Theresa Andersson Issue #37

Hummingbird, Go! (Basin Street)

By Rebekah Meek
Published: September 1st, 2008 | 5:22pm

To understand Theresa Andersson’s music, you almost have to see her perform. Surrounded by a semi-circle of instruments, Andersson records a strike at a slide violin then moves over to the drums and quickly records a loop. She adds a vocal loop and then steps back to start playing the verse on her guitar, all the while switching up the previously recorded loops with her feet. Andersson is a modern one-woman band, and her debut full-length record, Hummingbird, Go! demonstrates that even though she’s playing all the instruments, it doesn’t have to have “one” sound.

The title track starts with an ethereal keyboard, which Andersson craftily created from rubbing the rims of wine glasses filled with different amounts of liquid and ends with haunting vocals trailing off into silence. On the other end of the genre spectrum, “Birds Fly Away” is tinged with all the conventions of a perfect pop-soul song — hand claps, “oooooh oooh” backing vocals, and an up-tempo drum beat. “Introducing the Kitchenettes” pulls of the sound of vintage R&B, and is immediately followed up by a “Hi-Low,” which sounds vaguely Hawaiian.

The influence of her Swedish roots and New Orleans home show up on this record as well; “Innan Du Gar” is a duet sung in Swedish with Norwegian singer, Ane Brun; while the latter influence appears both in Andersson’s musical styling and the appearance of Allen Toussiant on the bonus track “Now I Know.”

Overall, the record has a surreal storybook feel, taking the listener from one landscape to the next with carefully constructed transitions all the while still retaining the DIY sound that can only remain true when an artist is creating a record in their own kitchen complete with improvisational instruments and ceramic tile reverb. At a first listen, Hummingbird, Go! may not sound wholly unique, but with repeat plays, its authenticity and creativity both offer a breath of fresh air.

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