Whiteout. The moment when the sky and snow-covered earth merge at the horizon, and you no longer know where the land ends and nothingness begins. Or being lost in the thick fog that blurs everything, swallowing every shape.
This is how Isgaard has often felt in the past two and a half years since the release of her last album, "Naked," when confronted with the chaos of our current reality. And what could be more natural for a singer than to translate these emotions into music?
Together with her life and project partner Jens Lueck, Isgaard has written 13 pieces that make no compromises in both content and music. Somewhere between art-pop elements, intimate, folk-inspired acoustic parts, rock fragments, and string orchestra-based passages, Isgaard's multifaceted voice flies through the pieces, blending everything into a style entirely her own. At times vulnerably tender, at times powerful, she covers a broad spectrum of tones and sounds, ultimately even landing in the ethnic realm in "Tikdabra" – inspired by Alberto Vázquez Figueroa's novel "Tuareg."
All pieces are lovingly arranged and orchestrated with great detail, conveying pure emotion and inviting active listening. In addition to Jens Lueck, who, as in the past, can be heard on drums, keyboards, and as a backing vocalist, various studio musicians contributed to the album. Among them, many real string instruments were recorded in the studio.
The album's thematic centerpiece is the three-part title track "Whiteout," which tells the story of a young woman who begins reading a book that seemingly describes her life. At the same time, reality fades, and things she believed had a permanent place in her life cease to exist: figuratively speaking, the moment of "whiteout" in a person's life story. "You Didn't Fall" is a tribute to people like Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan, who, despite great threats and reprisals, are committed to women's education in fundamentalist Islamic countries.
Another central role is played by the influence of art on our lives and nature as a place of refuge and calm in a world that is at a crossroads.
01 Prologue
02 No Man's Land
03 Shine On
04 You Didn't Fall
05 Silent Stranger
06 Tikdabra
07 Silva
08 Fly Away
09 Into The Great Wide Open
10 Whiteout Part 1 The Book
11 Whiteout Part 2 Shifting World
12 Whiteout Part 3 Whiteout
13 Shine On (Reprise)
