Stephan Meidell - Metrics [Hubro Music]

Fresh from the Norwegian label Hubro Music comes "Metrics", the second full length solo album released by guitarist Stephan Meidell who is dealing with a totally different musical level on this one, piling up a variety of metric and tonal layers to create a unique musical language that sometimes seems chaotic but provides a thrill to those on the outlook for the unexpected. Based on a foundation of guitars, drum machine, no-input mixer, tape machine and synths and the help of fellow musicians like Magda Mays, Erlend Apneseth or Stefan Lindvall and others providing assistance on Hardanger fiddle, baroque violin, prepared piano and more tracks like the opening "Baroque I" are bridging between clearly recognizable early noughties Electronica and a more mystic, medieval atmopshere whilst the successing "Baroque II" fuses ritualistic, percussion-resembling aspects with heavy subs and a feel of nature-bound peace and calm. The three subsequent takes "State I / II / III" take us from sci-fi robo dancefloors and hyperprecise Industrial Electronica to a more scenic, blurred and multilayered middle part before things get surprisingly organic in a deep, stripped down and beautiful take on PostRock and Indietronics. With "Biotop" the 12+ minutes spanning main track of "Metrics" starts out on a Clicks'n'Cuts resembling tip with an arrangement of individually and digitally shaped percussive bits, later accompanied by lonely guitar strikes and a slow, clockwork-like 4/4 bassdrum as well as dithering clarinets to alter our perception of space and time and totally dissolve the n-dimensioned reality our senses usually provide whilst "Tauchgang", the final cut on this album, combines a brooding, slo-mo beat structure, short distorted Noize-eruptions and a score'esque eerieness that surely is able to provide nightmares for the mentally instable. Nice one.

Album artwork on Instagram!