BUKVE is the solo project of Norway-based songwriter Sveinung Fossan Bukve. His recently released debut album, “What is Understanding,” is a complete musical odyssey, rich in sounds, and it offers a serene, soulful, and heartfelt journey through a variety of musical landscapes.
The album begins with the laid-back and relaxing song, “Alive,” which is as eerie as a summer afternoon, where its smooth and Thom Yorke-esque sounds are reminiscent of Radiohead. “Do You Believe,” a more electronic-oriented track, brings a pregnant pause to the album. The first quarter of the album sees a decrease in intensity but hints at a palpable acceptance of the adversity of change, especially evident in the third track, “Empty Words.”
The fourth piece, “Gonna Get It,” shifts the tone dramatically, moving from mellow sounds to more dynamic avenues, as if the artist is finally taking a leap of faith. The same boldness is present in “Let Me Go Son,” a warm, wisdom-filled song about the connection to our fathers.
BUKVE reaches a climax mid-album with the track “Worlds Apart,” a subtle yet gritty song that is highly energetic and illustrative of the entire album. It could easily pass as its anthem.
An intermission is represented by the seventh all-instrumental track, “My Sea, My Roller Coaster.” This track changes the sound once more, bringing listeners back on the boat and preparing them for the final, good-winded yet ill-omened voyage towards the end of the album. This unexpected divergence is quickly perceived with “Drown,” another vibrant song similar to the second track, yet a bit hazier, reminiscent of Scandinavian ’90s angst.
My favorite piece is “Spell of a Goon,” an unexpectedly dual track where light and dark fight for territory. Its sound is very similar to Röyksopp. This duality is also present in the muffled, brooding synth sounds of “What is Understanding,” the album’s title track, which meets you before the finale with a rhetorical question and a reflective message of blame.
Back on the indie plane, listeners can find comfort in “Please Live,” a song synonymous with promise. The album ends gracefully with “Buy Butterflies,” the musical version of a goodbye.
Overall, BUKVE’s debut album is the result of visibly diligent and long-term effort, with each piece being the musical representation of perhaps a life event. Like a careful collector, the artist has transcribed these events into sounds, labeled them, and filed them in this clean and personally cherished folder.
I highly recommend this album; it’s like a salty breeze in the afternoon on a rocky shore.
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Listen to ‘What is understanding‘ on Spotify
