GISKE’s “The Sound of Birdsong”: A Hypnotic Nocturne from Norway’s Most Soulful Dream, Pop Storytellers

With the track “The Sound of Birdsong, ” the Norwegian trio GISKE created a song that seems like a transition from night to day. It is an atmosphere so real that one can almost feel the sea breeze coming from their island. GISKE is a band formed by the members of The Margarets, a well-known guitar-pop band from the 2000s, and once again GISKE shows its command over melody, mood, and the emotional atmosphere of the song. The band, with the help of guest vocalist Maria Due, embraces a contemporary and surreal setting, but at the same time, the warm and melodic traits of their previous work are recognizable.

The song “The Sound of Birdsong” from the very first gentle guitar strokes seems like a memory that is unfolding in slow motion. The vocals of Alex Rinde are very soft and close to the listener’s ear, as if in a dream, one’s subconscious is hearing it, and at the same time, the guitars that are shining and the very delicate percussion, take the listener through a very meditative cycle, just like the “endless summer night” referred to in the lyrics. The song is a mixture of British indie influences of the past with a calming Scandinavian touch; think of Nick Drake, The Smiths, and even Cocteau Twins, but all these references are transformed into something that is light and personal.

The song’s emotional honesty is probably its most compelling aspect. The song, which was penned during a time when Rinde and Berg kept meeting on their home island in order to quietly regain their songwriting chemistry, is very much like a heavy trunk of shared history, changes in the characters, and the emotional nostalgia of coming back to one’s roots. The music, which is the result of recording at Ocean Sound Studio, is done with great taste. The whole thing, from Simen Mæhlum’s very subtle drum playing to Åge Reite’s keyboard that is full of atmosphere, is like one perfect unit.

“The Sound of Birdsong” isn’t just a single by the band GISKE; it’s a very soft and small thing, a musical reflection of the uncertain emotional state that we all experience during the transition between sleeping and being awake, between memory and being present in the moment. GISKE are not trend followers; they are world builders. This world, however, is one that you would really want to stay in.