ERLAND DAHLEN – Racoons

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://erlanddahlen.bandcamp.com/album/racoons Talk about being overwhelmingly surprised by something that turns out to be so much cooler and more captivating than anticipated – yes, that is exactly what this original and uniquely crafted LP by legendary drummer Erland Dahlen (Madrugada, Stian Westerhus, Nils Petter Molvær Group) is. How to describe this evocative…

WAKING DREAMS – Sliding Lines

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://thewakingdreams.bandcamp.com/album/sliding-lines My good friend Otto-Egil (Apollon Records) recently handed me a copy of this deeply evocative, emotionally charged, and beautifully written album by the duo known as Waking Dreams, which features the amazing and utterly haunting vocals of Angela Chambers, and I am forever grateful to him for doing so.  …

MELT MOTIF – Particles. Death Objective

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://meltmotif.bandcamp.com/album/particles-death-objective The brilliant Norwegian/Brazilian purveyors of melancholic textures and soundscapes known as Melt Motif impressed me greatly last year by means of their uniquely crafted A White Horse Will Take You Home. This latest slice of experimental excellence sounds like the logical next step, or the natural successor to the aforementioned…

LEAGUS – Flora Eallin

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://leagus.bandcamp.com/ 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…