Propan - Swagger [Sofa Music]

Put out on the CD circuit via the long standing Norwegian imprint that is Sofa Music on May 27, 2k22 with the vinyl version set to follow on August 8th,2k22 is "Swagger", the new, eleven tracks strong longplay outing conceived by the duo Propan consisting of Ina Sagstuen and Natali Abrahamsen Garner who realized this album, originally a piece commissioned by Femme Brutal in 2016, alongside a plethora of contributing guest musicians - or: Propanions, as they're called here. The result is a body of work spanning roughly 35 minutes which opens on a droning, otherworldy and yet deeply spiritual, almost sacred take on Ambient and Deep Listening Music, pairing solemn hums and atmospheres with tongue-in-cheek blips, playful and curious sequences, evolving towards somewhat retrofuturist electroacoustic arrangements evoking memories of minimalist Indietronica and echoes of what could be imaginary Future Tribal, presenting experimental crackles alongside human whispers and non-vocalisms buried deep within the mix along the way, all falling together in an amalgamated form that pays homage to early electronic music composition - think: Stockhausen, Daphne Oram or the BBC Radiophonic Workshop - as well as the oftentimes more playful and tentative approach brought forward by more contemporary artists like Felix Kubin or the now defunct Groenland Orchester or even drifts into dreamy, soft and almost Easy Listening-bordering territories with cuts like "B II" and the spaced out follow up that is "B III" for a surprising, yet well interesting twist. Defo a highly recommended album, yet one that requires multiple listening sessions to fully unfold and reveal all of its layers. Great stuff. Get.

Album artwork on Instagram!