Jesse Norell "Aorta Borealis"
Review by: Andy Ellis, Writer @andysmileyjay
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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Albums like Jesse Norell’s Aorta Borealis are why the independent music world needs to exist. While it’s more chaotic than the wild west when trying to standout from the crowd of countless artists, there’s a level of creative freedom that allows your music your way. You can try and emulate what is topping the charts, or you can write a concept album.
Norell did the latter with Aorta Borealis. His daughter Alyssa was born with Downs Syndrome and Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), and so he wrote about the battle his family endured while helping Alyssa through this ordeal. What resulted was an album that hooked me from the first song.
I couldn’t stop listening, because each song leads so seamlessly into the next. But they were distinctly their own, too. That balance of sonic cohesiveness and giving each song its individuality is all thanks to Norell’s loyalty to his family’s story, and using meticulous layering to get the mental and emotional reality of those moments just right.
Time Stands Still
The way “What To Tell You” starts out transported me back to that first life-changing moment that brought everything to a stand still. I felt I was right beside him as the doctor’s words registered in his mind. He was staring ahead with an empty gaze.
The song is more than the call, though. There’s a cello that creates a low drone sound along with some more atmospheric sounds that signifies how that heartbreaking news drowns everything else out. It creates an almost tunnel vision for your senses.
It’s followed by a very clear acoustic guitar. It’s almost marking that transition from shock to slowly processing the next steps and getting ready for the long road ahead. His vocals are very gentle, steady, and contemplative. The lyrics are his thought process of what to do next.
Creating a Journey Through Music
The album is loaded with these layers, and they all do a spectacular job of recreating all these different moments. “Together” has a very determined battle cry rock vibe. I can feel not only the determination of helping his daughter overcome this, but also that protective father attitude.
There’s the solemn “Lullaby For the Frail” that comes off as an internal pondering. He’s going through all the frustrations of this journey like when a doctor’s explanation doesn’t provide any sort of resolution. While the medical terms aren’t the smoothest to sing, Norell chooses to tell the reality of what happened and it drives the message home much harder.
The second half of the album continues with those layers, but it also does something else. Norell uses the other half to not only talk about the joyful post-surgery journey of recovery and learning to live again, but he addresses the rest of his family. That includes himself.
Self-Care and Celebration
“Recovery” is about realizing you need to take care of yourself. During Alyssa’s ordeal Norell also dealt with Rheumatoid arthritis, leaving him unable to even play on the floor with his kids. He put off treating it so he could focus on his daughter, but his internal voice kept saying he needed to tend to himself as well.
The song is very frantic once you get to the first chorus. Norell’s cadence is very fast and the guitar and drums follow suit, adding a layer of roughness. At one point there’s a mixture of Norell’s voices that do a really good job of expressing the urgency that his health is at a breaking point.
He celebrates Alyssa on “The Lucky Few.” The phrase is one that has been adopted by the Downs syndrome community. It’s a message to celebrate that person rather than constantly focus on any difficulties a diagnosis can put on those affected.
One of the first thoughts I had listening to it was it reminded me a lot of Jason Mraz. There’s a very happy, bouncy, sing-a-long feel to it. It’s very kid-friendly, and I can see him dancing with his daughter while he’s singing this to her.
The phrasing Norell uses also reminds me a lot of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ more upbeat, funkier songs. The words pop in a way that reminds me a little of songs like “Dani California” from 2006’s Stadium Arcadium or “Poster Boy” from the just released Unlimited Love. It gives the song a bit of a loose hip-hop feel.
Well-Deserved Appreciation
“Ode to Luigi” is Norell’s song of appreciation to his young son. It starts with a guitar riff that has that 8-bit sound quality anyone who has ever played Super Mario Bros will recognize, and has very positive, upbeat, and sincere vibe. He assures his son he did not go unnoticed during this time, and validates any feelings of being overshadowed he may have had.
On “Uneven” he pays tribute his wife and the journey they’ve been on together. In the song he’s referring to all the obstacles they’ve faced together and that they’ve either been on the good or bad side, rarely in the middle. And he knows the best decision he ever made was being with her.
The song itself is a little uneven as well, but not in a bad way. There’s a freewheeling jazz style where it seems there are times when the drums and piano are playing two different songs, but they’re still in harmony. The way Norell sings, too, comes off as stream of conscious and I wasn’t able to even pinpoint the actual chorus until after several listens.
There’s No Place Like Home
In my mind that again points to his commitment of telling the story rather making a radio friendly song. The same thing happens on “Welcome to Sydney,” the album closer and Norell’s abstract celebration of Alyssa (her middle name is Sydney). The song itself is about realizing your reality isn’t bad because of what you were handed, it’s just not what you expected.
Norell actually comes off as more of a narrator on this than a traditional singer-songwriter. He is singing, but the details he gets into in the lyrics makes it sound like he’s telling a story from when he was younger. The music even has a film score feel to it as well.
The song ends with a very excited guitar riff and Norell repeatedly singing “Welcome home!” The way it eventually fades out is like he and his family are hopping and skipping into the sunset as the credits start to roll. Their life may not be what they initially expected, but it is theirs.
With Aorta Borealis, Norell uses the album to do what albums are supposed to do — take you on an unforgettable journey. Yes, it requires your full attention. But if you are willing, then you will be greatly rewarded.
If you want to read more about Jesse Norell’s “Aorta Borealis, check out the interview we did with them.
