Jordsjø is a Norwegian duo consisting of the talented dudes that are Håkon Oftung (Black Magic, Tusmørke) and Kristian Frøland. Folowing a string of demo releases, these guys decided to craft a full-length album consisting of 7 interesting tunes that are a warm, lively, and vibrant mixture of 70s prog rock with lots of flute to it, avantgarde music, minimalistic rock, and old German synth music dating from the glorious 70s.

 

We are dealing with an eclectic mix here, but to a large extent it actually works. The songs strike a good balance between the abstract and the introspective, and on top of that the great and reflective lyrics go hand in hand with the moods and atmospheres of the music rather nicely. To some extent, Jordsjø is not that different to the Norwegian prog rockers Wobbler with respect to the clever arrangements and how the natural flow of the tunes are at times broken up by some unexpected twists and turns that have been thrown into the pot for good measure, which is pretty cool.

 

There are loads of melancholic passages on display on the record and the entire soundscape has a lot of depth, tone, and substance to it, but a couple of the compositions lack identity and memorable moments. Still, if prog rock with a strong folky (and at times pastoral) vibe to it sounds interesting then by all means check "Jord" out as it is a moving and ethereal experience.

 

https://jordsjo.bandcamp.com/album/jord