LEAGUS – Flora Eallin

This exquisitely crafted stroke of musical excellence is undoubtedly one of the most unique and deeply emotive albums that I have come across in quite a while. With its shimmering beauty and seemingly endless musical textures, the talented duo from Tromsø have joined forces with the North Norwegian Jazz Ensemble and created something that transcends norms and conventions while also defying classification.

Does Flora Eallin exist somewhere between melancholy jazz-inspired music with ambient touches and subtle flashes of Americana, electronica, down beat, and singer-songwriter music? To be perfectly frank, I have no idea. What I do know is that these dynamic compositions tug at the heartstrings and contain light and darkness in more or less equal measure, and there is not a single track on this disc that leaves me feeling anything less than genuinely moved. While some pieces are sassy, uplifting, and playful, others are slightly bleak and end on a rather gloomy note, but that only goes to show how diverse and unpredictable this stately opus is. Soothing and gentle one moment only to throw a curveball at you and slide into groovy rock territory thirty seconds later – there is nothing ordinary or run of the mill about this record. The pristine-sounding production is flawless too.

Leagus have built something original and engrossing that lends itself well to your introspective moments, and the open-minded listeners will find much to digest and cherish here. Brilliant and addictive stuff.