That Alog was formed in the basement of a kindergarten
in Tromsø is just no little irony of life. Although
they have, in the course of three critically acclaimed
albums for Rune Grammofon, investigated a wide range
of soundscapes, ambiences and styles, which has in turned
placed them at the forefront of Norwegian contemporary
acts alongside Biosphere,
Kim Hiorthøy
or Deathprod, their
approach remains far more playful and unpredictable
than most of their piers.
Formed by Espen Sommer Eide and Dag-Are Haugan almost
ten years ago, Alog have constantly relied on a combination
of electronic elements, found sounds and real instrumentations,
allowing their music to grow in unexpected directions
with every new composition. Catch That Totem!
collects odds and sods recordings made by the band in
various circumstances together with hard to find EP
tracks and remixes. The sheer variety of tone help grasp
what Alog are about in finer details than their regular
albums could ever manage to.
Everything from ordinary guitar chords to the actual
recording of a computer crash via the complete re-engineering
of a track by Swiss band Velma or a phone message left
on Haugan’s voicemail by Kim
Hiorthøy becomes part of this exhilarating
collection. The pair are seen pushing the boundaries
of their respectable sonic grounds well beyond expectations,
wiping out the serious aspect of their work once and
for all. The only thing Alog are serious about is the
volatile and playful spirit of their music.
The moment that surely sums up the band’s attitude
best is the totally futile, yet essential Hej, Vart
Blev Det Av DAT’en, Kim?, which translates
as ‘Hi, where did the DAT tap go, Kim?’.
The track was originally planned as a remix for one
of Kim Hiorthøy’s
compositions taken from his 2000 Hei! album.
As the DAT went missing, the pair simply fast-forwarded
through the entire album, recorded the result, added
Hiorthøy’s
phone message and regurgitated the lot into a rather
intriguing, if surprisingly melodic, series of chopped-up
atmospheres, noises and bleeps. Equally, the daunting
series of syncopated abrasive tones around which Sunrise
Tattoo evolves are at once puzzling, threatening
and stimulating. Elsewhere, the pair appear to remains
closer to conventional musical forms. Just Recording,
which opens the album, grows from a multitude of overlapping
chimes into subtle melodic structure based around a
strummed guitar and a piano, with layers of sampled
vocals applied to distract the ear. Theme From Toads,
which was originally recorded as part of the soundtrack
for the short film Toads by British director
Phillip Mullarkey, is a gentle bleepey composition that
imperceptibly rises and expands over three minutes,
while Dog Dive, which was featured on a 2002
compilation released on (K-RAA-K)3, is perhaps one of
Alog’s most straightforward compositions.
If Catch That Tottem! sounds shambolic and
disjointed, it is totally on purpose and only serves
to highlight Alog’s extensive scope, from tranquil
melodic formations to complex sound experiments. Eide
and Haugan have, in the eight years they have been collaborating,
pushed the boundaries of experimentation in electronic
music and uncovered an impressive array of new playgrounds
upon which they have constantly thrived. Catch That
Tottem! is the thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining
diary of this unusual journey through sound.
4.7/5 |
