Stein Urheim - Utopian Tales [Hubro Music]

Recently put on the circuit via the Norwegian Hubro Music imprint is "Utopian Tales", the new, late-summer released album effort by Bergen's Stein Urheim who has worked with quite a bunch of fellow musicians on this one. Starting into the ten track journey with "Ustopia - Part One" we enter a beautiful, romantic realm located somewhat in between innocent Folk and slighty off-kilter slide guitar works following a microtonal scale which can be seen as one of the albums main themes. The follow up "Mikrotonia" comes across with a most classic - and classy - Ambient tonality for floating along its sonic traces in cosy ChillOut areas, "Just Intonation Island" brings more of a fever'ish and dreamlike state of slightly Tribal-infused hypnosis stretched over 8+ minutes to a thrilling effect, pairing these vibes with retrofuturist tones of seemingly modular origin, "Letter From Walden Two" fuses deep, bluesy Americana with a well spaced BarJazz approach and "Trouble In Carnaticala" digs even deeper when it comes to great Jazz vibes, this time with echoes of what seem to be influences of Bossa and SpaceRock. Furthermore "Hear The People Sing" turns towards a twisted, yet beautiful take on campfire-infused Americana within a mere 134 seconds, "The Clown" brings on the first vocal cut on "Utopian Tales", an ethereal dream in pastel coloured melancholia built from both elements of Singer / Songwriter'esque ballads and autumnal DreamJazz, "The Selegrend Movement" is more of an Easy Listening / Exotica-flavored interlude whereas "Ustopia - Part Two" picks up where part one stopped vibewise whilst adding more blurred and slightly psychedelic vocal bits before the concluding cut "Pala" waves goodbye with a tender solo take on dreamy guitars and a bit of a late summer feel. Lovely.

Album artwork on Instagram!