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Huntsville: For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars
ByEven the sole guest appearance by Hanne Hukkelbord on the 19-minute title trackdelivering Navyelectre leader Jonas Howden Sjøvaag's spare lyrics in almost emotionless fashionis more cameo than full-on participation, the singer gone almost as soon as she arrives, over a two-chord vamp driven by a robotic electronic pulse. By the time Huntsville begins to really ramp up the sonics, Ivar Grydeland is creating a bevy of distinctly non-guitar-like tonalities over Tonny Kluften's thumping, arrhythmic heartbeat of a bass line, as percussionist Ingar Zach continues to push the relentless pulse forward...until, that is, the entire trio fades out almost entirely, for a brief moment of psychedelic stasis. Throbbing feedback and otherworldly textures continue to create a persistent drone, as Kluften veers in and out with his staggered pulse, the industrial extremes slowly morphing to the sound of a metronome which, if it doesn't exactly coalesce into form, does act like a lightning rod around which the trio rallies, slowly losing the rhythm entirely and fading to black, over the course of its final minutes, with Grydeland finally contributing simple, angular lines and chords that sound as close to his instrument as he ever gets.
The 29-second "For the Working Class" is a response, perhaps, to Huntsville's debut, For the Middle Class(Rune Grammofon, 2007), a lonely tabla directly referencing the stronger Indo-centricity of its previous releases, coupled with the group's curiously roots-informed place along the free improvising continuum. This time, Huntsville largely deserts both markers, going for a more persistently electric edge, doing so without ever kowtowing to convention. "Ear/Eye Connector," at nearly 13 minutes, is the other major piece on For Flowers, an atmospheric drone that nevertheless fluctuates in tone and timbre, strangely hypnotic as it leads to another long fadeout. Grydeland's heavily overdriven and outrageously processed guitar is at the forefront of the closing "Star Spangled Pillow, Zach's tumultuous drums strangely in the weeds of the mix, even as his cymbals dominate for nearly all of its five minutes as Kluften's bass underscoressimple, but perfect.
As cofounders of Sofaa Norwegian label of largely fearless free musicit's curious that Grydeland and Zach have chosen to keep Huntsville away from their own imprint. Equally intriguing is Hubro's decision to release this, and some of its other current titles, in vinyl only, with a CD version included but not available separately. It's a sign that the landscape is changing yet again, with experimental groups like Huntsville on the vanguard of a new kind of improvised music scene where noise may be a significant part of the landscape, but is still strangely appealingeven when played loud, as is appropriately recommended.
Track Listing
For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars; For the Working Class; Ear/Eye Connector; Star Spangled Pillow.
Personnel
Huntsville
band / ensemble / orchestraIvar Grydeland: guitars, banjo, effects; Tonnu Kluften: bass, effects; Ingar Zach: percussion, effects; Hanne Hukkelberg: vocal (1).
Album information
Title: For Flowers, Cars And Merry Wars | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Hubro Records
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Music Notes
Comments
About Huntsville
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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