»These trees are great. If I were a tree, that is the one I would choose«, answers Daniel Ögren when asked why his new album is called »Pine«. Ögren is someone who is constantly reinventing himself. From an early age, he was fascinated by the endless possibilities of expressing himself through music.
»I always write from the heart, for Dina Ögon and other projects. When I work solo, I have the freedom to shape the music in the direction I want it to go«, says the 37-year-old musician. About a year ago, he released the album »Orion« with the Grammy-winning band Dina Ögon, whose guitarist and keyboardist he is.
When places inspire him, Daniel Ögren captures them in music. When he toured Norway with Dina Ögon a few years ago, he was moved by what he saw there: the impressive nature. »I felt the need to share it with my listeners. My way of doing that is to write songs dedicated to these places.«
That’s why many of the twelve songs on »Pine« are a tribute to places that inspired him. »Årdal« has a melancholy feel, with electric guitars and gentle percussion. »Lofoten Sunset« sounds jazzy, as if you were ending a summer evening surrounded by the Norwegian cliffs with friends, while a rhythmic bass sets the tone on ‘Haugesund Night Sky’ before a guitar joins in.
Nature: An endless Inspiration
The multi-instrumentalist and producer’s tenth solo album »Pine« follows »Laponia III« (2022). On »Lapionia III«, the Stockholm-based musician combined memories of a trip with his family, his origins – on the cover, his grandmother sits in the grass in front of the »Lapporten« valley in northern Sweden – and the breathtaking nature of the Laponia World Heritage Site.
»Pine« feels like a summer road trip through the nature of Scandinavia, where you have arrived at yourself at the same time. Although percussion is combined with bass and guitar on all the tracks on the record, each song tells its own story. As if Daniel Ögren had set all the sensory impressions of certain memories to music.
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With his songs, Daniel Ögon tells short stories through the language of music. The thoroughbred musician convinces with a keen eye and the ability to translate his experiences into sound. As on previous records, one of his sources of inspiration is clear on the new album: nature. He himself says: »Nature is everywhere and it is infinite. It inspires me to develop new ideas. Nature has no boundaries, it is simply everywhere. Just like music is infinite.«
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