Rotem Geffen - The Night is the Night (2024)

The Night is The Night is the ambitious follow-up to singer, pianist and composer Rotem Geffen's seminal debut You Guard the Key. For this new recording she's been collaborating with producer Alex Zethson (keyboardist with Sven Wunder, Mariam the Believer, Goran Kajfes Tropiques, Angles 9, Fire! Orchestra) and co-producer/mixing engineer Anton Toorell (Dammit I'm Mad, Invader Ace), and together with some of Stockholm's finest musicians they've created an irresistible masterpiece.

The instrument setting varies, but the piano and voice form a common thread. However, on 'Ich vermisse dich,' the piano sound is abstracted by a felt-covered tone, while on 'River,' the spoken voice is intertwined with Hernandez's violin. 'I Always Know' stands out as the only song with a clear percussive rhythmic element, skillfully crafted by percussionist and sound artist Henrik Olsson. Unlike her debut album, this release prominently showcases the harmonium as a recurring instrument in its sound palette. Additionally, the album introduces the flute as a new element. Isak Hedtjarn, a longstanding collaborator with Rotem Geffen, expands beyond playing clarinet and bass clarinet. Notably, on 'I Beg,' Hedtjarn's flute and Leo Svensson Sander's cello elegantly spiral upwards, as if entwined in each other.

The lyrics, written in German, English and Hebrew, explore themes of memoring, love, grief, loss, and the night as a vibrating room. The "I" and the "You" are drawn as relational organisms, with boundaries that shift, blur and are redrawn in the encounter with each other. With a varied and dynamic instrumentation, the songs are imbued with a naive shimmer that is balanced by darkness, depth and a low-key intensity - in both lyrics and music. This work is certain to resonate with fans of artists such as Julee Cruise, Bjork, Nico, PJ Harvey and Fairuz, to name a few.

Tracklist
01 - The Night is the Night
02 - Tachzeri Elay
03 - River
04 - I Always Know
05 - Ich vermisse dich
06 - I’m Allowed to Love You
07 - I Beg
08 - Hide