Brought together by a common musical vision, Norwegian
bass player Eivind Opsvik and American guitarist and
multi-instrumentist Aaron Jennings have produced with
Fløyel Files a delicate and enduring
piece of work. All throughout this record, the pair
combine acoustic and electric instruments with samplers
and various electronic devices to build a series of
intricate sonic constructions with strong evocative
undercurrents.
Opsvik, a classically trained musician who has released
a couple of solo albums, the most recent, Overseas
II last year, and Jennings met seven years ago
after they both decided to move to New York, and this
is their first album together. Recorded between 2003
and 2004, Fløyel Files appears at once
experimental and extremely accessible. While the pair
use complex sound formations all the way through, with
acoustic and electronic elements tightly woven together,
they also pay great care at developing proper melodic
structures, often layering recurring themes across the
course of a track and breaking it into small sections
to give it more substance. Tracks such as Thread,
which opens the album, Aaron’s Hat, Still
The Tiger Town or Mello Vibro are incredibly
detailed, luxurious and evocative.
Often juxtaposing upbeat moments and more introvert
structures, the pair appear to build a narrative theme
over the course of Fløyel Files, with
each track in some ways relating to another elsewhere
on the record, often by way of soundscapes echoing each
other or close melodic patterns. Yet, each track shows
new layers of complexity and intricacy and opens up
new grounds. The combination of various sonic elements
manages to convey subtle changes in mood, often on one
track, and demonstrates a great ability at forging subtle
sound structures.
Although the contemporary jazz template favoured by
Opsvik is present here, more noticeably on Double
Stop or Still The Tiger Town, a track
originally featured on his last solo album, it appears
more tinted than on his own releases as Jennings bring
more electronic elements in the mix. This contributes
to Fløyel Files appearing more atmospheric
and textured.
Although this first collaboration was recorded during
a long period of time, the result feels extremely coherent.
Clearly defined on paper, the individual inputs are
often hard to dissociate on the records. This undoubtedly
contributes to Fløyel Files’s
consistent tone throughout and ensures a definite lasting
appeal.
4.1/5 |
