Christian Meeas Svendsen - Body Of Sound - Body Of Music [Nakama Records 024]

Put out on the circuit via the Norwegian Nakama Records label on February 26th, 2k24 is "Body Of Sound - Body Of Music", the latest full length album release by double bass player Christian Meeas Svendsen. Following the concept of treating his instrument with several bows at the same time whilst having sensitive microphones placed on several parts of his own body Christian Meeas Svendsen presents an extended, 72+ minutes spanning body of work comprised of four long-form pieces, opening with the highly dramatic multi-bow movements of "Emerging Body" providing a stark contrast to the calm, organic and ever present low frequency foundation of this specific cut which is subsequently followed by "Restless Body", an excursion into experimental double bass techniques including scraping, plucking and more physically straining treatments of the instrument as a whole. Furthermore "Concealed Body" provides hints of nocturnal melancholia buried deep within eerie layers of ominous off-harmonics, unsettling tonal shifts and an overall focus on the low frequency end of what a bowed double bass can provide before drifting off into surprisingly rhythmic x percussive minimalisms whereas "Joyful Body" turns out to be the albums climax, catering an in parts straining and nerve-wrecking sonic workout in form of raw brooding and apocalyptic drones as well as intense, almost violent bowing excesses and spine-tingling atmospheres, alarming rhythm signatures triggering basic survival instincts of one's primeval brain alongside indecipherable high pitch communication signals leaking into our reality from the outerworld before slowly vanishing from our plane of existence. Quite a fascinating and multi-layered journey, this.