lift each other up when the other is falling, a true anthem of devotion.
‘Sleep Safe Tonight,’ unfolds as a lullaby chronicling a year’s worth of his young son’s nightmares, a truly beautiful song encapsulating the compassionate essence of fatherhood and delivering a touching and relatable track. ‘Let It Go’ depicts a journey of yearning, with its heavenly gospel choir harmonies providing an emotional centre. While closer ‘Ode To Collins’ delicately brings events full circle, and the album to a peaceful coda.
Bernhoft created this album with a range of collaborators, all who moulded and shaped the album’s sound and furthered his musical horizons:
“There’s me as an album artist. I still build tracklisting and think in side A, Side B. But these people don't think like that at all, they are into songs. But we found common ground. That's the essence of the album - a willingness to change my mindset, and way of looking at life.
”I’ve had this feeling that the world is full of love songs. I didn't want to pollute them with mine - “Boy Meets Girl. Girl Leaves Boy... But I've had a number of conversations with good friends recently that has changed my perspective on myself.”
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