Crush String Collective - Aeriform [Barkhausen Recordings 003]

Put out on the circuit via the relatively fresh imprint Barkhausen Recordings as its cat.no 003 on February 14th, 2k22 is "Aeriform", the debut album release conceived by the Danish Crush String Collective. Being a group effort created by a self-proclaimed non-hierarchical ensemble of seven musicians all based within the realm of Chamber Music the twelve improvisations rolled out over the course of 39 minutes total playtime do reflect exactly that in a free floating context as they present an intimate gathering of string instruments - two violins, two violas and three cellos - and their players which have broken away from, not with, a realm of standardized notations and guided tempos to create a sonic realm spanning from tender and fragile, still somewhat (Neo)Classical-related atmospheric sequences of naturalistic and subtle, yet recognizably Nordic beauty to tentatively plucked strings and Minimal Music references as well as multi-layered, intentionally off-kilter dynamics and short intense shrieking outbursts which - like in many other releases of this nature - are can be both challenging, demanding or thrilling, depending on the listeners individual knowledge of and experience within the genre, yet might be even more intriguing if one experiences the Crush String Collective live on stage to build not only an audible but also visible connection which makes it way easier to follow the individual paths of each musician throughout each piece. One for a predominantly avantgarde-leaning audience, this.