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$12 ($14 international, $5 download (256 kbps, ~75 megs)) : More info Track Listing: ørrestøv, savn, tukthusen, ny stein, eltavaag, trank:vill, den sorgfulle |
This is some fascinatingly
trippy, subtly textured and unpredictable music. Norwegian organization
of artists, filmmakers, painters and musicians making this ambient assemblage
of bells, drones, field recordings, krautrock percussion moments, noise,
sound, and lots of spacious atmospherics. Wind blows cold and ghostly guitar
fingers poke through the night air. Spirits call from a faraway beach,
as a crumpled up chewing gum wrapper from the 16th Century floats on the
air suspended but slowly falling through the simmering sunset melting into
the wide horizon. Spiders build a web out of folk songs and ancient cellular
memories. "Tukthusen" feels like some sort of Norwegian folk chant/song
with ringing acoustic guitar. "NY Stein" seems like a bleak grey noir soundtrack
of shimmering alien twilight, while "Eltavaag" is warm folksy and intimately
acoustic. I can hear a kinship to Pelt, Cerberus Shoal, Tower Recordings,
and Nurse With Wound, among others.
Fascinating, engrossing,
constantly shifting, mysterious and highly visual.
~ George Parsons, Dream
Magazine
Vardøgr is
the first domestic taste Americans had of Norway¹s Origami Arktika.
Part of the artistic collective Origami Republika, Origami
Arktika proposes a new twist
on the post-rock ethos. Keeping the ambient moods, melancholia-drenched
melodies and emphasizing the experimental leanings, the group has traded
the electric guitars for acoustic instruments from various countries (for
example, Irish fiddle, Iranian sazz, various percussion). Does it make
this music "post-folk"? Labels aside, Vardøgr is a mesmerizing
piece of work culled from live recordings. Everything runs very quiet,
with ambient sounds playing as important a part as the musicians involved.
Slow build-ups, no build-ups, traditional songs ("Tukthusen"), scary improvs
("Trank:vill") thanks to screechy microtonal string playing), this album
re-invents the word "atavistic." A casual listen gives the impression of
an amateur group aiming for post-grunge pomposity. You need to give the
album all the attention you got, allow it to suck you in.
That's where the magic happens,
that's when you become aware of the number of instruments used and of how
Origami Arktika blends ambient acoustic drones with tribal drumming. There
is something ritualistic at play that renders the distinction between composition
and improvisation useless. Vardøgr is not a joyride, but
it¹s a striking listen.
~ François Couture,
All Music Guide
The press sheet for this
record claims that Origami Arktika are the Norwegian branch of a worldwide
artists' collective called Origami Republika. I'm not sure just how far
across the world this collective may stretch, though the Arktika branch
recorded Vardogr between Vancouver and Warsaw. Perhaps because I
read this, I feel a truly pan-global atmosphere to the churning ambiance
on this disc. Origami Arktika play dark droning psychedelia that combines
experimental electronics with sparse guitars. Some light percussion and
piano makes an appearance, and there is a delicate use of chimes. The electronics
are a lot closer to (?)rh Band than Merzbow; nothing is really harsh, but
rather atmospheric, and buried in layers of echo. The longest piece, "trank:vill",
opens with what sounds like bowed strings, though it may be processed electronics.
It could be an outtake from one of Pelt's noisiest moments, as Origami
Arktika share the rural/alien soundscape aesthetic at times. Some of the
pieces feel improvised, or at least loosely structured, though other pieces
are definitely "songs". "Tukthusen" is a traditional Norwegian song, arranged
in the dark Origami Arktika mold, and the droning is layered thick like
paste, drowning the tune in a haze of Norwegian mountain air. The closing
song is a creeping, pulsing folkie bit that leaves me with a sense of unease,
yet strangely provides the record with a great sense of closure. Recommended.
10/12
~ Tom Eigen, Fakejazz.com
I think I might be genetically
predisposed to like Origami Arktika's music. Like the band, my family is
Norwegian, and though I wasn't exactly instilled with an appreciation for
Norwegian art at a young age (aside from those buxom figureheads on Viking
ships, I never even saw an example of Norwegian art until my late teens),
I've got a soft spot for almost any bleak, wintry, darkly comic trifle
those herring-hungry gloomsters churn out. So it's with some reservation
that I recommend to you Vardogr -- a bleak, wintry and perhaps even darkly
comic trifle from Norway. Origami Arktika comprises members of the Norwegian
art collective Origami Republika. Origami Republika seems a bit like the
Upright Citizens Brigade crossed with Elephant 6, if Elephant 6 worshipped
Suicide and John Cage instead of British psychedelia, and the UCB incorporated
more nudity and sex acts into their pranks. Live, Origami Arktika resort
to tried-and-true performance art tactics (setting stuff on fire, running
around naked, painting their bodies) in order to create a confrontational
yet synergistic rapport between the audience and themselves. On record,
they're considerably more demure. Vardogr isn't confrontational
or even engaging. You have to make an effort to concentrate on it or each
track will send your mind off on a different tangent. The album gets off
to a portentous start with "orretstov" -- a single piano note played over
and over while feedback fades in and out and wind chimes, cymbals and what
sounds like a toy xylophone clamor intermittently in the background. It's
oddly relaxing, and every time I hear it I think the wind chimes are outside
my window. The band keep the party going with "Savn", which begins with
a twangy slide guitar of the sort that might accompany an eerily quiet
desert scene in an old Western. Faint white noise whooshes behind the guitar
and, later, a slow, ominous martial drum beat kicks in. It sounds like
something's about to happen, and in the next track, something does -- a
guy starts singing. His voice is pleasant and homely, and even though the
words are probably Norwegian, the simple Oriental vocal melody along with
the chiming accompaniment and the singer's mumbling, "what the hell language
is that?" delivery plant the song somewhere in the Far East. From there
onward, Vardogr is all over the place -- a few songs are desolate
as Norway's windblown, mountainous terrain, while others are startling
and harsh, with grating industrial noises that seem to place them in an
urban setting. This is dark, depressing music, but it's leavened somewhat
by occasional glimmers of light, as well as what I imagine (perhaps erroneously)
to be the band's sense of humor. Origami Arktika don't exactly crack jokes
(unless the Scandinavian sense of humor is even darker and weirder than
I thought), but if they play this stuff live while naked and covered in
bodypaint, they can't be all doom and gloom.
~ Scott Jacobson, Splendid
It is not likely that you'll
be hearing the "music" of Origami Arktika on your local radio station anytime
soon. This Norwegian band isn't playing for any particular audience. Instead,
they are creating music for the pure art of creation. The compositions
on the curiously titled Vardogr are accidental, strange, eerie,
sparse, and definitely not what the average person would consider music
to be. Raleigh, NC-based Silber Records is presenting challenging and eclectic
music... for those curious enough to seek it out and listen. We're always
up for a challenge... and we openly embrace the idea of noise and sound
presented as music. Accordingly, we find this album to be perplexing and
genuine... the work of a group of fellows who obviously are, first and
foremost, interested in pushing the boundaries of their creativity. Worth
seeking out for those with truly open minds, this album features seven
tricky cuts... including "Orretstov," "Eltavaag," and "Den Sorgfulle Sjomann."
Obtuse stuff to be certain... Rating: 4++
~ Babysue
The CD lasts around the 40-minute
mark and it has a definite traditional feel to it. The tracks are very
mellow and slow in tempo. There is a lot strange sound experimentation
going on throughout the album and several pieces have that Pink Floyd Saucerful
of Secrets noise going on. 'Ny Stein' is one such track, The majority
of this 4.22 minute piece is guitar gliss and cymbal work as well as other
obscure sound creation. 'Eltavaag' on the other hand is a very mellow acoustic
guitar track. It has an element of the strange as well and the background
sound is quite haunting. There is a lot of percussion on here as well,
and that also reoccurs throughout the CD. Origami Arktika use what sounds
like an array of different instruments. They range from bowed instruments
to things that you beat with sticks. From things that you pluck to things
that you do not pluck. They are all in there doing their bit. I can definitely
hear things being dropped on to the floor on the track 'Trank:vill'. This
piece is crazed and is very much in the mould of the aforementioned Pink
Floyd vein as well as element of Jorge Reyes's ambient noise stuff. Just
beware if listening through headphones because 'Trank:vill' has some deafening
moments when some sort of drum is being pounded mercilessly. Very strange
and very Pink Floyd. Origami Arktika show on Vardogr that they are
more into the noise elements rather than the music elements. There is a
couple of songs on here that have singing and there are a few acoustic
things but that is it. The rest is just noise. I found it interesting but
nothing ground breaking.
~ Albert Pollard, Aural
Innovations
Origami Arktika bring Norwegian
minimalism to US ... experimental/ambient minimalists Origami Arktika...
this week released their first album domestically for the US courtesy of
the folks at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Silber Records. Titled Vardøgr
(English: forewarning), the new seven track, 42 minute set touches on spooky
folk music à la Japan’s Maher Shalal Hash Baz, anti-melodic &
arrhythmic soundscapes, and hyper-dynamic, random, ambient improvisations
- some tracks combining elements of all three ... Vardøgr
is not particularly musical or coherent, but it is very fucking odd and
rather enjoyable just for that. Live, the band enhance their musical twists
& turns with slides, films, nudity, body paint, fire, and audience
interaction - the flavor of which can’t come through on a CD. But OA do
get around, bringing their performance art to a global audience. Their
new LP, for example, was tracked over the past few years during visits
to Vancouver, Canada (where they worked wiith Dead Voices On Air’s Mark
Spybey); Warsaw and Wroclaw, Poland; and Røyspytten, Snippen, and
Oslo, Norway ... If you enjoy albums that take you away, leave you more
edgy than comfortable, and are meant to be enjoyed in the dark or in the
altered state of your choice, Origami Arktika’s Vardøgr may be just
your cup of meat. Three bites out of five (captivating).
~ Rockbites
This disc and the websites
associated with it, make me realize that I have not travelled enough in
my lifetime. There is so much yet I do not know, especially about
other countries, other experiences and perspectives of life and this planet.
You see, Origami Arktika are a sort of artist's collective. They
are a branch of a larger collective called Origami Republika. The
artists involved are not just musicians, but artists of invention, subversion,
deconstruction and reconstruction. What fascinates me about Origami
Arktika is that in their revolutionary play, they do not denounce their
ancestors nor their country, but incorporate tradition in a respectful
way, all the while setting old tradition in the context of new technology
and thought. It's a fascinating texture that arises from this process,
a texture of stark beauty, tactile hope, and transcendent melancholy.
Part of the reason the disc
reminds me that I need to travel more, is it makes me wonder what it's
like to ride on a bus or train through the landscapes in which this music
was created. Certainly, the music calls them to mind with success,
but the music makes me hungry for the real physical experience of the landscapes,
just as, I imagine, the recordings of Hank Williams would make someone
in Norway perhaps hungry for the real physical landscapes of Texas.
An interesting side note
was included with the promotional material for this disc. The quote
is from one of the members of Origami Arktika. His name is Rune Flaten,
and this is what he had to say about the recordings:
"Vardogr is an old Norse
word, meaning forewarning, almost an omen. When you hear the door
opening some time before it does, when you know someone is going to call
you before they do. This is made by a spirit, something which follows
people around and projects their coming. It is a protective spirit,
and a promise of things to come."
His description, combined
with these sounds, creates a delightful sense of mystery and elegance.
Definitely find this disc and let all of your senses experience it.
Clatters and flutters, hauntings and drones. Wide open spaces and
plaintive cries. This is experimental music at its most wonderful.
~ Saint Petrol, Starvox
Riche de toutes les facettes
déjà explorées, Vardogr est un album ouvertement plus
acoustique que ses prédécesseurs, où les chansons
ne se cachent plus derrière les étirements ambient électroniques
de Faqul ni dans les réverbérations mystiques de Fantomlust.
La base instrumentale (guitares, percussions diverses...) est revendiquée
et la musique se déploie en un folk (parfois presque country) crépusculaire
et dépouillé, épuré à l'extrême.
Seuls quelques environnements
sonores, quelques traitements ténus mais surtout un chant simple
(là où la voix était incantatoire) viennent se glisser
pour appuyer une immédiateté paisible, un équilibre
trouvé dans le dénuement. La prise de son exceptionnelle
(elle vaut ici tous les effets du monde !) laisse entendre tous les gestes
discrets, les hésitations et les fautes et rappelle que cet équilibre
est comme celui de Angels of Light ou Will Oldhman : extrêmement
fragile, fugitif et soumis à l'inquiétude (qui perce toujours
dans Vardogr), qu'il est le fruit d'une exploration complexe et constante.
A ce titre, Vardogr est un disque touchant, dont l'essence devient plus
mystérieuse à mesure qu'elle se découvre.
~ Naninani
Riche de toutes les facettes
déjà explorées, Vardøgr est un album
ouvertement plus acoustique que ses prédécesseurs, où
les chansons ne se cachent plus derrière les étirements ambient
électroniques de Faqul ni dans les réverbérations
mystiques de Fantomlust. La base instrumentale (guitares, percussions diverses...)
est revendiquée et la musique se déploie en un folk (parfois
presque country) crépusculaire et dépouillé, épuré
à l'extrême. Seuls quelques environnements sonores, quelques
traitements ténus mais surtout un chant simple (là où
la voix était incantatoire) viennent se glisser pour appuyer une
immédiateté paisible, un équilibre trouvé dans
le dénuement. La prise de son exceptionnelle (elle vaut ici tous
les effets du monde !) laisse entendre tous les gestes discrets, les hésitations
et les fautes et rappelle que cet équilibre est comme celui de Angels
of Light ou Will Oldham : extrêmement fragile, fugitif et soumis
à l'inquiétude (qui perce toujours dans Vardøgr),
qu'il est le fruit d'une exploration complexe et constante. A ce titre,
Vardøgr
est un disque touchant, dont l'essence devient plus mystérieuse
à mesure qu'elle se découvre."
~ Fear Drop