Teitur - Stay Under the Stars

Teitur
Stay Under the Stars
Equator Records
Grade: A-

Although Teitur Lassen travels in circles with acts I typically disparage – including JT Tunstall and Aimee Man – Stay Under the Stars is unquestionably a phenomenal record of the upper-order. Headquartered in Denmark and aided by a gaggle of musicians, Teitur waltzes through seven songs of quietly hypnotic songs anchored by his vocals, acoustic guitars, and piano. Fitting the bill of a singer-songwriter, Teitur lies somewhere between Sondre Lerche and Sam Beam; a European cool matched with rustic emotional underpinnings. It’s possible that Teitur manages to hold such a cool line because he has split ways with major Universal and now releases material on his own Arlo and Betty Recordings; and then licenses the record(s) to other labels in other countries (Montreal’s Equator Records for North America). The twelve-song Stay Under the Stars magical sweeps in on the terrific opener “Don’t Want You to Wake Up,” where finger-picking acoustic guitars and piano ride along with probably Teitur’s best usage of his soft, yet powerful vocals. “Louis, Louis” is more uptempo resembling an ordinary pop song, though the repeated title gets stuck in your head. “You Get Me” nears a similar feel to “Don’t Want You to Wake Up,” although you get sneaking suspicion “You Get Me” is destined for more pop-friendly audiences. After the solid “I Run the Carousel” and the average “Thief About to Break In” comes a live cover of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire.” The version here is uber-slowed down and practically unrecognizable save for the chorus. Interestingly, it also serves as the weakest song on Stay Under the Stars; possibly a complement to Teitur. After the short and ho-hum “Night Time Works,” the well-devised “Umbrellas in the Rain” ushers itself in on Teitur vocals, acoustic guitars, and minimal background electronics. Rollicking piano and drunken-like vocals greets you on “Boy, She Can Sing!,” while “Hitchhiker” is a song that may be best conceived as an industrial number and not a heavy-picking acoustic song. Stay Under the Stars closes on “Waiting for Mars” and “All My Mistakes,” with Teitur using speaking vocals on the slow former and with the latter employing two-step piano to close the deal. There is some sliddage on the latter part of Stay Under the Stars, but the front part is enough for you to fall in love with.