While I Was Asleep (2018)
Release: February 16th, 2018
Produced by Darling West (Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
Co-produced by Bård Ingebrigtsen
Recorded in AmperTone Studio.
Mixed by Marcus Forsgren in Studio Paradiso
Mastered by Espen Høydalsvik
The trios third LP showcases their mastery of roots forms, from the austere folk of Gillian Welch to the primary-colored folk-pop of Allison Krauss
— Uncut
Lyrics and credits
-
When I am gone
Bury my bones
Deep in the ground
Pray I will find
Some peace of mind
After my time
You ask who I am
I was just like you
Living day by day
That used to be true
Now it’s time to go
And I ain’t coming back
I can see despair in your eyes
But please don’t turn away
Driven away
My brother and I
broken by war
I had to watch him die
I have seen it all
And here’s what I’ve got to say
I can see the hope in your eyes
So please don’t turn away
Sit for a while
Make me feel safe
Let us pretend
That there is a place
Far away from here
and this is not the end
I can see the tears in your eyes
But please don’t turn away
(Tor Egil Kreken)Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Guitar: Kjetil Steensnæs
Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Bass, banjo and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
Mellotron: Kåre Vestrheim -
Fled the house, where it all began
Left a blazing fire and away I ran
Scars might heal, but I’ve got no time to wait
Just make it rain, before it is too late
Met a man, claimed he knew the way
I said who is leading, and who’s gone astray
He just smiled and told me what was right
I might be blind, I didn’t see the light
I’ve got nothing in my pockets, I have paid all my dues
I’ve got blisters on my toes from the holes in my shoes
I’ve got no one to love, but I’ve got friends left to lose
And the train keeps rolling on
I will try to make it to the end
Could there be a way, still, for my soul to mend
I have felt the power of the few
Feeding my guilt, deciding what is true
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)
Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Guitar and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
Electric guitar: Kjetil Steensnæs
Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Harmonies: Stine Andreassen, Live Miranda Solberg, Thomas Gallatin, Kjetil Steensnæs, Tor Egil Kreken og Mari Sandvær Kreken
Synth: David Wallumrød -
If this is what loneliness feels like
I’ve never been lonely before
Those letters you so eloquently turned into words
And left for me one morning on a note by the door
If this is what loneliness feels like
I’ve never been lonely before
If this is what heartbreak feels like
I’ve never been broken before
The world that collapsed when you killed our romance
And unlike Rome built back up in a day when you said there was a chance
If this is what heartbreak feels like
I’ve never been broken before
You had me guessing, and I thought I had won
But I was getting, getting it wrong cause in your mind you are already gone
If this is what weariness feels like
I’ve never been weary before
Those hours by the phone spent waiting for your call
While my mind was racing and my thoughts were at war
If this is what weariness feels like
I’ve never been weary before
If this is what loneliness feels like
I’ve never been lonely before
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)
Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Electric guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Pedal steel og 12-strings: Kjetil Steensnæs
Bass, banjo, backing vokal: Tor Egil Kreken
Backing vokal: Malin Pettersen -
I knew a boy, he was older than me
He could jump any creek, he could climb any tree
He taught me a lot about breaking the rules
And he told me a man can be wise or he can be a fool
Wanting it all
Will be your downfall
Always in the wrong place
What you’re chasing is not there to be found
When I turned eighteen and I went to sea
I forgot about fools and I thought I was free
Ten years went by and you know how it goes
I was seeking a fortune and running when love got too close
Wanting it all
Will be my downfall
Always in the wrong place
What I’m chasing is not there to be found
I was a fool for not bearing in mind
What he said once, that boy who was older than I
Better than gold is the time that you spend
Jumping creeks, climbing trees and then breaking some rules with a friend
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs
Bass: Tor Egil Kreken
Wurlitzer: David Wallumrød
Harmonies: Malin Pettersen, Tor Egil Kreken og Mari Sandvær Kreken -
The jukebox is playing that old song you used to like
Something about love and how everything will be alright
I find it hard to believe that you could understand
What they were singing ‘bout, you only hear the band
When you’re eastbound
You know where I’m found
I am the one who’s always around
I’m by the bar, they never fixed that broken chair
Can’t even recall why you sent it flying through the air
I have got time for one more drink before I go
Unlike the good old times, tonight I’ll drink it slow
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs
Bass and electric guitar: Tor Egil Kreken -
You came along and swept me away
Like a hurricane in the month of May
Tender words and a touch so light
gentle as the rain on a summer night
Oh-me-oh-my
Oh, have mercy
While I was asleep, you turned and walked away
It was only a dream, but now I fear you won’t stay
Wearing my heart on my sleave
Picturing it breaking as you leave
You came along and swept me away
I can only hope you won’t lead me astray
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Bass, banjo, vocals: Tor Egil Kreken
Pedal steel and guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs -
I am a traveller moving between towns I do not know
They do not keep me long or keep me warm, I don’t mind though
Sleeping on a floor of crumbled glass
Remaining pieces of my broken past
I said my farewell
And I left you standing as I fell
The road back to you
Is taking me a lifetime
The love you gave me could have saved me, so why did I let go
The fear of flying, fear of trying, fear of dying too slow
Wondering why I didn’t take the chance
The night you offered me that second dance
To have and to hold
Is a choice, so I’ve been told
If I only knew
Back when it was me and you
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Guitar and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
Pedal steel: Kjetil Steensnæs
Strings: Mari Persen -
My story is true, though I’ve not been in chains
Today I’ll be free, for I have been slain
Twenty long years in these mountains I’ve roamed
Calling them mother, church and home
Seeing a wrong that I wanted to right
I ended a life and ran in the night
Finding no peace, just a bed made of stone
Longing for mother, church and home
Early in springtime, still snow on the ground
I went to a hill above my old town
Spotting a man that I once used to know
Courting my lover, church and home
Then one day
A bullet came my way
Shot down cold
Never to grow old
Will they all weep when they hear I am dead
Or will they salute my killer instead
I know I’ll rest when they lower me down
Close to my mother, church and home
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Drums: Thomas Gallatin
guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs
Bass: Tor Egil Kreken
Piano: David Wallumrød
Harmonies: Stine Andreassen, Live Miranda Solberg, Thomas Gallatin, Kjetil Steensnæs, Tor Egil Kreken og Mari Sandvær Kreken -
Don’t I know you, you know I do
Still you seem to take me for a fool
Don’t I know you, you know I do
But there you go, playing it cool
You keep telling me everything is alright
I can see there’s a battle raging inside that you won’t fight
Stacking all of your troubles into a pile
You ain’t keeping your head above water, you’re going down in style
You try stalling for time but there is no way
All the things on your mind will magically fade and go away
Handling most of the weight of the burden you bear
Still you can’t hide it from me, how long can you fake that you don’t care
This is me calling the bluff about the state that you’re in
I can’t watch it no more, as the fever is burning through your skin
Finally you reveal what was pulling you down
I’m not saying it won’t be hard, but we’ll turn this thing around
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Drums: Thomas Gallatin
Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Electric guitar: Kjetil Steensnæs
Bass and vocals: Tor Egil Kreken
Synth: David Wallumrød -
How I wish for a voice so strong
To keep a promise made when I was young
How I wish I knew how to begin
and dare to stand my ground when things get grim
Oh darling, let’s keep trying
Don’t give up the fight
Oh darling, don’t stop dreaming
Things will be alright
How I wish for another try
At joining hands instead of asking why
How I wish there was a way
To paint in colors and rid of all this grey
(Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
Banjo and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
Guitar and vocal: Kjetil Steensnæs
Darling West experienced a spectacular breakthrough in their musical career after the release of their second album, «Vinyl and a Heartache» in 2016. They were awarded a Norwegian Spellemann award (equivalent of Grammy), listed on Norway’s biggest radio channels and appeared on the Top 100 Country charts in the US. They have played shows all over the world – among the highlights are several of Norway’s biggest festivals, SXSW in Texas, Americanafest in Nashville, Folk Alliance in Kansas City, a tour with Sam Outlaw and a support slot for Lucinda Williams. Those are many highlights. They have also had several million plays on Spotify, appearing in several influential playlists.
Always ambitious and restless, the band didn’t rest on their acquired laurels. Contrarily, they headed straight into the studio to record the follow-up to «Vinyl and a Heartache». Darling West’s third album, the self-produced «While I Was Asleep», contained ten new songs, and was released worldwide February 16th, 2018.
Although they have added drums, the band stays true to their sound and still plays the sweet americana/country/folk they are known for. Moreover, the new album demonstrates a revitalized Darling West, with more drive in the music and even catchier melodies than before – who would have thought that was even possible?
Darling West’s career continues to be on the up, and 2018 promises to be their biggest year so far. Preceding the album release is a visit to the Eurosonic music festival in the Netherlands and the release of the album’s fourth single, «Loneliness». A visit to Folk Alliance in Kansas City coincided with the album release date, and provided a fitting arena for the launch of «While I Was Asleep». So far the album has received raving reviews from Uncut Magazine, Greil Marcus in Village Voice Classic Rock Magazine, Folk Radio UK, Belwood Music, Americana Highways and many more.