There are some pop outfits that reek of a desperation that’s almost tangible. Indie-popettes that, 5 years ago, would have been gyrating onstage at the MTV Awards in a pair of sequined tights and nipple tassels whilst lip-syncing to their latest hit (which all the kids know, thanks to a guest slot on Hannah Montana) are copping that, for the moment, indie-lite is where the money’s at. So our would-be songstresses are picking up their guitars and pimping their MySpace pages with ‘kooky’ pictures of Converse boots and neon cassette tapes to within an inch of their sparkle-font lives.
Mercifully, Ida Maria Sivertsen seems to know exactly what she is. She’s pop – pure pop. And pop can be a beautiful thing when it’s not desperately trying to be something cooler. Sure, there are some punky overtones on the likes of album opener ‘Oh My God’, but this seems to emerge from a genuine excitable nature rather than any conscious decision to invoke her inner Sid Vicious. On ‘Queen of the World’ she beseeches in a perplexingly joyous manner, “Dear God. Oh let me be young, Let me stay, please, Oh let me stay like this, ohhhh…”, and henceforth and so on. Ida apparently suffers from synaesthesia, a sensory condition that evokes one kind of sensation when a seemingly unrelated sense is stimulated; meaning that, theoretically, Ida can see colour when she hears music. Maybe this somewhat explains the barrage of bewildering emotion that is so apparent on the majority of Fortress Around My Heart.
On this, the re-release of her debut album, the original nine tracks are joined by three new songs. In sharp contrast to the heady rollercoaster of unhinged scuzz pop that makes up the initial release, the new additions see Ida channelling her emotions in a slightly more composed manner. The songs are essentially ballads, although they do avoid smacking of insincere sentimental mush thanks to Ida’s refreshingly raw voice that sound like she’s been on a strict diet of Marlboro Reds and whiskey for the best part of 20 years (yes, it’s a compliment). If you can get over Ida’s forced ‘zany’ attitude you will find yourself rewarded with an album that isn’t going to make Ida Maria the next Blondie, but is nevertheless fine, high-octane pop music.
