Fantasy cello pop is a term used by Linnea Olsson to describe her music and upon listening you can hear exactly why she coined this phrase. Her cello playing and vocal musings conjure up a fantastic, dreamlike world that lingers hauntingly in your mind for some time afterwards.

We met in her hotel room and I was immediately struck by her laidback and open personality. She was in Dublin to promote her upcoming gig at The Workman’s Club on the 2^nd March, which will be the first date on her UK and Ireland tour to promote her debut album Ah! In between now and then she plays in Switzerland and Stockholm, always on the move.

Olsson hails from the small town of Halmstad in Sweden by the sea and her music reflects the stunning natural beauty of this place. The night before we met I watched a short movie called “Summer” that Linnea had made with the film maker Valerie Toumayan. It showcases a number of the songs off her album and is set in the picturesque surrounding nature of her hometown. This really gave me a sense of where Linnea was coming from with her music. You can find a link to it on her homepage.

She is a classically trained musician who grew up surrounded by music in her family home and has been writing songs for years. Using a loop station to create several subtly effected layers of cello, she skilfully weaves her songs together with husky vocals hovering above and lyrics reflecting on life, love and nature. She is particularly found of delay and reverb effects, which give an almost ethereal sheen to her songs adding to the imaginary world that the music evokes.

This is not her first time on the touring scene as she has performed as a cellist and backing vocalist with the likes of Peter Gabriel and Norwegian singer/songwriter Ane Brun. She describes her time on the road with Gabriel as surreal and of a magnitude that she wouldn’t normally be used to. This was an exciting time in Olsson’s life and gave her a taste of what it’s like to be on the road. A solo tour is quite a different experience to the large-scale format she was used to. This album is the culmination of songs Linnea has been singing for a number of years and has finally recorded as a solo album. For future projects she can imagine forming a band adding drums, bass and, in a perfect world, about six cello’s in order to expand the overall sound and impact of her music.

Linnea is quite an enthralling performer and one not to miss when she graces us with her presence on the 2^nd March at the Workman’s club. We have two double passes to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, just mail us at nomoreworkhorse@gmail.com by Wednesday the 27-02-13.

Words by the wonderful Judith Ring