Suzanne Menzel – Goodbyes And Beginnings

A costly vinyl rarity until 2018 when Frederiksberg Records released a reissue, Goodbyes and Beginnings is a cult classic that sounds like the lovechild of 60’s folk and 80’s new age. A few songs in and you might think you are listening to a Celtic folk obscurity from the 60’s – then suddenly the use of electronics by Danish new age pioneer Klaus Schønning reveals the record’s actual timestamp: 1981. The album’s eclectic mixture of ambient, new age, synth-pop, and folk is tied together with an ornate, wintry feel, and the delicate, sweet voice of Danish singer-songwriter Suzanne Mendel, a voice as high, cheery, and maternal as Vashti Bunyan’s – the type of soothing, hospitable voice that makes you want to visit their cottage for a cup of tea. The avant-garde album was Menzel’s first and only album, self-funded and originally self-released, made possible by the boost of courage Schønning gave her.

– Lauren Fay Levy

Recommended – A5 I Feel It Starts Again, B6 The Advertising Song, A3 What A Winter’s Day