Svavar Knutur – November (2021)
The month of November is a moment of change that rolls around each year, with the days shortening and the icy fingers of winter making themselves known. While many people are dismayed when winter comes, Svavar Knutur offers up a love song to the month, with his genre-defying single ‘November’. Moving from melancholic stirrings to the beauty of a stormy midwinter, the single embraces the inescapable changing of the seasons with darkness, melancholy, love and transformative energy.
Continuing his genre-bending style, Knutur has us all embracing the hidden beauty of the world in a way that could make life better. As part of his next album, the single offers a glimpse of what the release has to offer. Drawing on his experience as a participant in Global Music Match and his tours of Europe and North America, Knutur swirls through your ears like sonic Northern Lights.
‘November’ has a gentle folk opening with the soft roll of an acoustic guitar. You can feel the chill in the air as the sky threatens the first snows of the season. While the music has a chilled feeling, there is a stunning beauty to it that soothes something deep in your chest. You can feel your muscles relaxing, like the heat from a warm fire soaking into your skin. The swell of the strings through the soundscape brings the dance of snowflakes to the music and enhance the awe-inspiring beauty that winter can bring. Through all this, you are in awe of the balance of tones and emotions, as you feel a creeping touch of melancholy dance away on the icy winds. Later in the track, there is a swing to the movement of the music that lifts the feeling of the track, and it is utterly wonderful.
Knutur’s vocals are delicate as they enter and pick up the chilled feelings of the folky tones. His performance is amazing as it reaches into your chest and plucks at your emotions. The lyrics are descriptive and emotive as they cling to the last warm rays of summer, while sinking into the cold of November. The humming that swells with the strings is haunting and stunning, sending shivers down your spine. When the music turns, the vocals match and take you on a ride of accepting the beauty of the month. This swing really showcases the versatility of his performance and brings a new edge to the track.
Svavar Knutur brings the beauty of winter to our ears, while embracing everything the turn of the seasons has to offer in the stunning ‘November’. The single has a delicate folky tone that swings into a paced dance through the snow. Knutur’s vocals are amazing as they send shivers down your spine, before grabbing you to frolic in the snow.
Find out more about Svavar Knutur on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
