Molly Nillson’s Imaginations reviewed by Jake Folsom.
Last Friday, Berlin-based Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson released ‘s her seventh LP, Imaginations. Molly Nilsson’s style is consistent – independent, straightforward, minimal synth-pop. She produces & releases all of her material through her own label, Dark Skies Association, creates her own music videos, organizes tours and designs all the album artwork. If you look up any of her live performances on YouTube, most of shows feature Nilsson alone on stage singing over pre-programmed tracks. While big “indie” labels like Secretly Group and Sub Pop consistently push out a catchy brand of rock & pop free of “corporate influence”, Molly Nilsson reminds us that it’s still possible for an artist to self-produce great music.
Imaginations is the first of Nilsson’s records to feature additional musician credits (although I know there’s a saxophone on “1995” from Zenith), with Katja Navarra on saxophone and Sean Nicholas Savage (a frequent collaborator with Nilsson) guest-guitaring on “Mona Lisa’s Smile”. Since 2008’s These Things Take Time, Nilsson’s musical “style” hasn’t gone through any sort of dramatic transformation, instead it has remained pleasantly consistent, growing marginally in confidence with each record.
As an on-air DJ, my love for Nilsson’s music borders on obsession. Her compositions are incredibly danceable and her lyrics are witty, honest & empowering [There’s something rotten in the State of Today,/ there’s something twisted in the world we all portray/ Don’t let them tell you where your mind may roam/ don’t stop your fantasies from running away from home (“Think Pink”)]. Nilsson’s production is also perfect. Imaginations is a great record for late-night cross-country drives, dancing alone in your bedroom, cooking breakfast, or at small dinner-parties.
Favorite Tracks: “Let’s Talk About Privileges”, “Not Today Satan”
…also “About Somebody” from SINGLE (2017)
Nilsson’s records aren’t available on streaming services, but she releases all her singles’ music videos on YouTube under the Dark Skies Association channel. The record is available on bandcamp via Night School Records or via the Dark Skies Association webstore.
Artist: Molly Nilsson
Album: Imaginations
Label: Dark Skies Association / Night School
Release date: 26 May 2017
—
Jacob D. Folsom