Råd Kjetil Senza Testa
Vinlinden
Kalligrammofon
This collaborative debut from Sweden's Råd Kjetil & the Loving Eye of God and Orchestra Senza Testa is quite the enigmatic release given its unique perspective on the ambient genre. It's as if the creepy, digitized sounds of the early John Carpenter soundtracks found themselves mixed up with the earthy, natural sounds of Norway's Wardruna and somehow wound up as an otherworldly, out-of-body sonic experience. It's most evident on the first of the two tracks, "Flarkmyr'n" while second and final track "Orrvin över Nattmyrbäcken" offers a bleaker vision within the same realm. That said, the overall vibe of "Vinlinden" is one of an epic journey across vast expanses, where the natural sounds seem more implied rather than at the forefront of the compositions. This will appeal to anyone who likes to coil into their own headspace in order to travel to far off lands. Dark, ethereal ambience as nature wraps itself around the synthetic. An off-kilter bliss, almost.
- John Norby
