This is the debut release of the new label started by New England based experimental music distributor Strange Fortune - and also the latest full-length from New York's Tor Lundvall.? I've not heard any of Lundvall's past work, but apparently he has collaborated with Tony Wakeford of Sol Invictus and worked with the World Serpent label as well, which is certainly enough to pique one's interest.? The 12 tracks are made up largely of repetitious structures built on soft, lush synths and sparse percussive electronics backing distant vocals that walk a fine line between speaking and singing.?? It's melodic and structured enough to be musical, minimal and fluid enough to be considered ambient, strange enough to be experimental, and yet somehow it defies many of these characterizations at the same time.? It's very moody and atmospheric, not to mention consistent, with the slow pacing and quiet demeanor almost creating a hypnotic lull from track to track.? There's definitely an ethereal quality to the brighter textures involved, and all of these little nuances work to make for a relaxing listen that certainly creates a sense of curiosity.? The title track actually uses some vocal harmonies to flesh things out a bit more, with "Storm" feeling a bit more substantial in terms of layering and overall architecture, and a couple of tracks like "Sunday Evening" even sound like some guitars are employed for additional texture (though the sounds could be synthesized as well).? For the most part the material does sound pretty similar though, there's not a terribly large amount of deviation from the path set out early on in the disc.? There's something about the vocal arrangements in "Cold" that make it stand out as a more memorable track, I can't quite place it.? It's definitely a little more musical than some of the others, but I think there's just something about the vocal melody that really sticks in your head.? Quite nice, really.? "Lost at Sea" is an older instrumental recording from 1999 with reverberating piano notes making up a very stripped down approach.? I'm not sure if that's more representative of Lundvall's past work or not, but I definitely enjoy the other compositions more in the grand scheme of this particular outing.? The recording is also very nice, as expected.? Smooth and billowy with perfect clarity and a full sense of resonance despite the fact that the work is really rather subdued in terms of overall volume and density.? The disc comes in a nice looking matte digipack with a few odd little paintings, also done by Lundvall, and minimal text credits.? Simple but effective... and hand-numbered in metallic silver ink out of 955 copies.? This is a nice little CD.? Definitely a little out of the ordinary, but an enjoyable journey that should appeal to the types of listeners familiar with some of the music that Strange Fortune deals with on the distribution side.
[Strange Fortune]
Running time - 46:40, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: It's Over Now, Last Light, Cold]
Strange Fortune - http://www.strangefortune.com
