OJERUM - SNE
phinery 2016, edition of 75
part of the huge january batch from PHINERY which i'm still digesting, including REC #87 WEATHERS & CHRISMAN -- those familiar with OJERUM's already lengthy back catalog (about a dozen tapes since 2014) may be surprised that he sings here with appreciably more breath support and melodic substance, to such extent it kinda sounds like what i imagine early LOW bedroom demos might sound like, maybe even recalling ELLIOTT SMITH and SPARKLEHORSE here and there - and when he's not singing, though he stays true to his well established sparse hypnotic repetitive style, there again is more melody apparent as he incorporates SATIE esque keyboard and more elaborate motifs whose mood moves away from the darker mysterious tone of previous works toward a more immediate and introspective melancholic lullaby vibe, with atmospheric accompaniment and ethereal f/x supplanting his use of tape hiss as part of the listening experience -- SNE finds OJERUM carefully testing the outer limits of "folk pop" a la GROUPER's DRAGGING and ILYAS AHMED's I AM ALL YOUR OWN
highly recommended
