Jacob Bellens - My Heart Is Hungry and the Days Go by so Quickly (2020) [Hi-Res]

Entitled ‘My Heart Is Hungry And The Days Go By So Quickly’ Danish singer and songwriter Jacob Bellens presents his fifth solo album. Thanks to his unique voice and his talent for heartfelt melodies, over the years Jacob has become one of the most distinctive figures on the Scandinavian music scene. Slightly darker in tone than its predecessors ‘Trail Of Intuition’ (2018) or ‘Polyester Skin’ (2016), the new album lets us see the world through Jacob’s eyes.

Somewhere between left-field pop and a classical singer/songwriter approach, the songs were recorded in two sessions with producer Mads Brinch, drummer Tobias Laust, bass player Jonas Westergaard, keyboardist Malthe Rostrup and guitarist Tobias Fuglsang. “So many good friends and amazing instrumentalists have contributed to the sound“, explained Jacob. “And mostly, people were playing what they felt the song needed, which was an incredibly inspiring way of just letting the process develop naturally, and take on a life of its own.” As such, the recordings give off a distinct light-footed and organic feel.

Rich in metaphors, the lyrics deal with personal perceptions based on everyday life occurrences that at the same time hint at the meaning of life in general - or at least suggest a higher perspective. The sonical expression is timeless but also modernistic and the lyrical point of view is refreshingly diverse, never just black or white. The sad songs have uplifting, often surreal qualities, and the lighter, uptempo songs also invite to a certain darkness.

Interestingly, the new album includes a few songs that have been written quite a while ago. The opener ‘Enterprise’ for example, is a few years old. Jacob explains, “It is in many ways a typical song from that period of my life, loads of metaphors in the lyrics and lots of long chord progressions. It describes a feeling of walking away wounded from a recent emotional train wreckage, in this particular case the sudden death of my mother a couple of years earlier. I was fresh out of high school and was extremely confused about what was going to happen from thereon, like many are in that age. The idea of the song is sort of a daft look at the current state of affairs; recognizing a somewhat chaotic setting in my life at the time in general, while setting sail into an uncertain future. It’s a fever dream description of hope and seeing light ahead many years down the road, but written from a perspective where peace of mind, love and a slightly more stable, normal way of life is not yet an option. It’s a surreal youth rhapsody.”

Fortunately we don’t have to miss out on love songs, a métier that Jacob has a special talent for. Underlined by sitar sounds “Daylight was written many years ago a couple of years after meeting my girlfriend and is basically just a druggy song of affection for my woman,“ Jacob explains. “It describes the battle between dark and light. Between the person I would like to be in the future and the person I was at the time I wrote it. It’s a very classic topic for me I think. This is basically a promise from me to her that I will ride it out.“

Comprised of nine excellent songs and (different from its predecessors), recorded in a band-setup - the new album is an exciting rollercoaster ride through the universe of an exceptional singer and songwriter. It’s made to make you dance, to sing along and at times to make you think, always with an encouraging undertone. A flower basket full of difficult emotions, sprinkled with magical fairy dust that somehow makes everything worthwhile.