Viktor Sjöberg
On a winter's day
Kalligrammofon
I'm not sure how many people would consider ambient music to be romantic, but I definitely think the best of it can be (depending on your definition of romance). Swedish instrumentalist Viktor Sjöberg must also think so. On the sleeve of this recording, he writes: "'On a winter's day' tells the story of living with the sweetest human being in the world. This music is an attempt to reflect this experience through acoustic guitar. The setting is Gothenburg, Sweden." It's quite charming to know this while listening, because rarely does quiet, minimal landscape music seem (at least overtly) to be inspired by love. Sjöberg's music is mostly built around processed guitar tones, and he sure makes them glow throughout this CD. There's often a distinct acoustic guitar in the mix, but sometimes the timbre of the instrument is almost unrecognizable. The standout track "Further variation" creates a spellbinding mood out of a simple repeating guitar interval, layered keyboards (or is that densely processed guitar?) and some lo-fi static. "24:00" is punctuated by muted snatches of trumpet and a bit of glitchy electronica, building on a rather mesmerizing airy drift that seems to commence about halfway through this record. The heartfelt title "The sensation of your head on my chest" and the truly blissful "Protect you from all evil" have that inner glow that the best ambient music offers the patient listener, reminiscent at times of Eno's early work. Other pieces such as "Something to be learned from a rain storm" favor Sjöberg's minimal guitar plucking and tend to be under three minutes long. This is not hi-tech stuff, and you have to be willing to go with its languorous drift to really appreciate it. But a peaceful heart beats within this music, and it has numerous moments of warmly enveloping ambient beauty.
- Kevin Renick
