Espen Sommer Eide - The Waves [Sofa Music]

Released via the Norwegian staple Sofa Music on November 15th, 2k19 is "The Waves", the first full on solo album created by acclaimed artist / composer Espen Sommer Eide which we've already announced on these pages with a feature for the album opening track "Slaapkamer" at the end of last year. Brought to life in conjunction with Martin Taxt and Mari Kvien Brunvoll throughout a yearlong recording session in an old villa in Maastricht, Netherlands which has been turned into an arts centre the recordings on this album do not only happen within the building but use the space and single rooms in itself to add certain individual textures, oftentimes in conjunction with Spoken Word text collages taken from the works of authors like Virginia Woolf and others. With this approach, the second cut "Schouwkamer" presents itself as a tender amalgamation of crackling textures, echoes of Field Recordings and intense, yet harmonic layers of klaxon'esque drones in conjunction with blurred, ethereal female vocals somewhat reminiscent of band projects like Peaking Lights, "Poortkamer / Tussenkamer" weighs in what might be referred to as Post Folk / Post Chamber Music with its intimate, short looped, pure and naturalistic structures seamlessly transitioning into the raw, crackling Electronica / CutUp realm of "Zolder" which is seemingly based, at least in parts, on sounds taken from old telecommunication equipment and clanging wood and metal pieces alongside ambient'ish string works. Furthermore the double feature "Balzaal / Turnkamer" indulges deeply in Folk-infused, misty Leftfield Pop with an innocent, uplifting and somewhat björk'esque twist, "Wintertuin" continues on the path of its predecessor with more ethereal vocals, deep, brooding bass eruptions and a sacred, spiritual atmosphere of sorts whereas the closing cut "Wachtkamer" waves goodbye with a bunch of Spoken Word album credits which defo is a killer idea for a concluding track. Go check!

Album artwork on Instagram!