This
latest album for The Ancient One to review has one foot firmly in the
past and the other in the present which means that the music has to span
a few decades. The band is called Walrus and the album is self-titled, Walrus.
Walrus is another of those bands that seems to have crept up slowly on
this reviewer and then suddenly jumped out and yelled “Hey! We are
Walrus!”
The
band is a five piece outfit comprising Mattias Olsson (drums), Henrik
Olsson (drums), Matti Bye (Hammond and Farfisa organs, mellotron and
Wurlitzer), Leo Svensson (cello, mini moog) and Kristian Holmgren
(electric bass, fuzz bass). Mattias is from Anglagard, Henrik and Leo
are from Gul 3, Matti is a renowned composer of film music and Kristian
is a producer/composer. One very interesting thing about the band is the
two drummers, who apparently play a double drum kit, called The Sprawl,
from different sides and angles.
The self-titled album, Walrus,
is in effect a 4 track EP available in vinyl and CD format, and has a
running time of around the 33 minute mark. The final track on the album,
“Static” is the shortest track at 3:06 minutes and the penultimate
track, “Spitsbergen,” is the longest, running on past the 14 minute mark
(14:09).
The opening track to the album, Walrus,
is entitled “Tromso III,” which perplexed me a little in that as a
debut album it seemed a strange title (i.e. III), but on reflection, I
don’t think that this band go for “normal.” Across the 7:15 minute
length, “Tromso III” takes the listener to many places with its shifting
time changes and constant ebb and flow of instruments. This track is an
excellent opener as it sets the scene for the other 3 sections of music
to follow. As an instrumental, it also highlights that to create an
intense soundscape it need not feature a guitar, which is not listed as
an instrument played by any member of the band.
Track
2, “Signals” (8:59) has a lengthy, slow introduction featuring some
superb bass, stunning cello work and that double drum-kit maintaining an
awesome presence. Magnificent organ work from Matti appears and goes
again allowing the slow start theme to return with a few extraneous
“sounds” floating around, Around the 5:00 minute point, the drums up the
tempo and the organ reappears, taking the track off on a very different
journey, with the overall sound threatening to build to towering
levels, but then, in a twist, drops away to a very sparse ending as the
track winds its way out.
The
long track, “Spitsbergen” (14.09), starts with an almost nautical feel
to it, and by that, I mean the gentle bass and drums generate an
imaginary waterfront scenario which slowly builds allowing the listener
to float along on the sparseness of the music. Fuzz bass and the double
drummers up the tempo several notches and Leo’s cello can be heard with
some deft touches in the background. Once again there is a constantly
shifting rhythm to the track, seamlessly going off in various directions
only to return to the central point before heading off somewhere else.
There is a stunning starkness to the music around the 8:00 minute mark
which takes the listener off somewhere, prior to that fabulous fuzz bass
making a brief appearance which almost acts as an anchor to keep the
listener drifting off too far. With 3:00 minutes to go, the whole
emphasis of the track changes and builds up steam as all the band
members collectively flex their musical muscles before the tempo drops
and the opening theme reappears as a finale.
The
short final track, “Static” (3:06) not surprisingly starts with a
little bit of static and then into another gentle bass and drum passage.
There is an organ playing somewhere off in the distance prior to a
simple melody being picked out with a magnificent, somber cello passage
alongside the main theme. Static continues to fade in and out without
ever being intrusive.
I
started the review suggesting that Walrus, the band, seemed to have one
foot in the past and the other in the present and this is evident the
more you hear Walrus, the album. There is a root of Krautrock
somewhere in this band, but they also incorporate psychedelic and
progressive rock and seem to be reaching further forward into other
areas at times, possibly what seems to be classed as post-rock. Their
sound is a constantly shifting soundscape and is certainly worth a
listen, but to fully appreciate Walrus, repeated listens would be the
order of the day. An excellent debut EP which bodes well for a full
length album at some point in the future?
4.5/5 STARS
Key Tracks: Tromso III, Spitsbergen
Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-MuzikReviews.com Staff
June 27, 2013
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