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Spotted Peccary Music begins a new chapter with the release of GUITAR NOVA by Norwegian composer Erik Wøllo; the first release on the new label extension, Wanderings,expands the Spotted Peccary catalog to include superb and visionary works that are derived from outside of North America. Erik Wøllo, one of Norway's foremost composers, has created an exquisite album which should be numbered among this year's best. The motion of this music is drifting and cloud-like, often circling around a single motif, a minimalist guitar meditation on a few notes or even one or two chord changes; in this it is similar to the work of Forrest Fang, and the acoustic pastoral guitar works by Pat Metheny. The music of Erik Wøllo embodies a Zen-like economy, focusing on a purity of tone, clarity of harmony, and counterpoint to achieve a tender lyricism. Wollo's acoustic steel-string and classical guitars predominate, but he also applies discreet overdubs (including some delicate frettless guitar,slide, balalaika,kora, and acoustic bass) to sculpt orchestral detail. All songs are written and performed by Wøllo with one exception, ...the acoustic guitar solo on "Fantasia" is performed by Jon Eberson. Each piece on the album dissolves into a magical shimmer that glows and fades at just the right moments. Wøllo has constructed this album beautifully, ...the succession of pieces creating moods which form a kind of ambient narrative leading from gentle pastoral pieces to inspired anthems, from sadness to hope. He has an amazing capacity to develop wondrous musical landscapes which the listener uses to better understand the human condition. His passion runs throughout every piece he plays and his versatility is just icing on the cake. In Erik's own words, "When I am making music, I am breaking the silence; and if the music is good it will connect directly to the heart with more clarity than the spoken word or a picture on a wall." Acoustic and electric instruments, and samples of older primitive instruments mingle with contemporary, electronic atmospheres, to create a thematic foundation that is both ancient and modern. These tracks reflects a musical experience that covers a wide range of styles. It's in an idiom all its own, mixing the open harmonies of rural European music with some minimalist phrases, resulting in the melodic inventiveness of jazz with the acoustic virtuosity of John Fahey. At times, the music has the feel of a universal campfire, with phrases that can bend from Appalachian folk picking to jazz, to ambient music, with gently phrased melodies soaring over acoustic rhythm and subdued ambient tones. The overall effect of this consort may be soothing, but like all of Wøllo's work, the details are there to keep the interest level high. The whole album flows together seamlessly. This album proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Erik is a master at creating gorgeous and lyrical songscapes. It is deeply thematic, that's true, but I feel that Wollo's use of the themes was quite creative. I found it very peaceful for the most part to listen to the fourteen songs on Guitar Nova, but at the same time some of the complexity he developed was really profound. Highly recommended. Review by Ben Kettlewell information: |
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Erik Wøllo
