6.5/10Svarte Greiner is no stranger here at The Silent Ballet - only recently he inspired my colleague Jermey Bye to advise us to listen to Kappe phenomenally loud. Not being an authority on Svarte Greiner's work, I choose to apply this advice to the job at hand, whether or not his latest three track effort - Man Bird Dress - and his live collaboration withAnduin are worthy additions to the back catalog of this upcoming Scandinavian doomscapologist and mastermind of the Miasmah label.
Man Bird Dress is one album title, three words, and also three track titles. Whether or not these words have any meaning or connection with the actual music is something that each listener will have to make out for him or herself, since there is more room for free interpretation than audible guidance on this release. Of greater importance, perhaps, is that the pieces have meaningful words for titles - where other drone or electronic artists often choose incomprehensible titles or plain numbering - which proves the aspiration to deliver three separate yet complete pieces rather than one sonic adventure, sliced for your convenience. Each piece has a different focus, bringing an attractive and refreshing breeze through the darkness of overdrive-accumulating ambient that is induced with horrific soundscapes. The base structure of "Man", "Bird", and "Dress" is fairly simple: start out with some creepy soundscapes, add doom, let it slowly swell to a sturdy whole and then ease the listener out. To top off the base-recipe, Svarte Greiner (Erik Skodvin) goes all-out from strange hypnotic chords on an acoustic guitar, to frenzied string movements and back to guitar with so much overdrive that it almost doesn't need to be played.
The result of this carefully-spread tapestry of haunting sound waves is rather stunning, intoxicating enough to claim your attention where most acts tend to depend on an audience with a long attention span. Although composed of heavyweight drone elements, the (easy) listening experience isn't negatively affected. A fluid structure and lack of sonic guidance make this album one of the most listenable in its niche. It is also because Svarte Greiner succeeds in breaking through the almost constant darkness of his own compositions with a ray of stunning, matte light every now and then that this album is more easily consumed than the average drone release.
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5/10During Svarte Greiner's first US tour in 2008, he sometimes teamed up with Anduin (Souvenir’s Young America’s Jonathan Lee), and after having each done their individual set, they usually ended up on stage together, closing the night. Their collaborative effort was recorded and released as Black River and contains two parts that delve deep in the flattened-out, droning haze of pulsating darkness. Compared to the cinematic feeling of Man Bird Dress, this release uses more electronics than the layered and polished studio efforts.
The fact that this is a live performance works for and against the release. When recording live material, it's hard to mimic the full-on layered sound of studio work, but when it comes to live electronics it a matter of being on top of your equipment and sticking to a few self-set parameters to keep your set together. Black River follows these premises, and I'm sure this was a very rewarding piece to bring live, but the fact is that the work will appeal only to those blessed with a long attention span or those who are hardcore fans of the artists. Although the material tends more to Anduin's lighter ambient, the whiff of Svarte Greiner's moody darkness casts an undefinable aura over the work. The sloth of the bending pads covered in smog, a slow pulsating that phases in and out, characterizes the release - it's a winning combination for the average Machinefabriek listener, but it's not likely this release will dominate The Silent Ballet's end of the year charts. Instead, this little limited vinyl goody from SMTG will surely find an honorable spot in that hardcore fan's collection.
full review written for and published by The Silent Ballet
Svarte Greiner myspace
Anduin myspace
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