When Norwegian baritone saxophonist Kjetil Møster joined forces
in the studio with Swedish baritone sax burner Mats Gustafsson, Norwegian
noise-jazz guitarist Anders Hana (MoHa!, Ultralyd, Noxagt), versatile,
powerhouse drummer Greg Saunier (of the San Francisco-based avant-rock band
Deerhoof, who participated in the album, but has now been replaced by Børge
Fjordheim of Cloroform) and the extraordinary Ethiopian-born experimental
singer Sofia Jernberg, the resulting sonic maelstrom was so fresh and
ferocious, so daring and audacious, so darkly apocalyptic that The End seemed
like the only name for this band of rebels.
Their
uncompromising debut on RareNoise Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen (a title
whose approximate translation from Swedish into English could be stated as
"Dark melancholy and sadness are senses to be valued"), is delivered
with sledgehammer authority by the subversive crew.
The
two-baritone onslaught of Møster and Gustafsson with the addition of Hana's
baritone guitar provides a low-end assault on Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen
that feels like a gut-punch to complacency. "The double baritone has lots
of raw power, which is a big part of what this music is all about," says
Møster, who has previously appeared on two RareNoiseRecords releases, Jü Meets
Møster and Reflections In Cosmo. "We try to break through to the raw
senses, the expressions of energy that wants to burst but never does."
"We
have talked about such a collaboration for many years," adds Gustafsson,
who previously appeared on RareNoise releases by Slobber Pup (Pole Axe) and in
collaboration with Japanese noisemaker Merzbow (the Cuts series). "And
when Giacomo of RareNoise offered us the chance we grabbed it immediately, of
course. We just needed to really put together the most kickin' band ever."
With
Jernberg, Hana, Saunier (now Fjordheim), they have put together a dream team on
Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen. "Now that we have The End as a working
unit it feels extremely exciting to see where we can take the music
together," says Gustafsson. "It's amazing for me to play alongside
Mats' boundless energy," adds Møster. "He has revolutionized
articulations of saxophone playing and has been one of my big influences ever
since I heard The Thing's self titled album from 2001."
Add the
potent contributions of Hana and Saunier to the mix and you have a combustible
crew capable of nuanced ambient expression with Jernberg's ethereal vocals
floating over the top and hellacious crescendos fueled by her intense banshee
wailing.
"Anders
is one of the most creative guitar players I have ever heard," says
Gustafsson. "He stopped playing guitar seven years ago but Kjetil and me
convinced him to pick it up again to join this group, which he happily agreed
to. He ROCKS!" Møster adds "Anders and me have driven thousands of
kilometres together all over Eastern and Western Europe in old tour vans
playing numerous concerts with Ultralyd, which released five albums, most of
them on Rune Grammofon. He's a very unique player."
Hana's
chainsaw guitar work, reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix's noise guitar explorations
on "EXP" from Axis: Bold As Love, fuels the dark opener Svårmod
(Troubled Mind), which also introduces The End's muscular and imposing two-bari
sound. Hana's repetitive guitar riff provides a catchy hook on the Captain
Beefheart-like Vemod (Sad Mind), underscored by Saunier's polyrhythmic drummer
and featuring Jernberg's freewheeling wordless vocals.
The epic
Translated Slaughter, which sees Jernberg whispering/talking Gustafsson's lyrics
at the ethereal opening, gradually builds to a frantic crescendo that has the
singer wailing with cathartic abandon over the top. Jernberg repeats her
riveting performance on Don't Wait in which she once again recites/sings
Gustafsson's cryptic lyrics.
"Text,
music, art...it should all be read and listened to in open ways and
manners," says the composer. "It is not up to me to explain, really.
It is up to the listener/reader to understand, or try to understand. Or at
least to ask the questions to find out more. All creative art and music should
point out new doors, not open them up. To open a door, you have to do it
yourself. We can't do it for you. So the lyrics pretty much speak for
themselves, especially in 'Don't Wait.' That message should be pretty obvious
for anyone."
Møster's
Both Sides Out has a particularly dark, almost requiem kind of feel to it,
which he acknowledges. "Requiem is a good association," he says.
"What I had in mind was actually some kind of mourning for the state of
mind that the western world has entered post-Trump. In the lyrics I am Trump's
psychoanalyst, letting him pour out his inner feelings so he can stop being so
tense and hard."
With a
discography numbering over 150 records, Gustafsson explains what his latest
RareNoise release represents to him: "Just sheer joy of sharing ideas and
music together. We had time to rehearse and to play three gigs before jumping
into the studio - that was worth a lot for us because I feel that everything
really fell into the right place for us in the studio. The music we recorded is
really a wet dream of favorite influences to bring together for me. And I think
me and Kjetil share the most essential sources and inspirational platforms
here. We wanted elements of free jazz, noise, alt rock and more to blend and
create something new. And it all led to a music that, at least me, I have never
heard before."
"We are
never into creating a special mood in the music," maintains Gustafsson,
who is also member of bands The Thing, Fire! and Nu Ensemble. "That is up
to the listener to create or hear. We don't entertain, we don't illustrate. We
play music. New music. I don't wanna analyze it too much here. Everyone should
listen freely and think and act freely upon hearing it all. It should all be open."
Regarding
the translation of the The End's album title, Møster says: "To me it says
something about appreciating difficulties, that we don't necessarily have to
please each other all the time, that expressions that go against the grain and
cause friction are valuable too."
Those
renegade expressions are readily apparent on Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen,
The End's formidable RareNoise debut.
TRACKS
1. Svårmod
2. Vemod
3. Translated Slaughter
4. Don't Wait
5. Rich And Poor
6. Both Sides Out
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