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One of Norway's most popular artists -- predictably (and unjustly) obscure in the rest of the world -- Bertine Zetlitz gets a well-deserved career retrospective in this consistently excellent collection that compiles all of her singles to date. In My Mind, which arrived during a performing hiatus following the birth of her first child, is somewhat inexplicably titled after a good but unexceptional ballad from her debut, which is not included here -- a more appropriate title might have been "Twisted Little Star," which apart from being possibly the most gorgeous song she's ever written is also an apt description of her perverse, cryptic lyrical tendencies. The non-chronological sequencing, though it doesn't necessarily make for a more effective listening experience than any given randomly selected order of these tracks, does commendably emphasize the cohesion and continuity of her body of work rather than the discernible but relatively incidental changes in her sound. Ten years is quite a long time in electronic dance music, and it's impressive that these selections, which span the late '90s to the late '00s, hang together as well as they do. Crucially, they strike an elegant balance between (often retro-inspired) trendiness and a distinct, sophisticated sonic identity (involving, notably, a blend of electronic and organic instrumentation), along with Zetlitz's consistently strong songwriting. Her 1998 debut, Morbid Latenight Show (the only one of her five albums to be released in the U.S., under the far less distinctive name Bertine), is well represented by four tracks of jazzy lounge-pop which have aged reasonably well (particularly the straightforward club cut "Getting Out,") while the more complex, decidedly darker albums Beautiful So Far and Sweet Injections yield three cuts apiece -- several trip-hop-inflected gems and twisted dance-pop nuggets, and the lovely ballad "Fate" (presented in the fuller, more radio-friendly Disclab version.) If there's any quibble to had with the selection, it's that the two fantastic albums Zetlitz made with Fred Ball (aka Pleasure), 2004's Rollerskating and 2006's My Italian Greyhound, are shortchanged, with only two tracks apiece. Admittedly, these songs -- Zetlitz's four highest-charting Norwegian singles except for the Richard X-produced "Girl Like You" -- were the only singles released from each of these albums, but it's a shame the rules couldn't have been fudged to allow such top-notch album tracks as Greyhound's "Obsession" and "Draggin' Me Down," or Rollerskating's breathtaking ballads "Broken" and "If You Were Mine." Zetlitz was on a tremendous roll in the years leading up to this compilation, and that's reflected in two new songs (perhaps modestly slotted at the end of the track list) which, in contradiction to typical wisdom about these things, are as strong as anything else on the disc: the unsettling, melodically ethereal "Ashamed," which sets the fears and anxieties of motherhood to a slinky electro groove, and the artlessly bittersweet, resigned ballad "Bubble Bursts." Unlike fellow Scandinavian pop trailblazers Robyn and Annie, who have at least made some inroads towards international awareness, Bertine remains a virtual unknown outside of Europe, but her work is every bit as inventive, idiosyncratic, personable, accomplished, and worth seeking out -- this compilation makes for an ideal place to start.
© K. Ross Hoffman /TiVo
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Richard x, Composer, Producer, Musician - Morten Lund, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Lee Ormsby, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2003 The Copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Tore Johansson, Producer, Musician - Bjørn Engelmann, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Richard Lowe, Mixer - Jorn Dahl, Production - Stefan Kvarnström, Editor, Programmer, Loops, Musician - Patrik Bartosch, Editor, Programmer, Loops, Musician - Rasmus Kihlberg, Drums, Percussion - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - John Kreutzer, Mixer, Production
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2001 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Adrian Newton, Engineer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Kwame Ogoo, Vocals
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2004 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norway
Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Julian Briottet, Mixer, Engineer, Recorder - Jan Bang, Producer, Arranger, Programmer
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 1997 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Magnus Fiennes, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Beats, Engineer, Recorder, Synthesizer, Miscellaneous - Yoad Nevo, Mixer, Beats, Synthesizer, Miscellaneous - Ric Featherstone, Beats, Engineer, Recorder, Synthesizer, Miscellaneous - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, Synthesizer, MainArtist - Rob Haggett, Engineer - Andrew Cronshaw, Zither
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2002 Parlophone Music Norway AS
Ted Jensen, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Stephen Fitzmaurice, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, MainArtist - Bastian Juel, Bass Guitar, Bass - Jon Marius Åreskjold, Engineer, Recorder
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2006 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Tore Johansson, Producer, Mixer, Musician - Bjørn Engelmann, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Stefan Kvarnström, Editor, Programmer, Loops, Musician - Patrik Bartosch, Arranger, Editor, Programmer, Strings, Loops, Musician - Rasmus Kihlberg, Drums, Percussion - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Susanne Holmström, Strings
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2001 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Arnulf Lindner, Bass - Adrian Newton, Engineer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Nick Yeatman, Drums - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2005 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norway
Espen Berg, Programmer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Hans Olav Grøttheim, Mixer - Jan Bang, Producer, Arranger, Programmer - Ken Theodorsen, Engineer
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 1997 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Tore Johansson, Producer, Mixer, Arranger, Strings, Musician - Bjørn Engelmann, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Stefan Kvarnström, Editor, Programmer, Loops, Musician - Patrik Bartosch, Editor, Programmer, Loops, Musician - Rasmus Kihlberg, Drums, Percussion - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Susanne Holmström, Strings
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2001 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Espen Berg, Mixer, Engineer, Programmer, Recorder - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Lyricist, Vocals, MainArtist - Jan Bang, Composer, Producer, Arranger, Programmer, Vocals - Morten Bergendahl, Composer - Nikolaj Knutøe, Composer - Gaute Grimehaug, Composer - Guiseppe Panzella, Composer - Vidar Ersfjord, Organ
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 1998 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Ted Jensen, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Bastian, Bass - Stephen Fitzmaurice, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, MainArtist - George Apsion, Engineer, Recorder - Kwame Ogoo, Vocals - Felix Hopkins, Drums, Programmer
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2006 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Magnus Fiennes, Producer, Mixer, Beats, Engineer, Recorder, Synthesizer, Miscellaneous - Guy Pratt, Bass - Yoad Nevo, Mixer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Rob Haggett, Engineer - Rick Featherstone, Beats, Engineer, Recorder, Synthesizer, Miscellaneous - Peter Coyte, Beats, Synthesizer, Miscellaneous - Graham Kerns, Guitar
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2003 The Copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Espen Berg, Engineer, Recorder - Bang, Composer - Bertine Zetlitz, Vocals, MainArtist - Hans Olav Grøttheim, Programmer - Julian Briottet, Mixer, Programmer - Jan Bang, Producer, Arranger, Programmer - Zetlitz, Composer - Bjorn Charles Dreyer, Guitar - Ken Theodorsen, Engineer, Recorder - Sergio Gonzales, Percussion
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 1997 Parlophone Music Norway AS
Guy Davie, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Richard Lowe, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Eigil G. Berntsen, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Programmer, Recorder - Cal Hovind, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Programmer, Recorder - Syver Frøislie, Engineer, Recorder - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Lyricist, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2007 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Bernt Rune Stray, Guitar - Espen Berg, Mixer - Morten Lund, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Eigil G. Berntsen, Producer, Engineer, Programmer, Recorder - Cal Hovind, Producer, Engineer, Programmer, Recorder - Syver Frøislie, Engineer, Recorder - Ole Morten Vågan, Bass - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Lyricist, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2007 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
DISC 2
Chris Sansom, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Erik Holm, Producer, Percussion - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Ole Morten Vågan, Double Bass - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Kjartan Meinseth, Engineer, Recorder - Thom Hell, Producer, Guitar - Anders Aarum, Piano - Trond Trudvang, Guitar
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2006 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Barry Gibb, Composer - Robin Gibb, Composer - Maurice Gibb, Composer - Chris Sansom, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Erik Holm, Producer, Percussion - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Ole Morten Vågan, Double Bass - Bertine Zetlitz, Vocals, MainArtist - Kjartan Meinseth, Engineer, Recorder - Thom Hell, Guitar, FeaturedArtist - Anders Aarum, Piano - Trond Trudvang, Guitar
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2006 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Espen Berg, Editor, Engineer, Recorder - Bang, Composer - Bertine Zetlitz, Vocals, MainArtist - Hans Olav Grøttheim, Programmer - Erot, Mixer, Remixer - Julian Briottet, Mixer, Programmer - Jan Bang, Producer, Arranger, Programmer - Zetlitz, Composer - Bjorn Charles Dreyer, Guitar - Ken Theodorsen, Engineer, Recorder - Sergio Gonzales, Percussion - Olle Abstract, Editor
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS 1998 ℗ 1997 The Copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norsk A/S
Espen Berg, Programmer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, MainArtist - Hans Olav Grøttheim, Mixer - Jan Bang, Producer, Arranger, Programmer - Bjorn Torske, Mixer, Remixer - Ken Theodorsen, Engineer
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 1998 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Arnulf Lindner, Bass - Adrian Newton, Engineer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Nick Yeatman, Drums - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2005 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norway
Tommy Tee, Mixer, Remixer, Re-Producer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Julian Briottet, Mixer, Engineer, Recorder - Jan Bang, Producer, Arranger, Programmer
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 1997 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Adrian Newton, Engineer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Kwame Ogoo, Vocals
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS 2005 ℗ 2004 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norway
Morten Lund, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Kristoffer Sonne, Drums - Dyre Gormsen, Engineer, Recorder - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, MainArtist - Bastian Juel, Bass Guitar, Bass - George Apsion, Engineer, Recorder - Bjorn Kaarud, Mixer, Remixer - John Moss, Mixer, Remixer
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS 2007 ℗ 2006 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Music Norway AS
Arnulf Lindner, Bass - Adrian Newton, Engineer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Nick Yeatman, Drums - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2005 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norway
Arnulf Lindner, Bass - Adrian Newton, Engineer - Leo Abrahams, Guitar - Fred Ball, Composer, Producer - Espen Berg at The Living Room, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Nick Yeatman, Drums - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ken Ring, Producer, Vocals
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2005 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Norway
Richard x, Composer, Producer, Musician - Morten Lund, Masterer, MasteringEngineer - Lee Ormsby, Mixer, Engineer & Mixer - Bertine Zetlitz, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2002 Parlophone Music Norway AS
Album review
One of Norway's most popular artists -- predictably (and unjustly) obscure in the rest of the world -- Bertine Zetlitz gets a well-deserved career retrospective in this consistently excellent collection that compiles all of her singles to date. In My Mind, which arrived during a performing hiatus following the birth of her first child, is somewhat inexplicably titled after a good but unexceptional ballad from her debut, which is not included here -- a more appropriate title might have been "Twisted Little Star," which apart from being possibly the most gorgeous song she's ever written is also an apt description of her perverse, cryptic lyrical tendencies. The non-chronological sequencing, though it doesn't necessarily make for a more effective listening experience than any given randomly selected order of these tracks, does commendably emphasize the cohesion and continuity of her body of work rather than the discernible but relatively incidental changes in her sound. Ten years is quite a long time in electronic dance music, and it's impressive that these selections, which span the late '90s to the late '00s, hang together as well as they do. Crucially, they strike an elegant balance between (often retro-inspired) trendiness and a distinct, sophisticated sonic identity (involving, notably, a blend of electronic and organic instrumentation), along with Zetlitz's consistently strong songwriting. Her 1998 debut, Morbid Latenight Show (the only one of her five albums to be released in the U.S., under the far less distinctive name Bertine), is well represented by four tracks of jazzy lounge-pop which have aged reasonably well (particularly the straightforward club cut "Getting Out,") while the more complex, decidedly darker albums Beautiful So Far and Sweet Injections yield three cuts apiece -- several trip-hop-inflected gems and twisted dance-pop nuggets, and the lovely ballad "Fate" (presented in the fuller, more radio-friendly Disclab version.) If there's any quibble to had with the selection, it's that the two fantastic albums Zetlitz made with Fred Ball (aka Pleasure), 2004's Rollerskating and 2006's My Italian Greyhound, are shortchanged, with only two tracks apiece. Admittedly, these songs -- Zetlitz's four highest-charting Norwegian singles except for the Richard X-produced "Girl Like You" -- were the only singles released from each of these albums, but it's a shame the rules couldn't have been fudged to allow such top-notch album tracks as Greyhound's "Obsession" and "Draggin' Me Down," or Rollerskating's breathtaking ballads "Broken" and "If You Were Mine." Zetlitz was on a tremendous roll in the years leading up to this compilation, and that's reflected in two new songs (perhaps modestly slotted at the end of the track list) which, in contradiction to typical wisdom about these things, are as strong as anything else on the disc: the unsettling, melodically ethereal "Ashamed," which sets the fears and anxieties of motherhood to a slinky electro groove, and the artlessly bittersweet, resigned ballad "Bubble Bursts." Unlike fellow Scandinavian pop trailblazers Robyn and Annie, who have at least made some inroads towards international awareness, Bertine remains a virtual unknown outside of Europe, but her work is every bit as inventive, idiosyncratic, personable, accomplished, and worth seeking out -- this compilation makes for an ideal place to start.
© K. Ross Hoffman /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 27 track(s)
- Total length: 02:04:51
- Main artists: Bertine Zetlitz
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Parlophone Norway
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS This Labelcopy information is the subject of Copyright Protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2007 Parlophone Music Norway AS ℗ 2007 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Parlophone Music Norway AS
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