Agnes Obel – 'The Meaning Of Flowers' review: warmer and more playful after six years
The Berlin-based Dane reflects on the birth of her daughter and texts by women poets such as Enheduanna. Beats Per Minute praises the blend of classical and pop.
Photo: frankieleon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Single video: YouTube · Agnes Obel · youtube.com
Single: The Meaning Of Flowers
Agnes Obel released 'The Meaning Of Flowers' on Deutsche Grammophon on 18 September, her first album since 'Myopia' six years ago. According to laut.de, the twelve pieces were inspired by the birth of her daughter and by the question of our connection to all living things; Obel drew on literature and poetry by women, including the Sumerian poet Enheduanna and Hannah Arendt. According to Beats Per Minute, 'Blood So Red' is based on a hymn by Enheduanna to the goddess Inanna. Guest musicians add strings and harp, and electronics play a bigger role than before.
Ljubinko Zivkovic gives the album 80 per cent at Beats Per Minute and calls it a masterful combination of classical and pop forms. Toni Hennig at laut.de hears warmer, friendlier tones than on her darker earlier records: Obel approaches a new, carefree direction 'with almost childlike curiosity'. The reorientation does bring 'some longueurs', for example in 'Deem Me Now' and 'Jenn's On The Way', but the rest of the material 'easily makes up for it'.
The video is the official visualizer for the title track 'The Meaning of Flowers' from Agnes Obel's YouTube channel.