A Speck of Light

Speck of Light is my 9^th studio album or 10^th if you count Unbelonging and Unbelonging (Revisited) as two different albums. I don’t care.

If you have listened to my music in the past, you’ll notice that this is a very different album – the only album where I am not singing lead vocal for any of the songs. People have often suggested that I should find someone else to sing my songs to increase my popularity, and in the past, I have tried a lot of different singers (male and female). While some off them were great, I often felt that they sounded like they’re weren’t really invested in the story of the song. That is until I stumbled onto Camila Castellani, a young singer from Buenos Aires. For the first time I really felt that another singer was breathing new life into my stories. From the onset I expected to sing half the songs myself, but when I heard her version of “A Summer Day in April” I decided not to sing any of the songs. This was also a bit of a relief for me, as I really enjoy listening to my own songs, but I am really tired of listening to my own voice.

Prior to this album I had a really fertile period of songwriting, I had released 5 albums in 4 years and they came flowing easily. Creativity is like turning on a water faucet that hasn’t been used in while – at first the water is really cold, but slowly it starts heating and after a while you are on fire! I took a 2-year break before starting on this album, so it took a little while to get going again, but I guess the water was still lukewarm. Starting up again came fairly easy. At this time my future in music is a bit uncertain. This album was quite expensive to make – mostly due to inflation and all the work around it is very time consuming (albeit rather exciting). What I am saying is that I don’t have any plans for more music in the foreseeable future (so you better enjoy this one!).

In 2021, long before I started recording this album, I knew that the title of the album should be “Speck of light”. In 2021 a person in my close family died very suddenly of cancer, leaving behind her a husband and two young children. Those were a few really dark months and at the end of it I thought, that if I were to make a new album, it should be called “Speck of light” to indicate that even when the night is darkest, there is always a speck of light.

Since then the world has taken a turn, no several turns, for the worse.
The war in Ukraine that I followed daily for two years on several channels until I just couldn’t do it anymore – the stalemate and the knowledge that every day people are killing each other on the battlefield for no reason at all. And the war in Gaza and the terrorist attack leading up to the war. And the everlasting climate crisis that we don’t have the collective will to do anything about.

A lot of my previous work have been fairly political (especially The Greater Good), but this time I was just fed up with the real world and wanted to explore more fantasy elements and also, I wanted to work with a longer story line. It has really been fun to explore those elements and I hope my joy of writing these songs shines through to you. And remember, when the world is at its darkest and you are in despair, know that there is always a Speck of Light.

I would like to dedicate this album to the memory of Helene Gerholm Ahlgren.

Songs

Credits

Normally I go all out on musicians when recording a new album, but this time I have tried to stick to fewer musicians to create a more consistent sound. There are three people that really helped shaping this album: Per Solgaard (as always), Camila Castellani and Alex Duarte.

Musicians:
Camila Castellani (Argentina): Lead vocals on all tracks except 6.
Sarah Jouheri (Morocco): Lead vocal on 6.
Alex Duarte (Venezuela): Guitars on all tracks, except 5, 8 and 9.
Per Solgaard (Denmark): Bass / Upright Bass on all tracks except 7. Dobro on 5, 6, 8, 9 and 12. Piano on 12
Francesca Pratt (Italy): Drums on 7, 10 and12
Nina Uzelac (Serbia): Cello on 8 and 9.
Eneko Rodríguez (Basque Country): Violins on 2 and 6.
Hugo Iglesias (Spain): Upright bass on 7.
Leila Benrhouma (UK/Tunesia): Backing vocals on 6.
Rasmus Fynbo (Denmark): Backing vocals on 2,3,4,7,10 and 12. And all other instruments.

All songs written and produced by Rasmus Fynbo.

Mix and master by Ivan Ilyukhin (Russia, but managed to escape to the US after the start of the war).

A Summer Day in April

A summer day in April
Down by the reservoir
I saw you by the water
Laughing in the sun
I knew just there and then
This summer you’d be mine

New love has come to light
In the air-conditioned night
The grass is giving way
To a patch of dirt in May

I dream of the day
When we will be dancing in the rain again
But the sunny days are forever

Two hearts beat in tune
A summer day in June
Not a cloud in the blue sky
A summer day in July
Smoke from the forest fire
Calming our desire

A summer day in August
The world is set ablaze
The reservoir is gone
Under the scathing sun

I dream of the day
When we will be dancing in the rain again
But the sunny days are forever

No matter what I try
Your smile won’t reach your eyes
A summer day in September
A love I will remember
Love has turned to dust
On the hot and barren crust

I dream of the day
When we will be dancing in the rain again
But the sunny days are forever

Into the Woods

Let go, let go, the past is not my friend
But I will remember you until the end
No longer need to pretend
Be myself and transcend

Zoom out, zoom out, leave the world behind
Remove the blinders and see what I might find
Follow the ancient traces
Where dreams are going places

The wild is calling me
A dream of being free

Now is the time for a change, a new direction
Will I wake up, will I choose a new affection?
Time to arrange for a permanent disconnection?
So, what will I do?

Out here alone, the sun is warming me
In the thick of night, I am roaming free
The quiet caress of mother earth
Once more giving me birth

The wild is calling me
With a dream of being free

Now is the time for a change, a new direction
Will I wake up, will I choose a new affection?
Time to arrange for a permanent disconnection?
So, what will I do?

Will she come and find me?
Will I need to disappear?

Underneath the oak tree
My dreams are killing me

Late September Sky

We said our goodbyes
And springled them with pretty lies
I’d be forever yours
At least ‘till I was out the door
The world was mine to save
Your dreams sent to the grave

Late September, no rain
Thick smoke seen from the aero plane
With new adventures ahead
I erased you from my bed
You ventured alone
From the deep the darkness shone

Oh, but I am not your possession
Let me go
I am up where I belong
Didn’t see misery coming
Am I to blame?
That you didn’t mean that much to me?

Isolated alone
You walked into the unknown
And when your mother did call
It hit me like a canon-ball
“The worst of my fears
My boy to disappear”

Oh, I didn’t want that to happen
Should I have known?
These are seeds I haven’t sown
Didn’t see misery coming
Am I to blame?
Will history put me to shame?

Up above the skies
Here’s everything I ever wanted
Don’t take it away
Don’t listen to what the petty voice says

I remember you face
In your dense and wooden hiding place
Life just took a turn
For you the point of no return
Am I really to blame
That I don’t remember you name

Oh, I didn’t want that to happen
Should I have known?
These are seeds I haven’t sown
Didn’t see misery coming
Am I to blame?
Will history put me to shame?

Departure

I meet him down by the creek
Searching for his role
Before the storm swallowed him whole

Lights in the sky on that fateful day,
All sounds died away
Only mist and misery stay

We combed the place where left his tent
Through the heavy rain we went
There weren’t sign of any accident

In the night, the stars they weep
A haunting secret buried deep
Searching for the answers
That keep me up at night
Filling me with fright, yeah

No next of kin, nowhere to begin
In the wild, we lost our way,
Through the mist, he left no sign for me,

The years have passed, the lights still roam
I keep coming back
In the shadows still, his presence shown,
unknown

In the night, the stars they weep
A haunting secret buried deep
Searching for the answers
That keep me up at night
Filling me with fright, yeah

Through the pines, the wind it cries
In the depths a lost soul tries
In the silence my heart sighs
A haunting song beneath the skies

In the night, the stars they weep
A haunting secret buried deep
Searching for the answers
That keep me up at night
Filling me with fright, yeah

Fireflies

A creature
of beauty
Green eyes and flower dress
Come see me
At sundown
I want to make you mine
Oh, when the fireflies come out

Mid summer
In twilight
Your eyes open wide
Like magic
Sweet kisses
Tales of a fairy court
Oh, when the fireflies come out

A lightning from above
A heart begging for love

Night walker
Go darker
Lights dancing in the sky
You whisper
Heart twister
Left me all alone
Oh, when the fireflies come out

Du – la vi da – du du
Du du – la vi da – du du
Du – la vi da – du di
Du du – la vi da – du di du

A lightning from above
A heart begging for love

Mid summer
In the morning
I am getting cold
I’m blinded
left drowning
The mist is rolling in
Oh, will the fireflies come out?
Oh, will the fireflies come out?

Le Lac

Marche dans la mare
Cristal clair et calme
loin, loin, loin, tu descends.
Tranquillité tout autour
Les ruines t’observent
loin, loin, loin, tu descends.

De plus en plus profondément,
Le froid enguourdit tes sens.
Là en bas
un éclat Brille
Dans son cœur

La lac est étrange,
la mort tisse sa danse
loin, loin, loin, tu descends.
Comme ça, elle m’attend au….fond,
Parée de voiles,
Loin, loin, loin, tu descends.

De plus en plus profondément,
Le froid enguourdit tes sens.
Là en bas
un éclat Brille
Dans son cœur

Dans un rêve profond,
perdu dans le temps, vagabond.
mais jamais
tu ne peux plus
sortir de là

(English translation)

Step into the pond
Crystal clear and calm
Down, down, down you go
Quiet calm all around
The ruins look at you
Down, down, down you go

As you go deeper in
The cold is seeping in
Down below
There is a glow
In her heart

The lake is eerie still,
death lingers in the darkness
down, down, down you go
she is waiting at the bottom
covered in veils
Down, down, down you go

As you go deeper in
The cold seeps into your heart
Down below
A glow shines
In her heart

In a fever dream
a hand is reaching up from below
but you are not waking up
you are in another world

A Poisoned Meal

I stand above his grave
On a path that I did pave
His frail and fragile heart
The veil that keeps us apart

The weak mortal boys
My midsummer toys
They crumble like flowers
Gone within hours

But I must give in
To this mortal sin
Can no one hear me screaming?
I’m stuck in time
This life ain’t mine
Around me life is teeming

Once every year
It’s in my nature, I fear
When I dance with the fireflies
Another youth dies

Love is my curse
In this universe
With dust in my heart
Time set us apart

But I must give in
To this mortal sin
Can no one hear me screaming?
I’m stuck in time
This life ain’t mine
Around me life is teeming

I’m tired and old
My lovers leave me cold
I dream of darkness to come
Sleep, will I get some?
A life once sweet and bold
A poisoned meal I’ve been sold

Anhelando

(Lyrics are the same as Nostalgia, just in Spanish)

Calles adoquinadas
Donde la gente se encuentra
Helado bajo el Sol
Mientras los niños juegan
Las rosas florecen

La luna está llena
Las parejas bailan
Sus besos brillan
En la dulce noche
Cae la noche, la Banda toca
Y derrite la oscuridad

Nos despertaremos?
Estamos soñando?
Es todo una invención
Una fantasía,
este falso recuerdo?

Un pintor en el lago
La gente sonríe
Un panadero cocinando
Para la gente trabajando
En los campos de lavanda

La luna se está llenando
Las parejas bailando
Noche tras noche
La misma imagen
Es esto en loop
Viviendo una vida, que parece nunca existió

Nos despertaremos?
Estamos soñando?
Es todo una invención
Una fantasía,
este falso recuerdo?

Difícil continuar
si vivimos en el pasado
Si no nos despertamos
Este sueño terminará
El sueño nos frena de ser lo mejor

Sea of Time

Remember the rope around the neck
Your tears are all but standing still
Remember the faces in the bog
Sacrifices to the ladies of the wood

Flow on the sea of time
In the end I will get what is mine
We’ll be as one
When the lights are gone

Remember the salt and the sea
Remember when it was just you and me
Remember the dust and the plough
There is no love in the faces I see now

Flow on the sea of time
In the end I will get what is mine
We’ll be as one
When the lights are gone

Buried alone, unknown,
And they picked me apart
Put on display, behind this glass
Centuries pass

Sa Bawat alon ng dagat
sa huli makukuha ko ang lahat
nagkakaisa
kahit mawala ang liwanag

Sa Bawat alon ng dagat
sa huli makukuha ko ang lahat
nagkakaisa
kahit mawala ang liwanag

Speck of Light

As I sit in the bog
In the mornings on my rock
I hear your voice in the wind
When the dead branches bend
The waters are unearthly dark
But beneath I see a spark
I will see you again
On the other side of the end

Once just a speck of light
Now outshines the moon at night
I will remember you

When I want to recall,
I touch your hand print on the wall
In the darkest of night,
There is still a speck of light
In the flames of the fire
I see your face burn with desire
But in time the flames subside
To these ashes you are tied

Once just a speck of light
Now outshines the moon at night
I will remember you

The journey awaits, we’ve sacrificed
We gave everything and all
Why the gods strike us down
In their cold white anger?
Further away every day
As we move on with the prey
Snow covered ground, can’t turn around
All my memories are drowned

Once just a speck of light
Now outshines the moon at night
I will remember you

Our sacrifice, all but in vain
I held the rope, I caused the pain
Still the ice is getting close

The journey awaits
We’ve sacrificed, we gave everything and all
Why the gods strike us down
In their cold white anger?

Further away every day
As we move on with the prey
Snow covered ground, can’t turn around
All my memories are drowned

Once just a speck of light
Now outshines the moon at night
I will remember you

Nostalgia

A quaint cobblestone street
Where town folks are meeting
Ice cream in the heat
The birds they are tweeting
The roses are in bloom

The night is taking flight
The couples are dancing
Their kisses are bright
Under stars they’re romancing
Into the night the band is playing
Melting the darkness away

Will we wake up?
Are we all just dreaming?
It’s all just made up
Will we wake up screaming?
From this fake memory

A painter at the lake
Onlookers smiling
A baker’s making cake
For the maids so beguiling
In the lavender fields

The sun is taking flight
The Couples are dancing
Night after night
The same frozen image
We’re stuck in a loop
Living a life that never existed

Will we wake up?
Are we all just dreaming?
It’s all just made up
Will we wake up screaming?
From this fake memory

Hard to move on,
When we’re living in the past
If we’re not waking up
This dream will be our last
The dream that stops us
from becoming more

Lullaby at the end of the world

The days are coming to an end
We’ve been spent
Those tired weary eyes
Look to the skies
We’ve been wading through the rain
Hope will remain

Twilight’s veil, you embrace
Mystic dreams, a hidden place

The world is sliding by your eyes
There is calm in your breath
Slowly into the void you go

Waves were crashing at the beach
Dikes were breached
Now the fires dying down
The Ashes strewn
Daddy’s gonna tug you in
Dreams begin

Tomorrow the storms will rise anew
Chaos and dangers will ensue

But for now, the world is sliding by your eyes
There is calm in your breath
Slowly into the void

The world is sliding by your eyes
There is calm in your breath
Slowly into the void you go