Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - Many [Hubro Music]

Has it been four years already since the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble released their latest album on Hubro Music ? Time seems to fly these days but now the group is back with a new muscial outing, the seven tracks and 40 minutes spanning "Many" - a new excursion into a sonic dreamworld of undeniably Nordic origin with the opening tune "Oh Gorge" fusing an array of crystalline percussions and plucked guitars with most beautiful strings to create a womb-like, comforting and time dissolving realm whilst the subsequent "50/80" indulges in romantic, tender, Piano-led JazzNoir with a late summer sunset feel of sorts and "Danszaal" employs a lively, yet stumbling, repetition-based and ever uplifting take on what could be an ancient, traditional formal dance infused with cascading brass and piano motifs for a modernist twist. Furthermore "Abysm" indulges deeply in score'esque, panoramic Ambient melancholia, "Staccotta" presents 104 seconds of hammering pianos and warped tones whereas the albums main piece "El Johnton" manages to maintain a classic Yacht / AOR resembling piano vibe over the course of roughly four minutes before setting course for full on experimental, minimalistic and probably improvised territories for an extended, well unexpected break but manages to return to its original vibe after an additional six minutes whilst the final "Dialect" presents Jazz pulses following the rhythm of a telephone line for a high class closing. Nice.

Album artwork on Instagram!