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[015] JOHN HEGRE/MAJA RATKJE "BALLADS" CD
"BALLADS" IST THE FIRST COLLABORATIVE ALBUM BY TWO KEY FIGURES OF THE NORWEGIAN NOISE, IMPROV, EXPERIMENTAL, WHATEVER-YOU-CALL-IT MUSIC SCENE. ANYONE EXPECTING A RACKETY WALL OF DISTORTED FEEDBACK GUITARS AND VOICES WILL BE GENTLY SURPRISED THOUGH BY THE SPARSE AND INTIMATE SKETCHES TO BE FOUND ON THIS WONDERFUL RECORD. SONGS ARE STRIPPED DOWN TO THEIR RAW BONES USING ONLY THE MOST ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO REVEAL THE SOUL BEHIND EVERY SINGLE SOUND. SUPERFLUOUS EFFECTS SEEM TO BE COMPLETELY ABSENT, CREATING AN OPEN SPACE FOR MINISCULE DETAILS, ALWAYS READY TO IMPLODE INTO NOISIER TRACKS SUCH AS "PRIVATE MATTER". THE ALBUM CULMINATES IN "HAMMOCK MOODS", A QUIETLY MESMERIZING EPIC FINALE WITH MAJA RATKJE HUMMING A BEAUTIFUL MELODY OVER HEGRE'S GORGEOUS NEAR-PSYCHEDELIC GUITAR PLAYING. LET'S ALL HOPE FOR A SEQUEL TO THIS ALBUM!
MAJA RATKJE IS A MEMBER OF SPUNK (RUNE GRAMMOFON) AND NOISE DUO FE-MAIL. HER SOLO ALBUM "VOICE" (PRODUCED IN COLLABORATION WITH JAZZKAMMER) GOT AN AWARD OF DISTINCTION AT PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA IN 2003. IN 2001 SHE WAS THE FIRST COMPOSER EVER TO RECEIVE THE ARNE NORDHEIM DISTINCTION AWARD. SHE HAS COLLABORATED WITH JAAP BLONK, IKUE MORI, OTOMO YOSHIHIDE, WOLF EYES, MATMOS, LASSE MARHAUG, JASON FORREST, KIM HIORTOY, ULVER AND MANY OTHERS.
JOHN HEGRE IS A MEMBER OF JAZZKAMMER / JAZKAMER (SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND), KAPTEIN KALIBER, GOLDEN SERENADES, NEW BOILING NEAR THE FJORDS (WITH MEMBERS OF ALOG) AND OTHERS. HIS FIRST SOLO 3"CD CAME OUT ON DEKORDER IN 2003. JAZKAMER WILL RELEASE THEIR APTLY TITLED NEW ALBUM "METAL MUSIC MACHINE" IN SPRING 2006 AND HEGRE IS WORKING ON AN AS YET UNTITLED SOLO ALBUM FOR DEKORDER.
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YEAH, RIGHT, A ALBUM OF BALLADS BY THESE TWO RENOWNED NOISE ARTISTS? HEGRE, MEMBER OF JAZZKAMMER AND THE GOLDEN SERENADES AMONG OTHERS AND RATKJE OF FE-MAIL AS-WELL AS A BUNCH OF IMPROVISED MUSIC PROJECTS, DOING AN ALBUM OF BALLADS? YES, IT'S TRUE AND IT'S GREAT. THEY CAREFULLY PLAY ACOUSTIC OBJECTS AND HARDLY USE ANY ELECTRONICS. SOMETIMES THE ELEMENTS ARE LOOPED, FORMING A BLOCK OF REPETITIVE SOUND, SOMETIMES THERE IS A FAR AWAY SOUND OF SOUND PROCESSING. BUT THAT IS FAR AWAY, ALMOST HIDDEN IN THE MIX. SOFT ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC MUSIC, CRAFTED INTO SONGS, RATHER THAN LENGTHY IMPROVISATIONS. IT'S ALREADY BEAUTIFUL MATERIAL, BUT THE BEST IS SAVED TO THE END: 'HAMMOCK MOODS' HAS A LOOPED GUITAR, LOOSE SOUNDS BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THERE IS A SOFT MELODY IN THE BACKGROUND, WHICH EVEN MIGHT BE CALLED ROMANTIC. AN ALMOST EPIC PIECE, WHICH ALONE WOULD BE THE REASON TO GET THIS ALBUM. THIS IS NOISE WITH THE BIG N, AND THIS IS THE FUTURE OF NOISE MUSIC. EXCELLENT! |
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JOHN HEGRE IS ONE HALF OF THE NORWEGIAN NOISE DUO JAZZKAMMER AND MAJA SOLVEIG KJELSTRUP RATKJE IS A FREE IMPROV VOCALIST IN THE MAGGIE NICOLS TRADITION, AS WELL AS A MEMBER OF BOTH SPUNK AND FE-MAIL. THAT SAID, MUCH OF BALLADS DEFIES EXPECTATIONS. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IT'S A QUIET AND RATHER DELICATE AFFAIR, INVOLVING ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS, SOFT LOOPS OF NOISE, TICK TOCK RHYTHMS AND PATTERING PERCUSSION. VOICE IS RARELY HEARD. MOST OF THE TRACKS ARE BRIEF AND ENIGMATIC, INVOLVING REPETITIVE PATTERNS AND COPIOUS PERIODS OF SILENCE. "BINOCULARS AND TRACES" GLIDES ON SOFTLY UNDULATING WAVES OF FEEDBACK AND SLIPS INTO MOSTLY LOW KEY ACTIVITY DURING ITS SECOND HALF, AND "PRIVATE MATTER" IS A NOISE CUT-UP INVOLVING FRAGMENTS OF SPEAKING VOICE IN ITS EARLIEST STAGES. WHO DOES WHAT IS LEFT ENTIRELY TO THE LISTENER'S IMAGINATION. THOUGH THE CD'S EIGHT TRACKS WERE PROBABLY ALL IMPROVISED, I SUSPECT THERE HAS BEEN SOME JUDICIOUS POST-PRODUCTION SHAPING OF THE MATERIAL. IRONY PLAYS A PART TOO. "A QUIET DAY AT THE OFFICE" IS BUSY BUT WITHOUT PRODUCING ANYTHING CONCRETE, AND "ART COMPASS" GIVES NO CLEAR SENSE OF DIRECTION. THE LENGTHY CONCLUDING TRACK, "HAMMOCK MOODS", IN WHICH RATKJE OCCASIONALLY HUMS AS IF TO HERSELF, IS INTRIGUINGLY EVENTLESS, DRIFTING ALONG ON REPETITIVELY FRACTURED GUITAR PHRASES, CHORDS AND OCCASIONAL PEDAL SWELLS, CASUALLY MOVING FROM ONE INTANGIBLE MOMENT TO THE NEXT. |