Alog
was formed in the basement of a kindergarten, turned
into a studio at night, in Tromso. After spending years
in a multitude of bands, both Espen Sommer Eide, 29,
and Dag-Are Haugan, 31, were working on solo projects
when they met in 1997. Following the release of their
first album, Red Swift Swing in 1999, on Rune
Grammofon, the duo developed a live technique allowing
them to tour extensively in their native Norway and
beyond. Duck-Rabbit was born of after show
improvisation sessions, and was later on reworked and
completed in studio.
Borrowed from Gestalt psychology, the term duck-rabbit
describes an ambiguous drawing that can be identified
either as a duck or a rabbit, but not simultaneously.
Applying this concept to their musical context, Eide
and Haugan create ever changing rhythmic and harmonic
structures based on found sounds, samples, electronic
distortions and other instruments, such as trumpets,
flutes, guitars or percussions. Their infinitely abstract
and complex ambiences continuously evolve in multiple
directions, challenging the brain to follow each diverging
line concurrently. Duck-Rabbit avoids all classification
thanks to a constant regeneration of sound. Although
the compositions seem slightly more linear than on Red
Swift Swing, they are also less contrived. The
bare emotions of the original improvisations transcend
the framework by adding a constant flow of unexpected
elements, including processed voices, to the soundscape,
giving their music an utterly organic feel. Combining
their radically different approach to sound, Espen works
with digital structures while Dag-Are develops them
with analog equipment, Alog create beautifully chilled
atmospheric moments all the way through. Heavily influenced
by the likes of Biosphere
or Deathprod, Alog
also draw inspiration from the work of contemporary
Nordic jazz artists to overcome the limitations of the
genre, pursuing the sonic exploration instigated on
their previous album. Tracks such as Islands Of
Memory, Objects Began To Appear From The Future,
Duck-Rabbit, Your Secret Flesh or
As Complicated And As Beautiful As Always are
as many manifestations of the polymorphic talent of
the band, as they gracefully proceed into uncharted
territories.
Duck-Rabbit is a challenging record and a continuously
renewed and rewarding listening experience. The music
is elaborated, intense and organic, electronic and yet
terribly human. Alog are setting new standards in contemporary
music and extend the usual sonic lexicon to new extremes.
5/5 |
