As is my way, I then went madly about researching where I could get more recordings by her, or ANYTHING I could find...in a stroke of blind luck I found her first record in a used CD store...Bliss!! The holy grail was found. I alsi picked up her new one-Dynamite. Wow! Quite different but amazing. I hear Tom Waits and Lisa Germano as well as echoes of Steve Reich in that one.

I just thought I'd offer another comparison that is particularly strong on her second CD...it's easy to hear the Rickie Lee Jones thing, but has anyone made the DAVID SYLVIAN connection?? If some of you love Stina but don't have Sylvian's "Secrets of the Beehive", I suggest you log off this page and RUN to get it. It must have influenced Stina while she was making the record. Very similar in atmosphere and production as well as the lyrical tone. Stina must also draw a connection to VIRGINIA ASTLEY to me. Does anyone know her? I have one album from about 6 or 7 years ago called "Hope in a Darkened Heart" on Virgin. It is beautiful, and she has a similar childlike tone and dark themes while sounding on the surface very light. I once read that she put another record out after that, but never heard another thing about it. Anyone know? E-mail me with any feedback or comments.

Where can I get the CD EP "The Photographer's Wife"???

One last thing--I'm an artist who makes tiny environments out of centuries-old found objects. I feel some of the pieces echo the mood of Stina's music...I just got a scanner, so if any of you would like me to send an image or two, e me and I'll figure out how the hell to do it. Thanks again for the precious tidbits on an utterly compelling musician!!

Your fellow tunesmith, Keith Lo Bue
Seasob@aol.com

I've just seen your site and I have a few additions.

In the U.K August 1996 Stina Nordenstam released a brand new e.p entitled The Photographers Wife, which was three songs taken from the film of the same name. The first song I could still be ( an actor ), features her new musical style, which is a slow sinister mechanical sound. The other two songs The things You said, and Now that I see you, are more familiar but still radically different. The e.p is very difficult to find mainly as she does not credit herself on it, though on the rear of the Cd she does. The cover is of a man with some strange glasses on his face.

November 1996, her new album Dynamite has been released, the track listing is:-

1. Under Your Command
2. Dynamite
3. Almost a Smile
4. Mary Bell
5. The man with the Gun
6. Until
7. This time, John
8. CQD
9. Down Desire Avenue
10. Now that your Leaving

The sound of this album is very very different. The acoustics of the previous two albums has disappeared completely. Most of the songs are introduced to the listener via a guitar riff, then mechanised drums and frentic violins and ochestrisations. The album itself is very threatening in it's sound and keeps the listener on their toes. The atmosphere is very down beat and very mysterious. This album shows a completely different side to Stina Nordenstam, a more darker and unpredictable one. Nothing on this album resembles Little Star. The response of the English Press to this album, has been very very good. Q magazine gave it 4 out of 5, stating that it was a great album by an underated artist. Select gave it 3 out of 5, regarding it as good, but not as an introduction to her. The tabloid press has been similarly encouraging - especially with the rise in the U.K of Swedish music.

No singles have been released off the album, although one should be due around early January in the U.K. The albums cover is simply of a Big red painted star on a white background. The reverse is of Stina Nordenstam, not out of Focus, but very much in focus, and she looks very angry, her hair is messy and she seems to be standing in a box or a hole. The inlay of the album is designed inblack and white photos of what looks like World War one images, aeroplanes ect. Over these pictures there strange scribbled sentences, some in English some in another language. There are no pictures of Stina, other than the reverse.

I hope that this information is of use. I am a massive Stina Nordenstam Fan, I have all of her albums, but am missing two singles Little Star and So this is Goodbye. I would really like to keep in touch with you or anyone who likes Stina, as I don't know any other fans. No-one I know has heard of her.

Regards,
Daniel Pritchard
United Kingdom

Just wanted to mention that Stina has a new CD out in the stores, at least in Sweden. It is called "dynamite", and believe me, it is. I have both of her earlier albums but in my opinion, this album far surpasses her previous ones. It has been on repeat on my CD since I bought it. She seems to have continued on the heavy guitars theme started on on ... and she closed her eyes... and is closer to her second album than to the first one. The new album contains ten songs and is distributed in Sweden by Warner Music.

Jacob Henricson
Sweden

Stina is featured on the swizz group Yello's newest single "To The Sea" which also will be on their forthcoming album "Pocket Universe".

Andreas Andersson

I just got a new disc, copyright '96. Three tunes from the soundtrack of "The Photographer's Wife". Stina sings all three, which she wrote with Anton Fier. On this disc Bill Laswell plays bass and Knox Chandler plays guitars. All recorded September 1995 at Greenpoint Studio in NYC, Bill Laswell's studio. I got my copy at Vinylink.

Take care!

Edward Roda

Regards,

Tim Finney

Best Regards,

Patrik Sanfridsson
Computer Eng. Student at Linkoping University, Sweden

Review of Stina's brilliant third album "Dynamite"

I'm a new fan from Estonia as listened to "Dynamite", which is fucking great..so sad & moving...

with greetings Marek