For almost a decade, Agnes Obel has been one of the most unique and genre-defying artists in contemporary music. Today, Obel has released Myopia, her highly-anticipated new album which is out now on Blue Note Records in the U.S. and Deutsche Grammophon in the rest of the world.
The official music video to accompany the album's opening track "Camera's Rolling" is also released today. Created by long-term collaborator and partner Alex Brüel Flagstad, and featuring the pair's dog Woody, the video accompanies the themes within the album and continuously follows on from the videos for the albums' previous singles "Island Of Doom" & "Broken Sleep."
Following the same principles as with her previous albums (Philharmonics, Aventine and Citizen Of Glass), which she completed as a one-woman project in her own Berlin home studio, Obel has been under self-imposed creative isolation with the removal of all outside influences and distraction in the writing, recording and mixing process. "The albums I've worked on have all required that I build a bubble of some kind in which everything becomes about the album."
"For me the production is intertwined with the lyrics and story behind the songs," says Obel. This is precisely what makes her music so compelling and the same is true with Myopia. "Paradoxically, for me I need to create my own myopia to make music." Obel was experimenting with techniques of recording processing, warping and pitching down vocals, strings, piano, celesta and lutheal piano, finding ways to melt these elements together to become one and twisting them in a way that you feel at home within the sound she conjures throughout the record.
Although Obel's music can often curate a monologue of modern-day dystopian-esque news stories that we are all now subject to, the contents of "Island Of Doom" are much more personal, as she explains: "The song is made up of pitched-down piano and cello pizzicato and vocals, all choirs are pitched down and up... In my experience when someone close to you dies it is simply impossible to comprehend that you can't ever talk to them or reach them somehow ever again. They are in many ways still alive because in your consciousness nothing has changed, they're still there with everyone else you know."
Agnes Obel will be playing shows across Europe and North America in 2020. More touring to be announced soon.
Feb 21: London, Rough Trade (In-Store Performance) SOLD OUT
Feb 24: Oslo, Sentrum Scene
Feb 25: Stockholm, Gota Lejon
Feb 26: Copenhagen, KB Hallen
Feb 27: Copenhagen, KB Hallen
Feb 29: Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria SOLD OUT
Mar 01: Mannheim, Capitol SOLD OUT
Mar 02: Hamburg, Laeiszhalle SOLD OUT
Mar 04: Vienna, Arena SOLD OUT
Mar 05: Zurich, Samsung Hall
Mar 06: Lausanne, Metropole SOLD OUT
Mar 09: Prague, Hybernia Theatre SOLD OUT
Mar 11: Groningen, Oosterpoort
Mar 12: Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg SOLD OUT
Mar 13: Tilburg, 013
Mar 15: Warsaw, Progresja SOLD OUT
Mar 16: Berlin, Admiralspalast SOLD OUT
Mar 17: Munich, St Matthaus Kirche SOLD OUT
Mar 19: Nantes, Cite Des Congres SOLD OUT
Mar 20: Paris, Seine Musicale SOLD OUT
Mar 21: Luxembourg, Den Atelier SOLD OUT
Mar 23: Brussels, Cirque Royal SOLD OUT
Mar 25: Bayonne, Theatre Quintaou SOLD OUT
Mar 26: Madrid, Teatro Lara SOLD OUT
Mar 27: Barcelona, Sala Barts
Mar 29: Dublin, Vicar Street SOLD OUT
Mar 31: Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
Apr 01: Edinburgh, Queens Hall
Apr 02: Glasgow, Academy
Apr 04: Whitley Bay, Playhouse SOLD OUT
Apr 05: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Apr 06: Birmingham, Symphony Hall
Apr 08: Salisbury, City Hall
Apr 09: London, Eventim Apollo
Apr 17: Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 19: Washington, DC, The Anthem (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 21: New York City, NY, Radio City Music Hall (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 22: New Brunswick, NJ, New Jersey State Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 23: Montreal, QC, Maison Symphonique
Apr 24: Boston, MA, Boch Center (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 26: Toronto, ON, Meridian Hall (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 28: Detroit, MI, Masonic Temple (with Dead Can Dance)
Apr 29: Chicago, IL, The Chicago Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)
May 01: Denver, CO, The Mission Ballroom (with Dead Can Dance)
May 03: Seattle, WA, Paramount Theatre (with Dead Can Dance) SOLD OUT
May 04: Vancouver, BC, Orpheum Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)
May 05: Portland, OR, Aladdin Theater
May 07: San Francisco, CA, The Masonic (with Dead Can Dance) SOLD OUT
May 08: Pioneertown, CA, Pappy & Harriet's
May 09: Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)
May 11: San Diego, CA, San Diego Civic Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)
May 12: Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl (with Dead Can Dance)
May 14: Mexico City, MX, Auditorio Nacional (with Dead Can Dance)
July 04: Werchter, Rock Werchter
July 25: Lyon, Nuits de Fourviere
July 29: Freiburg, Zelt Musik Festival
Aug 09: Amsterdam, Bostheater
Aug 20-23: Brecon Beacons, Green Man Festival
Aug 27: Gdansk, Stary Maneż
Aug 28: Warsaw, Palladium
Aug 29-30: Darmstadt, Golden Leaves Festival
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