Monumental Thrill, Monumental Chill

Bladverk debuts with the lush album Monumental thrill, monumental chill on Bergen-based Apollon Records. A breeze of 12-string acoustic guitar moves confidently through the undergrowth, while atmospheric, lightly proggish soundscapes meet silk-soft double vocals. David Crosby and Nick Drake meets Jaga Jazzist in a terrain where VHS-warped keys tones and sacred-hued choirs coexist with fingerpicked riffs Death Cab For Cutie would proudly claim. A simmering, smoking volcano that holds back just enough for the tension itself to become part of the music. Instrumentals take the lead, adorned with vocal and lyrical fragments that drift in like small gusts of intention. At the center is guitarist and composer Henrik Schmidt, known from the internationally critically acclaimed MesaVerde, Synne Sanden, Shimmering and collaborations across a wide musical field. Lars Fremmerlid’s production and drumming nudges the music gently toward new rooms. The heavyweight Håkon Kornstad appears with saxophone tones that make the landscape change color for a moment. Jørgen Apeness’ vibraphone and Jonas Lundekvam’s keys shimmer like minerals in the soil with subtle details that deepen the whole without demanding attention.