MAOSE OF THE RISING SUN
CAT AND MAOSE: Those who made the effort to visit the VG Tent on Wednesday afternoon, though, sat there nursing cups of coffee that were far less medicinally soothing than what was taking place on the stage. For twenty five minutes Maose (as she likes to call herself) captivated her audience with a sublime collection of bewitching and unashamedly sentimental songs.
Asked to describe her shows she calls them “a moment of honesty” and, fittingly, she doesn’t seem to be lying. Asked to describe her music, however, she ‘s impressively modest.
“I don't want to describe it. I don't even think I could if I wanted to.
Usually when people ask I just say: I play the piano and sing.”
PUPPY LOVE: Maose was born in North Norway, from where her family originate, but moved down to the South when she was one “in a caravan” with “puppies being born under it”, or so her myspace page claims. She started writing songs when she was eleven and, nine years later, has registered 89 songs, of which almost half form a regular part of her set.
Currently unsigned, her recordings are restricted to (inevitably) MySpace which reveals that, on tape at least, she doesn’t limit herself to one instrument as she currently does on stage. Take A Photo, with its enigmatic refrain of “Will you have sushi with me?” (a t-shirt slogan waiting to happen) is adorned with accordion and what sounds like the haunting sound of plucked harp, while Come is driven along by simple percussion and harmonies that owe an undeniable debt to Kate Bush though they never drift into parody. She admits that she thinks of performing with a band.
“In my head I hear much more then I can play on my own,” she concedes, “but I'm afraid I'm terribly stubborn about how it needs to sound to come together the way I've imagined it.”
MAOSE MUSIC: She’s started experimenting already, though. “I brought a drummer to play with me on Skjærgårds-festival last summer,” she adds, “and that went really well.”
But even with just the naked tones of a piano she manages to milk every last drop of emotion from her songs. Despite the empty space around her on stage and in the venue, there’s an intimacy to her writing that is strikingly seductive and it’s this that should draw her attention from canny, farsighted labels looking to repeat the success of Joana Newsome (who is actually considerably less accessibly than Maose) or, if one can return to the old school, Joni Mitchell, whose purity of both voice and emotional resonance are clearly an inspiration.
WATER BABY: Dressed in a lace trimmed brown vintage dress, a striking short haircut with a solitary plait to one side framing an indisputably pretty face, there’s a rustic charm to her appearance and a touching self-consciousness to her delivery. There’s also a pleasing tinge of eccentricity in her lyrics, many of which seem to draw upon imagery of ice and water. “I suppose water in different forms symbolises emotions,” she explains. “It seems I can't leave them out.”
Scandinavia has always excelled at producing ethereal, emphatically feminine musical voices, from Bel Canto to Bjork, from Stina Nordenstam to (the admittedly instrumental) amiina. Maose may soon join that impressive list, and one hopes that by the end of her three by:Larm showcases she’ll have gathered enough new fans to make that possible.
MAOSE FACES THE BY:LARM INQUISITION
Q: Are there songs you wrote when you were very young that you still consider to be good?
A: A few. I like the pureness in them.
Q: Where does the name Maose come from?
A: I was having coffee with a friend of mine, who came up with Mouse. It suits you, she said. I wanted something closer to my name, Åse, so I changed a few letters, and there it was: Maose. I like the sound of it.
Q: Is this your first time playing ByLarm?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: How does it feel to be playing ByLarm and what does it mean to you as an artist?
A: It feels slightly crazy, but I like it. I think By:Larm will teach me with its seminars and inspire me with its music. As an artist that's priceless.
Q: Do you think this kind of event can play a useful role in your career?
A: Yes, I think it might. Obviously it's made a difference for a lot of artists already. You never know who's out there in the audience. Aside from that, I need to feel that I, if only for a few seconds, really share something. That it makes a difference for someone else other than just me. By:Larm gives me that opportunity.
Q: Did you enjoy your show in the VG Tent?
A: I didn't get it all out up there, but YES. Usually, after a concert I feel really at peace. Sometimes though, it's all more static. This whole thing keeps me constantly exited!
Q: Have you been touring a lot?
A: Not really. My previous year was sort of a practice year. I just went through the songs over and over, taped them, corrected myself, and moved forward with them. I feel more confident after doing that. Now I'm free to play them any way I feel because they're so completely in me.
Q: Do you ever get lonely on stage? On tour?
A: Rarely. But I felt a bit lonely yesterday. Maybe it's because I cut my long hair since my last concerts. It's not there to keep me company anymore. Gah.
Q: What can people expect from a Maose album?
A: The door from my mind would be wide open. I would want to create a home for each song, with different sound, colour, feeling. I need rhythm. I need surprises.
Q: What can people expect from a Maose show?
A: Passion of some sort. Stories from the past and the present. It varies a lot from time to time: what I have to give, I give. Sometimes I throw in a joke!
Q: What do you think of the Scandinavian music scene at the moment?
A: I'm afraid I'm missing out at the moment. I have periods of listening, and periods of writing and playing. Nowadays I'm playing, and if I listen to anything now it's got to be something very different. In other words, 2008 so far has been all Bob Marley and Miriam Makeba for me.
Q: Do you think it makes any difference where an artist comes from?
A: Yes. I think everything matters. You're a result of all that has happened to you, the noises you've heard, the scent in the wind, the people you've met and known, the people you haven't met yet. What to make of it is another story. In the end, I think any person can play the blues.
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