Thomas Dybdahl
In the realm of art songs, Thomas Dybdahl is one of the best new singer/songwriters. I recently saw him open up for fellow countryman Sondre Lerche, whose earnest, softspoken songs have developed their own cult following. Dybdahl's work is more like the sonic equivalent of brush strokes on a canvas: each one quiet and deliberate, yet also striking and serving some greater artistic vision.
Indeed, most of his songs are very quiet and laidback, but Dybdahl is just as capable of pulling out a "rocker." Already well-known and respected in his native country, he is now making the rounds tourign the States, hoping his honest, empathic new folk love songs will resonate just as strongly on this side of the ocean.