Passed the obvious reference to films, Tonefilm
doesn’t seem to stick to any particular formula
or feed on any particular genre. Instead, Hans Appelqvist
acts as a compulsive sound collector, snatching anything
remotely interesting then cautiously adding it to his
oblique collage. Cinematic and melancholic, this album
evokes in turn long train journeys in the vast plains
of Scandinavia of the confined dark space of a small
projection room, as Appelqvist watches life go.
Hailing from the Southern town of Malmö, Sweden,
Hans Appelqvist released his first EP, The Xio Fang,
in 2001 on Komplott, after having spent a year in China.
Tonefilm, his first album, follows over a year
later, introducing a warmer, more mature sound. Close
to the sonorities of Four
Tet in the way Appelqvist assembles odd samples,
acoustic instrumentation and discreet electronic glitches
and noises, Tonefilm is defined by the recurrent
sound of a film projector, which seems to provide this
record with its only definite touch of concrete reality.
Reflecting on the very nature of films, Appelqvist simplifies
the interactions between each element to develop a fake
reality on which he has entire control. Yet the music
seems to continuously escape his influence, as if he
was a simple spectator of his own will. Built around
soft guitars, flutes and pianos, the ten tracks offer
apparently simple structures on which film samples acts
as beacons. Appelqvist alters the pace of his compositions,
flirting in turn with melancholic melodies and more
upbeat constructions, defying conventional electronic
forms to get close to more purist musical structures.
Sometime evoking the work of Michael Nyman or Yann
Tiersen, he offers a delicate alternative to the
mass assimilation of the electronic scene. If the upfront
sonic intrusion of De Fürgyller Varandras Slüt
reveals a more intense side to the man, Appelqvist still
cares for the intimate atmospheres experienced elsewhere
on this record by breaking the almost brutal soundscapes
with delicate piano lines. His approach to sound is
consistent all the way through, giving great cohesion
to this piece of work. The greatest quality of Tonefilm
remains its extreme accessibility. Not only Appelqvist’s
use of acoustic instrumentation gives this album a constant
human touch, but his complex melodic and rhythmic structures
are effortlessly put together and developed with great
attention to details, ensuring this album remains an
enjoyable experience from start to finish.
Continuing on Komplott’s tradition of releasing
music on a very small scale, only a thousand copies
of Tonefilm were pressed, and therefore it
remains a very rare and precious record. With his intriguing
collection of samples and beautiful melodies, Hans Appelqvist’s
first album is fascinating and evocative, and if Tonefilm
is anything to go by, it wouldn’t be surprising
to find the man scoring proper film music very soon.
4.4/5 |
