Denmark based band , Wall to Wall, comprised of poet/singer Egil Dennerline and keyboard wizard Palle Hjorth have a very personal story to tell with their debut band ‘Waiting’
Diagnosed with tongue cancer seen years ago, Egil was spurred on by his long-time friend and musical partner, Palle. A promise that they would make an album together gave Egil the strength he needed through all the surgeries, hospital waiting rooms and smorgasbord of emotions that accompanied it all.
In the end, the album took shape. ‘Waiting’ was intended to deal with the reflections of remaining open to the world, waiting for answers on one’s path through life and paying attention to the simple details like rings of a cold drink might make on a summer outdoor table. Hanging between the balance of electronic and organic, with a lyrical and tenterhook melodic edge.
This sombre and well meaning resolve becomes apparent straight away with the deep opening beats of the first track, ‘Complicated’ with the opening lyrics ‘I have a tendency to overcomplicate things’, a statement no doubt founded from Egil’s own dealings with mortality.
Throughout the whole album, Egil’s background as a poet shines through with lyrics that wouldn’t be out of place at a spoken word evening. Tracks such as ‘Share’ and “Thousand Tongues’ do a fantastic job along with Egil’s down, but not quite defeated, singing tone in selling that feeling of realisation at something few others care to notice.
All of this is backed up by a consistent stream of emotional keyboard riffs from Palle, with the entirety of ‘Little Finger’ dedicated to the powerfully simple echoing piano notes that are used throughout the rest of the album.
It’s then with the final titular track, ‘Waiting’ we’re suddenly thrown a delightful curveball with a welcome upbeat and hopeful song that caps off an album, meant to showcase the lonely experience of waiting by in fact, showing that maybe, what we’ve been waiting for is hope and peace of mind.
All in all, ‘Waiting’ is a solid and emotional first album from a band that clearly know how to say a lot with few words. I, for one, can’t WAIT to here more from them in the future…
T
