Thomas Dybdahl All These Things 180g LP

Written and recorded in LA in June 2017, All These Things is the 2018 release from Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl. The album features a stellar cast of musicians with a discography long enough to fill an encyclopedia, as producer Larry Klein brought in the absolute best to fit theses nine new songs. James Gadson (drums), Dean Parks (guitars), Patrick Warren (keys), Dan Lutz (bass), Brian MacLeod (drums) and David Baerwald (guitar) comprise the main band on the record. "Not everyone has the privilege of going into the studio with legends like these and call it going to work," noted Dybdahl. "I had to pinch myself every now and then and tell myself to be in the moment and to enjoy".

In addition to the main band, Thomas is also joined by one of the brightest new stars on the Americana/folk scene, Lera Lynn, for the duet "When I Go". ''Ever since her enigmatic and super moody performances in the dive bar scenes in True Detective I have been a fan," said Dybdahl. "Working with her was a treat, what a singer and songwriter she is!'' The crisp production, super-tight playing and dreamy vocals make this an album of pure class and quality.

Thomas Dybdahl is a pop star in his home country and has released a string of radio hits and #1 albums there. He's been referred to as "Norway's answer to Nick Drake" (NME), praised by Elvis Costello, compared to Bon Iver by the NY Times and profiled by the LA Times. The NY Times has said that "each song has the delicate suspense of a drawn breath," and the Washington Post deemed him "one of the best singers of the last 10 years."

The music is quintessential Los Angeles. Its sound exists at the crossroads where David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name and Tim Buckley's Blue Afternoon meet. As evidenced by the downbeat opening title track, the vibe is loose and sultry; bluesy electric guitars, a shuffling nocturnal beat, slippery dub effects, celeste, and organ wind snake-like around Dybdahl's bedroom vocals. The lyrics feel immediate, as if being created in the moment they are sung. Near the end, the guitars claim the center, ratcheting up the intensity just behind the drums and B-3 before it all fades... As a rule, Dybdahl doesn't write trite songs. Teamed with Klein and these players on All These Things, his material approaches the sublime.