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░ ▀██▄ ▓█▓█▓░ █▀▀█░ █▓ █▓ ▓██ █ "HiGH ░▒▓▓▓▓ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa
t i t l e : Vikinga Brennivin
d a t e : 2005
l a b e l : The Helen Scarsdale Agency HMS004
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : March/2005
t r a c k s : 05
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 93,1 MB
_______________________________________________________________________
First edition of 300 released: February 15, 2005
Second edition of 700 released: April, 2005
Brennivin is an Icelandic liquor vulcanized from the humble
potato and flavored with cumin, although you'd be hard pressed
to taste much beyond the astringent burn that it leaves in
your mouth. Bottled in matte black glass and stamped with
ominously simple labels, brennivin appears less like something
to imbibe and more like poison; and in that creeping slow
death kind of way, it is. For the Icelandic electro-absurdist
outfit Stilluppsteypa, brennivin has soaked into every fiber
of their being; and as a result, oozes out of their terminal
drones, sputtered rhythms, and atomic fractures. As much
brennivin (and mind-altering chemicals in general have been a
muse for Stilluppsteypa, they are also a curse;
Stilluppsteypa's oblique Dada expressionism and devilish black
humour erupt with megalomaniacal invincibility that comes with
a few too many drinks; but at the same time, Stilluppsteypa
has developed a parallel ethos of clinical minimalism the
reflects the introspection, headaches, and melancholia of the
morning after.
In their poetically abject celebration of brennivin,
Stilluppsteypa (comprised of Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and
Helgi Thorsson) accepted the invitation from Swedish composer
BJ Nilsen to collaborate upon an album related to alcohol and
its mind-numbing effects. Nilsen has been working in various
constellations of experimental music, best known for his
recordings as Hazard published through Touch and Ash
International. Focusing the perception of natural sounds
through a reconstruction of time and space, Nilsen has
rendered the commonplace sounds of wind, rain, and snow as
stealthfully seductive and quietly menacing drifts of frozen
sound. Their resultant collaboration is an existentialist
allegory in which the three drunkenly stumble out in a
Scandinavian winter night and spiral toward the inevitable
point in which they blackout. Lest this be construed as a
derelict piece of method acting, the craft that Nilsen,
Sigmarsson, and Thorsson brought to Vikinga Brennivin is
impeccable, as the extended soundfields breath with the
majesty of distant fog horns and sparkle with the delicate
light of countless stars cast down from the black heavens onto
the frozen tundra below. Frightening and barren, yet
hauntingly compelling, Vikinga Brennivin is an isolationist
masterpiece.
The first edition of Vikinga Brennivin was strictly limited to
300 copies due to the elaborate artwork. The Helen Scarsdale
Agency commissioned its in-house fabricator Jim Haynes to
produce the exquisite packaging of hand-manipulated copper
foil with silkscreened text.
"This is one of the best, most expertly crafted releases I
have heard in quite some time. The artist formerly known as
Hazard (Nilsen) and Stilluppsteypa (recently reduced to a duo
of Sigtryggur B. Sigmarsson and Helgi Thorsson) combine sounds
that evoke panoramic landscapes. Beginning this remarkably
cohesive 56 minute set, "En Dare Kan Fraga Mer An Tre Visa Kan
Svara" approaches like distant footsteps trying to walk
straight on a windy path. Small rustling sounds eventually
coalesce into thicker swarms over 12 minutes. This music is
successful because it recalls a barren landscape, but still
provides small, recognizable nuances to cling to. The quiet
crackling sounds, bell tones and low moans which hover just
below the long sustained tones of each piece add depth. At
first Vikinga Brennivin seems minimalist in that there are no
melodic or rhythmic elements. However, its appeal lies in
uncovering the many layers of sound that make up this minimal
facade. During "Heilir, thorn eirs hlyddu" there is a wall of
static that is barely noticeable until it is suddenly removed
from the mix at the six minute mark. The six minutes that
follow this shift are then more interesting because they feel
like undergrowth being pulled to the surface for inspection.
On "En Dare..." and "Det Ar..." the trio pursue a decidedly
more organic sound, while on "Heilir..." and "Vidunder" a
digital patina is added to the low-end rumbling that provides
contrast but doesn't sound too jarring. On "Vidunder" in
particular, sharp high-end digital stabs echo from speaker to
speaker and are the closest the trio get to achieving rhythmic
tension. During "Det Ar..." a single low tone is given several
minutes to meander before being joined by what sounds like
smoke or gas being emitted from a pipe. The effect is akin to
watching clouds pass slowly overhead through a skylight. The
sounds that are used throughout the album sound as if they
were carefully chosen. The group meets its objective of
combining elements in ways that produce subtly changing,
atmospheric works in which more is discovered upon each
listen. They seem well-attuned to a common mission and the
result sounds more seamless than simply being the sum of
familiar parts. The gorgeous, unique silkscreened copper plate
by Jim Haynes that serves as the sleeve for the first edition
of 300 enhances the perception that this is a work which has
been carefully and lovingly crafted out of a combination of
passion and skill." (Jim Siegel)
_______________________________________________________________________
01-En Dσre Kan Frσga Mer ─n Tre Visa Kan Svara [12:55]
02-Heilir, Thorn Eirs Hlyddu [12:27]
03-Vidunder [01:37]
04-Det ─r BΣst Att Jag B÷rjar, Annars Kommer Jag Aldrig [04:21]
Hem
05-Untitled [24:52]
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56:12 min