"The black sun transmissions". It's a pretty typical dark ambient / drone album title, isn't it? Thankfully, this latest [and last, apparently -ed.] full length by Swede Dag Rosenqvist isn't pretty typical at all, building on the promise of his previous efforts which, to these ears at least, fell well short of the originality mark. This is five tracks of uneasy instrumentalism channelled through the psyche of someone who knows how to instil a subconscious fear into the listener. From its disturbing, psychological mind mess opening, it waxes and wanes and meanders through a variety of eerie soundscapes and emotions to arrive at a passage of heartbreaking beauty in closing track "White birds". The only way to listen to this and experience its full effect is through a good set of headphones. Any other way is sacrilege. Rosenqvist really has hit the nail on the head this time around. - John Norby
Swedish experimental label has announced the following releases for later this year:
Neghantil - tba (2xCS/box) Jasper TX - The black sun transmissions (CD/mp3) The Cray Twins (SCO) - The pier (CD/mp3) I Am A Vowel (UK) - Body curves 7"
There are other 7" projects in the works as well, along with an album from international artist Paul Baran and a new Göteborg-focused cassette compilation.
Ambient music is one of those genres that's increasingly mirroring the Swedish melodic death metal scene. Not in terms of style, of course, rather in terms of complete oversaturation and lack of variation. You know the score: there's a mountain of bands, all doing the exact same things to varying degrees of success, yet only a handful have the presence of mind and ability to rise above the masses and output something really special -- or original, for that matter. Jasper TX falls into the category of those who ply the trade well but fail to do anything really noteworthy. That said, Swede Dag Rosenqvist, is to be commended for his commitment to the world of cinematic ambience, but it must also be pointed out that there's nothing really going on that hasn't been done a gazillion times before. "Singing stones" is like an IKEA table: it does the job, but every other table in every other IKEA is exactly the same -- more or less -- and half the population has one. A Jonas Bohlin table may be a little less accessible and may take more time to construct, but the end result is far more unique and enjoyable and it stands out from the crowd. Yes, "Singing stones" is a good album and is well put together. But the fact that, with very few exceptional moments, it sounds pretty much like every other ambient/cinematic project out there means it's pretty pointless even checking it out if you already have a heap of this type of music. For a first time buyer, however, it's a good introduction. Then, when you hear all the other bands that sound the same you can say, "They just sound like Jasper TX." Swings and roundabouts, I suppose. - John Norby
Swedish label made a mix for Fluid Radio featuring various cuts from their catalogue (Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Jasper TX, etc.), a few upcoming things (such as Neghantil) and also a selection of other artists they like (Coil, Psychic TV): http://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2010/02/fang-bomb-iso-sequence-2/
As an interested and curious listener, I feel lost sometimes when I discover new kinds of music. Often I'd like to hear more but don't know where to look further, even in the times of myspace and mp3-blogs and especially for such marginal music as experimental electronica where the web's oversupply of information tends to thin out. That's why I'm grateful to the people at Fang Bomb: They've already done all the digging, filtering and compiling for me to produce "Gothenburg 08", a sampler aimed to showcase Gothenburg's current electronic and experimental scene. The ten tracks presented here span a very wide bridge from Porn Sword Tobacco's almost over-enjoyable post-muzak to Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words' eponymously gloomy and demanding layers of noise. Most of the compilation oscillates between drones and slowly developing ambient pieces though, which creates an almost album-like feel throughout. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in electronic music that is ambitious, complex and accessible at the same time. The compilation's large bandwidth make it the ideal introduction to the different featured artists -- you just have to pick your favorite and look out for their future work. - Arnulf Köhncke
Jasper TX
Jasper TX
Various Artists
