Earlier in August, we had a listen to Carl Espen’s new single “Holding On”. Although the song touches on a torturous breakup, it departs swiftly and surely from his Eurovision entry. He’s upped the tempo and gone slightly more pop. Drums and keyboards define the ambiance, which is perhaps best described as easy listening rock with a flash of lounge.
Now the Norwegian Meatloaf has us listening again, thanks to the release of his official music video.
The song retains Carl’s signature melancholy. In the video Espen sports black on black, reflecting the seriousness of his message. Some might say he needs to emote a bit more, but this stoicism actually works well with the video. Then again, maybe the lack of expressions is down to his shyness, which he confirmed on camera to us during a recent video interview. Much of the video was shot on a bridge over Oslo central station. The video intersperses movement and the bustle of city life with lone shots of Espen in a seemingly reflective mood.
“Holding On” is a good follow up, but the weak video doesn’t draw me in as much as I’d like.
Rating: 2.5/5
This is starting to sound like a Housewives of some American city-God knows where-reality show …throwing shade all over the place LOL Let’s put it all this way just to end this endless and unnecessary discussion: Carl is the type of artist some people will be able to relate to due to his song repertoire and singing … All the pop crap these days where it’s always questionable whether these young chicks and teen heartthrobs (and Canadian imature twinks) can actually sing live will always please people who seek nothing else but being entertained (maybe they have a very depressed… Read more »
@ David
I hope your son read you every word i wrote!!!
“Singers like Sanna Nielsen and the Common linnets also had ballads but they really owned the stage.. ” BOW HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. David I really wanted to follow your conflict with Charles till I realized that you are blind. Now stop reciting to your little son and leave him alone.Excuse me but… Read more »
@David: Unless you don’t mind being judged on your character by people who don’t know a thing about you, I like to keep my judgments on point by knowing everything as far as music is concerned good or bad … it’s the only honest way to judge anything by bothering to actually know things. Besides using names like Rihanna, Miley, Gaga or Britney or any successful crap these days is the only language most people today know and understand. If I want to survive in this mad world, I need to understand that language. Otherwise how am I supposed to… Read more »
Charles I don’t even know why you are even active on a Eurovision blog if that’s your standpoint on music.
@David: You wanna praise all the Gagas and Katies, Beyonces, Rihannas and playback-Britneys or Booty-Jlos out there doing all that impact thing you seem to be connected with … that’s up to you. If you seek “being impressed” with what happens on stage, again it’s up to you … But to praise the simplicity and authenticity of what Sanna Nielsen and The Common Linnets did in order to bash the vulnerability and humbleness of Carl … you can say whatever you want, but you are no longing judging music or even directing this conversation in any musical perspective. You just… Read more »
@David: You probably may need to have an artist begging for your attention on stage by performing in a way that will make you stare at him or her … I rather go for musicians and artists like Carl who do not need none of that crap to draw someone’s attention … all they need is to have the music speaking for itself. You may not know what that concept means but … let’s put it this way: no need to be dressed as a woman and having a beard to make a song stand out … the song itself… Read more »
I beg to differ with David. Out of all the Eurovision artists this year, Carl was the only one who game me goosebumps when he performed in Copenhagen, even though I had listened to the song countless times. He was simply perfect.
Judging a song based on a video is pathetic …. just show how we rely on our eyes when we totally neglect our ears … who cares what the video looks like, when the song is the centrepiece of it all, the real reason we should be focusing on? I get it this is just chinese for some of you … Carl is a good singer yes, therefore … no need to even be a great performer: singers like him mean on thing only – when you listen to him, listen to what he’s singing … and do not expect… Read more »