“I stopped thinking in terms of traditional songwriting. I worked on shapes, forms, and textures, scents and colors. Elements which are more earthy and organic inspired me.” - Theresa Andersson

Melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre; these are the traditional building blocks of pop music. Yet although you will find them in abundance on ‘Hummingbird, Go!’, the new album by Swedish born Theresa Andersson set to be released on September 2, 2008, hardly sounds like conventional pop.

That’s because the New Orleans singer-songwriter chose to approach her craft from different perspectives before she even began composing. Playing every instrument on the album with the help of a loop pedal, she took elements from her life and surroundings - her Swedish upbringing, New Orleans home, the locusts in her garden, the soda pop bottles in her kitchen - to create the uniquely beautiful tracks on ‘Hummingbird, Go!’.

Andersson’s kitchen-turned-recording-studio is just another quirky addition to her DIY approach. “The kitchen sounds amazing, it has wonderful, natural reverb,” Andersson explains. Even the room itself is audible, particularly on the vintage R&B of “Introducing the Kitchenettes.”

She recorded and, ultimately, finished the album in her kitchen creating sounds to match what she heard in her head. The vibraphone on “The Waltz” is actually soda pop bottles filled with varying amounts of liquid, while the slide guitar textures on “Hi-Low” were coaxed from her primary instrument, violin. Mouth percussion doubled for drums. A classical guitar, tuned down, stood in for conventional bass. With her toes turning knobs, as her hands strum guitar or bow a violin, and she sings with a charismatic smile that belies her intense concentration, Andersson’s performances are little masterpieces of functional choreography.

Download “Na Na Na (Empty Heart)” MP3

Andersson’s craft does not end with her music. While mixing the record in Sweden, Andersson also needle felted 1,500 individual CD jackets for the teaser EP “I the River.” “…that is something else I really brought into this record; I’m fascinated with textures, and love the feel and look of things. When you color wool, the final results depend on how you sort your natural colors to start. It’s the same in music.”

“Na Na Na” Video Streams:

Real Player
Quicktime
Windows Media

June 2008 US Tour Dates

(Dates subject to change)

6/12 Charlotte, NC @ Visualite Theatre
6/13 Baltimore, MD @ Chop Shop
6/14 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Upstairs
6/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
6/16 New York, NY @ Pianos
6/17 New York, NY @ Living Room
6/18 Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java
6/19 Charlottesville, VA @ Gravity Lounge

Basin Street Records

Theresa Andersson Official Website
Theresa Andersson MySpace