Leaving on a Mayday was produced by Peter Bjorn and John's Björn Yttling, and features contributions from Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Zwan, Superwolf), but don't let that fool you: This is not an "indie" record, at least not in the sense of indie as synonymous with low recording budgets, foregrounded quirks and idiosyncrasies, and a quality of endearing amateurishness. And yet... the Universal Records logo on back and a bevy of Swedish Grammys on Anna Ternheim's mantle can be just as misleading. Sweden-born NYC transplant Ternheim tows a fine line, one that leaves her at a crossroads between the cult notoriety of the underground and the expertly branded saturation of the mainstream. Depending on who's handling her, she could just as well be a scrappier, moodier Sarah McLachlan or the sophisticated big sister to whichever indie semi-starlet is in these days. It's fitting, then, that Ternheim's first U.S. LP (which collected highlights from her two Grammis-winning Swedish albums and a couple of EPs) bears the title Halfway to Fivepoints, or, if you will, Halfway to Stardom.
Ternheim is much further along to fame in her native land, where Leaving on a Mayday earned her Best Album honors at last year's Swedish Grammis. It's easy enough to see why. Somebody Outside (Ternheim's 2004 debut) had some great moments-- sad-eyed opener "To Be Gone", the stirring "My Secret", and a heart-wrenching piano ballad cover of "Shoreline"-- but was unmemorable in parts and uneven on the whole. Follow-up Separation Road (2006) boasted improved songwriting and lavish production, but at times all those strings and embellishments threatened to overpower Ternheim, something she herself implicitly acknowledged by including a second disc of pared down "Naked Versions" with deluxe copies of the LP. Mayday, however, is the record that gets it right. More consistent and more refined, it acutely spotlights the often understated talents of Ternheim as both a vocalist and songwriter.
It's also less immediate than its predecessors, and takes a few listens to reveal its hidden beauty. Until that point Mayday can sound a little typical, much like its song titles ("Off the Road", "Losing You", "Summer Rain") and recurrent themes (desire, heartbreak, moving on). Less typical is Ternheim's treatment of these common songwriting tropes. Pay close attention to the lyrics and you'll find even the most potentially joyous of moments is shot through with a Swedish sense of melancholy, very much of a tradition that stretches from August Strindberg to Ingmar Bergman to Victoria Bergsman.
The innocent infatuation of a line like "I hope you feel the way I do," on opener "What Have I Done", is soon followed with the wizened resignation of "I'm damned to feel the way I do"-- this is an artist who has been through all of this enough times before to know what she's getting herself into, and rather than celebrate new love she's lamenting her powerlessness in the face of it. As the record unfolds, this lack of control, whether in managing desire or preventing heartbreak, takes on the characteristics of addiction and fixation. "What keeps you from moving, are you afraid to be loved?" she prompts on "Damaged Ones". "See how my hands shake? I was raised on it like a drug." Elsewhere, on "Terrified", she speaks of "the beast in me," while "Losing You", musically the record's most single-ready track, is not about the relationship on the rocks its title might suggest but rather a loved one's apparent descent into senility.
Tough stuff, but it comes in a refreshing musical package that shifts the focus from the dark and wounded. Also helpful are quiet and stately moments like the vaguely East Asian-flavored "Terrified", delicate slowburner "My Heart Still Beats for You", and the desert raga "Off the Road", which features the finger-picking prowess of Sweeney. "Summer Rain" strips things down even further and may be the record's most rewarding moment, a loss-of-faith lament that makes the most of a strummed acoustic guitar and gorgeous vocal harmonies. Whether it will all translate to Stateside success for Ternheim probably comes down to a question of exposure. A recent Chicago show, where a solo Ternheim was the first of three acts, proved that she can hold a crowd enrapt-- even one that is not necessarily familiar with her music. But the key for this talent may well be to break free of the trappings of an insular indie scene, land an opening spot on some Starbucks darling's auditorium tour, and pray for that one crucial season finale/closing credits song placement. It's not selling out if it's where you were meant to be all along.
