Noah Gundersen – Ledges
SoundCloud
The first time I heard Noah Gundersen sing, I think I set a personal record for holding my breath. The song he opened with that night is the same one he’s chosen to open his first full-length record, Ledges. This is a brilliantly calculated move. Let me tell you why. The first half of “Poor Man’s Son” is a cappella, something which serves as an ideal introduction to Gundersen’s greatest strength — his voice. There’s this unrestrained, smoldering earnestness in his voice that resonates in your bones. One hundred percent transparent, you can hear if he’s grimacing or grinning as he sings his stories. I’ll never forget hearing “Fire” live and knowing it would always be one of my favorite songs because of the way he performed it with such
intensity in his eyes. He kept rhythm by stomping his foot and each syllable uttered summoned goosebumps. So it’s with these impressions that I listen to Ledges and am swiftly enveloped by its warmth.
Because of Gundersen’s powerful vocals, the best songs are also the sparsest. By “sparse” I mean just a few strings supplied by his guitar and his sister Abby Gundersen’s violin. The title track took me surprise, due to its more lush arrangement and radio-ready sound. Although it’s clear that commercial success is not what Gundersen is after (he’s been approached by numerous major labels), if Taylor Swift doesn’t beg him for a duet, then it only means she hasn’t heard him sing yet.
“Ledges” also frames the album thematically. Gundersen explains, “I’ve lived a great deal compared to most people my own age. I’ve traveled the country playing music, doing what I love for a living. But, in terms of emotional experience, I’ve swept a lot of things under the rug. I started asking questions to people I respect about what it means to be a man and, in a larger sense, a decent human being. This record is the culmination of that process.” From this state of humility and desire to grow, there’s an inherent sense of maturity in his words when he sings. “Here I stand on the edge of the ledges I’ve made/Looking for a steady hand/Here I stand in the land full of rocks and valleys/Tryin’ to be a better man for you.” We believe him, and are also a bit smitten with him. Gundersen is a romantic, although most of the songs about love on this album refer to letting it go. The slow-paced, tender “Cigarettes” finds him comparing an ex-lover to a bad habit that he’s finally rid of (or is he?), yet reminiscing of her beauty by chorus’s end. “But, honey, you’re smooth/Honey, you’re smooth.” Try not to swoon and you will fail.
Ledges finds Noah Gundersen showcasing newfound wisdom and depth, and for that, it sweeps us off our feet. Although it’s difficult to encapsulate the potency of his live show, he does well to keep most of the songs stripped to the essentials, which truly are all he needs. With a voice as gripping as his and such gorgeous instrumental backing by his siblings (his brother plays the drums), he has it made. I think Ledges is a fitting title because, while it represents Gundersen’s journey into a new phase of his life, another interpretation might easily be that he’s on the verge (the ledge) of becoming a household name. Get ready.
