Strings & TimpaniStrings & Timpani

It feels important to detail such background or pre-history because with repeated listening it becomes apparent that the current album is very good indeed. It even seems to represent a perfect example of that mythical moment when a band or recording unit suddenly steps up a notch and creates a truly unforgettable piece of work. Recorded partly at a strikingly successful live performance at Bergen’s Nattjazz festival in 2016, and partly at Broen Studio in Bergen-where it was also mixed-in2020, the album has an absolutely total attention to sonic detail. With the sound mastered by legendary producer Jorgen Træen, there’s an impressive concern with getting exactly the right effect that suggests an epic, and epically expansive, magnum opus production from a major label rather than a cutting-edge low-budget indie. And while the music is sufficiently sophisticated to nod knowingly to any number of disparate styles or references, it remains sharply focused and contemporary throughout.