Zomes - Time Was
Label.........................: Thrill Jockey
Genre.........................: Indie
StoreDate.....................: apr-16-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 61.10 MB
Total Playing Time............: 37:04
Release Notes:
As a duo, Zomes is the musical equivalent of love at first sight. Asa
Osborne created minimalistic ambience with a cassette recorder,
electronic instrumentals that felt empty despite an ominous lo-fi
aesthetic. Hanna Olivegren had a misty, angelic voice. When the two met
at a Swedish musical festival last year, it only made sense that they
fell into a collaborative partnership ù her filling out his sound.
Osborne has already released a pair of LPs under the Zomes moniker;
however, Time Was is the first to feature vocals so prominently. ItÆs a
major revelation for his compositions, and although the electronic
arrangements on Time Was are still sparse and simplistic, theyÆre not
ill-conceived. Osborne plays a synth thatÆs routed through various
stompboxes, giving it a fuzzy sound akin to the keyboards used on Gary
NumanÆs The Pleasure Principle. Opener ôLoveful Heightsö and ôFootpathsö
best illustrate this style. ThereÆs not a lot of variation in the notes,
yet everything is in its place.
The spacey song structures give Olivegren complete freedom with the
melody. And she sends it everywhere. Her words are in both Swedish and
English, but she doesnÆt sing like your typical pop vocalist. Instead,
she uses her voice like an instrument, jumping octaves at seemingly
random intervals and never missing a note (Kate Bush is an obvious
comparison). OlivegrenÆs presence on songs varies, her involvement in
the title track ôTime Wasö being a notable highlight.
Time Was is a relaxed record, one that thrives on its melancholic mood.
The pace is slow and methodical, but never boring. Asa OsborneÆs music
certainly benefits from Hanna Olivegren. Hopefully this is only the
first of many collaborations to come.
Essential Track: ôTime Wasö
Tracklisting
01. Loveful Heights 5:08
02. Monk Bag 6:35
03. Silentium 3:20
04. Little Lucid Dreamer 4:07
05. Footpaths 5:21
06. Equinox 4:52
07. Time Was 3:13
08. Cave Mountain Stream 4:28
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