''The Silicone Veil'' is the third studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør, released on 23 March 2012 in Norway and on 15 October in the United Kingdom. It is her first album to be released in the UK. The album was recorded at Pooka Studio and Kikitépe Tearoom Studio. Three singles were released from the album, "White Foxes", "The Silicone Veil" and "Among Us". The video for "Among Us" was directed by Evan McNary and was premiered on ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

''s Noisey. Sundfør chose the video as part of a competition by Genero.tv for fans to make a video for the single.

Composition

Characterized primarily as

electro-folk Folktronica is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments – especially stringed instruments – and incorporating hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, althoug ...

, ''The Silicone Veil'' has also been classified as a mixture of

baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, and

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' said the album is "a flawless distillation of dreamy

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

, imposing Scandinavian

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

and showy

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

classicism." '' The Ontarion'' wrote, "Sundfør displays an extensive vocal range – from high warbling pitches to quietly provocative tones – but it is the presence of a deeply entrancing and eclectic array of unique electronic and orchestra generated sounds which makes this sensory experience truly worthwhile." Sundfør described the songs on ''The Silicone Veil'' as being a reflection of "apocalypse, death, love and snow."

Critical reception

The album received critical acclaim from music critics. In his rave review of the album, Daniel Paton of ''

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'' praised Sundfør for not being afraid to explore "both her lyrical and musical preoccupations to challenging and sometimes uncomfortable depths," stating that "''The Silicone Veil'' is every bit as magisterial and conceptually loaded as her previous album of songs. ..Selecting examples and highlights can hardly begin to offer an impression of the boldness and confidence of this wonderful album. Sundfør's combination of careful, detailed arrangement and unrepentant magic realism is visionary and enriching." Sputnikmusic's Nick Butler said "while her voice feels like the album's main strength on first listen, it doesn't take long to appreciate how good the music is here. The mood is consistent, wistful and pretty, but the sound touches on all sorts of bases," while later hailing the album for being "carefully orchestrated, beautiful sung, and imaginatively written." ''The Line of Best Fit'' critic Michael James Hall wrote, "this is an album of spectral, elemental romance and intrigue, playfully but precisely woven into a tremulous tapestry of seemingly ever-oscillating sound." In 2015, '' The Ontarion'' awarded the album their "Album of the Week" accolade, stating: "While the 29-year-old Norwegian artist released her fifth studio album '' Ten Love Songs'' earlier this year, ''The Silicone Veil'' is one album that definitely calls for (repeated) revisiting." ''

'' included the album in their "50 amazing albums you've never heard" list in August 2017, calling it Sundfør's finest work to date.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''The Silicone Veil''.

Locations

* Recorded at Pooka Studio and Kikitépe Tearoom Studio * Strings recorded at Øra Studio * Mixed at Duper Studio * Mixed at The Best Studio in Oslo * Mastered at Cutting Room Studios

Personnel

* Susanne Sundfør – vocals, production, arrangements, piano, synthesizers, Fender Rhodes Electric Suitcase piano, synth bass, vibraphone, autoharp, drum programming, string arrangements, recording *

Lars Horntveth Lars Horntveth (born 10 March 1980 in Tønsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (saxophones, clarinet, percussion and guitar), band leader, and composer. He is the younger brother of tubaist Line Horntveth, but best known as a key member of the ...

– production, arrangements, bass guitar, synthesizers, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, vibraphone, tubular bells, synth bass, church organ, piano, drum programming, string arrangements, recording *

Gard Nilssen Gard Nilssen (born 24 June 1983 in Skien, Norway) is a Norwegian Jazz musician ( drums) and composer, and member of the bands Bushman's Revenge and Puma. Career Nilssen was educated on the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (20 ...

– drums, percussion *

Jørgen Træen Jørgen Træen also known by his stage name Sir Dupermann (born 15 April 1973) is a Norwegians, Norwegian record producer, musician (guitar, keyboards and bass guitar) and electronica artist from Bergen. He is best known for his work as a music p ...

– additional drum programming and editing, electronics, mixing *

Øystein Moen Øystein Moen (born 16 August 1980) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer known for his participation in the bands Jaga Jazzist and Puma. Career Moen was born in Steinkjer, and studied music on the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonsevator ...

– synth bass , church organ * Erik Johannessen – trombone *

Line Horntveth Line Horntveth (born 26 November 1974 in Tønsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (tuba, flute percussion, and vocals), the sister of the musicians Martin and Lars Horntveth, married to the upright bassist Bjørn Holm, and known from a series ...

– tuba * Sunniva Rødland Wettre – harp * Rolf Hoff Baltzersen – contrabass * Stian Westerhus – electronics , mixing * Jo Ranheim – strings recordings * Björn Engelmann – mastering * MVM – artwork ;TrondheimSolistene * Anders Larsen – violin * Anna Adolfsson Vestad – violin * Daniel Turcina – violin * Erling Skaufel – violin * Fride Bakken Johansen – violin * Hilde Gimse – violin * Ingrid Wisur – violin * Karl Jonatan Lilja – violin * Tora Stølan Ness – violin * Bergmund Waal Skaslien – viola * Frøydis Tøsse – viola * Lars Marius Hølås – viola * Cecilie Koch – cello * Marit Aspås – cello * Tabita Berglund – cello

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silicone Veil 2012 albums EMI Records albums Susanne Sundfør albums