Dutch electro-pop artist STÄSJ, nom-de-plume of multi-instrumentalist and singer Stefanie Janssen, mixes avant-garde, post-rock, synth-driven New Wave, and vocal pyrotechnics on Building A Cathedral, an album about the human condition. That is a big subject to cover, but she pulled it off by going all out within self-proclaimed boundaries: being adventurous like Kate Bush and catchy a la Depeche Mode.
The cathedral is not an actual building, but a metaphor for the human body and mind. She tries to make sense of her surroundings and thoughts by going in at the deep end to find out what is all about and how to connect or get away from the hustle and bustle, when it all becomes a bit too much. Grief and joy are equal partners. Janssen pulls it off with poetic lyrical imagery, draped as an extra layer upon the meandering soundscapes and crunchy beats.
Janssen is sitting comfortably on the fence between high art and snippets of accessible pop. In Behind Glass she casually mentions that she had sold her wedding ring. Urtling is a heartfelt tribute to her mother who suffers from dementia. In trying to make clear what the disease means to mom and all those around her, she uses dissolving sharts of voice and a lone glass harp to capture the sense of love, loss and loneliness. It all leads to the monumental final track, where the Cathedral offers a safe space.
Building A Cathedral is a self-released album. Buy it (vinyl, CD, digital) from her website.
Tracks:- Urtling
- Human Condition
- Behind Glass
- Palaces, Houses, Huts
- Lady With Arrows
- Pluto
- The Keeper
- Cathedral
- 03/30 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Brebl
(album release show) - 04/20 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Waaghals (in-store)
- 05/11-12 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Platenbeurs Stevenskerk (details TBA)
- 07/14 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Valkhof Festival
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