This is my first acquaintance with both David Ahlén (sorry can’t find the o to go above the A) and his label Volkoren. And I must say, this is something special in my humble opinion. David wrote the songs and sings and plays guitar and harmonium. And that is the core of all songs. But wait, there are guests, on piano, vocals, zither, harp, cello, vibraphone and some percussion. But most of that is sparse and serves to add some accents in the mood created by said voice and (acoustic) guitar. About the voice, Ahlen chooses to sing most, if not all, with his falsetto. This combination creates a very intimate setting, but if you pay attention to the music (which is obligatory in this case) it makes for a wonderful experience!
The overall sound is like a feather in the wind, or the eye of a storm. Calm, peaceful, maybe sometimes a bit haunting, but in a good way. It creates a condition where one cannot help but relax and sit back to undergo the unique qualities of this. It creeps up on your spine and sucks you into the imagery of the artist. Timeless if you ask me, and praise to both David and the label for bringing us this unique and wonderful album that actually defies categorising!