Inland (2017)

“Raw, naked, Leif Vollebekk lays it all out like a modern day Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, or better yet Nick Drake. It’s doubtful Vollebekk will succumb to the same fate; there more hope in his music, a powerful thing that pulls the listener in.‘Inland’ is packed with the sound, from the pleasant instrumentation of “Northernmost Eva Maria” to the breathtaking “Don’t Go to Klaksvik”. With a soft shuffle in the brushed percussion and a low, rumbling piano, Vollebekk pours his soul into “Klaksvik” in a way so moving it’s unnerving. This is beyond folk-pop, beyond indie, beyond contemporary. ‘Inland’ is a masterpiece. In his mind, he’s accompanied the masters like Dylan and Ray Charles, who populate his record collection. On ‘Inland’ he does a viable job achieving what he hoped to — find a unique sound somewhere between Hank Williams and Sigur Ros. You can hear it as early as opener “In The Morning”. It’s strange and powerful, masterful and genius.‘Inland’ will take your breath away.” (Fensepost)