Chris DeLine

Malmo, Sweden native Magnus Tingsek’s self-titled debut album is a celebration of soulful Scandinavian lounge-rock. Tingsek, though only 27, got his musical feet wet long ago, playing various instruments with his brother while growing up. The two sang Depeche Mode and Beatles to each other and Magnus slowly grew into a wide variety of instruments. After turning a local library cellar into a temporary studio the two continued to play and Magnus began improving his skills at the guitar, bass and drums. And as you can tell with Tingsek, Magnus’s voice matured and expanded dramatically. After lending his talents to a number of garage bands Magnus began improving his skills at the pedal steel guitar and eventually played in support of Willie Nelson, playing with his daughter Paula.

But Tingsek is by no means similar to anything Willie Nelson, not country, reggae, or anything in between. Nor is he similar to anything I’ve heard coming from Sweden in general. The album starts out with the up-tempo “Egoflow.” The blending of a soft trumpet with a smooth organ presents opportunity for drums to lead the song without using a strong guitar piece. Tingsek follows suit with many of the following tracks, incorporating multiple horns, various percussion instruments, a piano and strings to produce an amazingly smooth, emotional groove. “Nothing, Nobody, Right & Wrongs” introduces congas to accommodate a lighthearted guitar as the harmony-heavy track progresses; a very beautiful, simple example of Tingsek’s wonderful songwriting.

“Lazy Days” lifts you to a place far away, a small coffee house, where no one really drinks coffee. In the corner a small electric organ is set up next to a microphone and onlookers clap the beat. The rolling emotion captures everyone as more customers chime in and a flowing sound forms throughout the room. The emotion is perfectly captured throughout this album but certain spots, such as “Lazy Days,” have a way of sucking you in and making you forget that anything else is going on around you. “This Room” is a fine showcase for Tingsek’s voice as it gives an amazing sound that reminds me when Wayne Shepherd was just breaking onto the scene. The local radio announcers kept commenting on how unbelievable it was that such a voice came from such a young white kid. Magnus Tingsek falls along those lines to me. By looking at him, it’s hard to understand what to expect. But after hearing him, I’m starting to understand what old Willie must have known all along.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]