Aug 16 2014
Andreas Söderström – “4”
Andreas Söderström has lent his guitar to some wildly expressive projects from the Scandinavian scene. Two in particular that have received strong reviews on this site are from Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra’s The Reason Why Vol.1 and Fire! Orchestra’s Enter, both larger ensembles where Söderström’s various guitars are just part of the mix.
However, he’s quietly released a series of solo recordings under the moniker ASS (which stands for Andreas Söderström Solo), and they are far removed from the avant-garde headiness of his other collaborations. His first two recordings, a 2006 self-titled debut and the 2008 release My Get Up and Go Just Got Up and Went are comprised primarily of Söderström finger-picking a steel-string guitar. The music is heavily contemplative and possesses a dense moodiness that sees occasional beams of sunny glee break through at startling moments. Of particular note is his intelligent take on the theme from the movie Escape From New York. His 2010 release Salt Marsh saw Söderström’s compositions displaying more liveliness, with tracks more likely to take flight, aided by guest musicians on percussion and wind instruments.
Söderström‘s 2013 release 4 has him straying even further from the solo works of contemplative music. Expanding the pool of guest musicians, (which, incidentally, also perform on both the Kajfes and Fire! Orchestra recordings, as well as the recent Angles 9 session), the music has more volatility than ever before.
Opening track “Villiers” is the uneasy murmur of guitar cloaked in a mask of serenity that is suddenly torn off by the wild fluttering of Mats Gustafsson on C-melody saxophone. Almost a shriek at times, the song’s chaotic underpinning is exposed and that initial tense calm is revealed not as the echo of past sounds but the precursor of something new from Söderström.
This continues with “Varberg,” which has Söderström switching from guitar to flute, and with Andreas Werliin on drums and Alexander Zethson on grand piano, the trio create an ethereal presence that is less an actual song and more a conceptual expression. “Potato Ship” also sees Söderström on flute, but this time offering up a focused tune, with flute, marimba and percussion all moving in unison, sketching out an agreed upon direction. The contrast between the two tracks is a welcome ingredient.
With his thoughtful guitar patterns, “Butterfly Bend” harkens back to the sound of early Söderström recordings, though now there’s the added bonus of Tomas Hallonsten‘s haunting accompaniment on Haammond organ. “Random Lunacy” also echoes an earlier period sound, with the calls of guitar answered by Mats Äleklint‘s trombone and tiny drops of vibraphone bouncing sparingly off the surface of the song.
The album ends with the eleven minute “Cedar Shakes,” a song that fully represents the development of Söderström‘s vision. The contemplative guitar picking is tempered at one end by an ominous undercurrent of resonance from grand piano and then bolstered from the other end by the heavier introspection of organ. Meanwhile, drums cut the difference between the two, and now it’s a matter of either perspective possessing a strong claim on the proceedings.
That kind of fuzziness contained within a concise encapsulation builds all kinds of intrigue to see where a musician goes next. That it’s the bookend to an enjoyable present expression just makes it all the better.
Your album personnel: Andreas Söderström (guitar, flute) and guests: Alexander Zethson (grand piano, vibraphone, marimba), Mats Gustafsson (C-melody soprano sax), Andreas Werliin (drums, percussion), Mats Äleklint (trombone), and Tomas Hallonsten (Hammond organ, MS-20 synth, vibraphone, marimba).
Released on Headspin Recordings.
Music from the Stockholm, Sweden scene.
Available at: Amazon
Or purchase directly from the Headspin Recordings shop.
The trio of Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin has expanded into something much more than its original vehicle for improvisatory music. Now repped as
Dec 31 2014
Bird is the Worm 2014 Album of the Year: Fire! Orchestra – “Enter”
No matter how many times the album is played, its impact is no less resonant or affecting. The avant-garde big band Fire! Orchestra goes all-in on Enter, guided by an astute intelligence and powered by a huge heart. Released on Rune Grammofon.
The Bird is the Worm 2014 Album of the Year
Here is a reprint of the album recommendation I wrote earlier this year…
Enter is about as thrilling as it gets.
And whereas the ensemble brings to the studio the same combustible personality and the dense walls of dissonance and harmonies, they produce a tighter sonic bundle, whereas the live recording tended more to formlessness and wandering. But don’t misinterpret… thankfully, Fire! Orchestra is still all over the place, but there is a greater sense of focus and unison in how they go about it. The term “organized chaos” is undoubtedly apt… a crowd of moving parts in perpetual states of collision, and yet possessing a pop music sensibility that makes this recording supremely embraceable.
“Part One” begins with the slow exhalation of melody, growing increasingly combustible. The lovely harmony of voices ignites into a flash of dissonance, returning only later, now heavy with the blues and not a little bit aggressive. The dissonance lights back up, this time with horns and saxes providing the flame while bass and drums go to town.
“Part Two” grinds out a catchy groove, which, in turn, gives way to a wall of dissonance… the sound of a bank of circuitry crashing down, lacking subtlety, a hard unforgiving poetry. But this is just another moment for a big reveal, as the dissonance sputters out and the peaceful harmony of wind instruments fills the void. It’s these shifting tides and the way listenability isn’t sacrificed for raw energy that elevates the album up a notch or three. The build-up to the grand finale inches forward, gaining strength through accretion and perseverance.
“Part 3″ is all about the vocal experimentalism, in particular how voices and woodwind shrieks become almost indistinguishable, leaving the ears to figure out who is true and who is the chameleon. The rising tides go out with one final big wave, and that it crests heavy with the blues makes all of the unconventional sounds and expressions sound comfortingly familiar.
In the 90s, a group of disparate artists made a proclamation about a new movement. They called it Avant-Pop, and its goal was one in which challenging art, rich with complexities and nuance, would be shrouded in a populist sensibility, and thus subversively become entrenched in the minds and hearts of the masses. When I hear a song like “Part 4,” I can’t help but think that this was something that the Avant-Pop creators had in mind. A delectable melody, cooed out by vocalists and shouted out by instruments, an easy melody to ride as an army of avant-garde musicians march an avant-garde album to a close… with a song that seems almost simple, a final impression on an album that is anything but. The song repeats that catchy melody, sometimes gently, sometimes in a powerful surge, and the song’s momentum becomes almost mesmerizing as a result. The final surge, however, is sufficiently fierce to break any hypnotic state, but, amazingly, the song retains its tunefulness amidst the jarring intensity of the finale. It’s amazing, until one considers that Fire! Orchestra began doing it right from the album’s first note.
Immeasurable and transcending classification, this is creativity that crashes through boundaries and preconceptions. So damn good.
Your album personnel: Mariam Wallentin, Sofia Jernberg, Simon Ohlsson (voices), Goran Kajfes (cornet), Niklas Barnö, Magnus Broo, Emil Strandberg (trumpets), Mats Äleklint (trombone), Per Åke Holmlander (tuba), Anna Högberg (alto sax), Mats Gustafsson (tenor sax, conductor), Elin Larsson (tenor sax), Fredrik Ljungkvist (baritone sax, clarinet), Martin Kuchen (baritone sax), Christer Bothén (bass clarinet), Jonas Kullhammar (bass sax), Andreas Söderström (lap steel), Sören Runolf (electric guitar), David Stackenäs (electric & acoustic guitars), Martin Hederos (Fender Rhodes, organ), Sten Sandell (keyboards, mellotron), Joachim Nordwall (electronics), Johan Berthling (electric bass), Joel Grip, Dan Berglund (basses), and Andreas Werliin, Johan Holmegard, Raymond Strid (drums).
Released on Rune Grammofon.
Music from the Scandinavian scene.
Available at: Amazon
You can also purchase directly from the label, Rune Grammofon.
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2014 Releases, Recap: Best of 2014 • 2 • Tags: Album of the Year, Andreas Söderström, Andreas Werliin, Elin Larsson, Fire! Orchestra, Goran Kajfes, Jazz - Best of 2014, Johan Berthling, Martin Kuchen, Mats Gustafsson, Rune Grammofon