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Reflections in Cosmo: Reflections in Cosmo
ByMoster provides insight into the origins of this ensemble, stating that "This band was initiated by Thomas and Ståle ... They have been releasing albums on Rune Grammofon under the name Humcrush for 15-years and they wanted to try out an expanded direction, both in terms of band members and references." Either way, the musicians' energized modus operandi may equate to some phantasmagorical notion of a musical Godzilla stomping its way through a busy metropolis.
With Hans Magnus Ryan's howling guitar lines, Stale Storløkken's spacey and at times, ravaging clusters atop the rhythm section's shock and awe groove enactments and Moster's tornadic phrasings, the quartet unleashes a galactic punch. On pieces such as "Cosmic Hymn," the band's torrid free jazz stylizations are contrasted by bizarre sound-sculpting treatments and Strønen's power-packed drumming. Yet "Perpetuum Immobile," is designed with a wavering pulse, augmented by a huge wall of sound and slinky bass notes. Here, the ensemble is seemingly firing missiles into the netherworld, partly due to the keyboardist's sweeping organ passages and unwieldy noise-shaping metrics. No doubt, it's a boisterous soundscape.
"Reflections in Cosmo" is a frisky jaunt, armed with a polyrhythmic foundation and Moster's reverberating tenor sax phrasings. Other movements bask in streaming EFX and flourishing themes, often structured with an irrefutable sense of urgency or when Strønen is pounding out a simple rock pulse as a forum for Ryan's gritty guitar heroics. Ultimately, the artists accomplish quite a bit in a relatively short timeframe. It's an invigorating mind trip from start-to-finish, centered on a highly entertaining form-factor!
Track Listing
Cosmosis; Ironhorse; Cosmic Hymn; Balklava; Perpetuum Immobile; Fuzzstew; Reflections in Cosmo.
Personnel
Kjetil Møster: saxophones; Hans Magnus Ryan: guitar; Ståle Storløkken: keyboards; Thomas Strønen: drums.
Album information
Title: Reflections in Cosmo | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: RareNoiseRecords
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Reflections in Cosmo
CD/LP/Track Review
Kjetil Moster
Glenn Astarita
hubtone PR
RareNoiseRecords
Bill Laswell