19 July 2016

RECOMMENDATION #129 - OJERUM

OJERUM - HVID HVILE SORT RO
branch 2016, edition of 30

OJERUM - NAAR VI VAAGNER
audio visuals atmosphere 2016, edition of 55

the next level of OJERUM's sound comes into full bloom on HVID HVILE SORT RO ("white rest black peace") and NAAR VI VAAGNER ("when we wake"), still rooted in the same melancholic minimalist hypnotic repetition, but here it takes on a more dynamic styling, a more nuanced character, a more profound close listening experience, neatly connecting the dots within the correlated set of WILLIAM BASINSKI, BRIAN ENO, GREG GORLEN, TIM HECKER and SKITTISH ARM, as OJERUM applies his fragmented folk modus operandi to his longform ambient noir outlet, yielding two striking collected works that are more immediately engrossing than his more involved epics HE REMEMBERS THERE WERE GARDENS (his alternate soundtrack to the film LA JETEE) and SYRENEN while remaining just as potent and immersed - despite repeated listens i'm still digesting both tapes so i'm not quite ready to tout either as his best yet, but i kinda feel like it's only a matter of time

highest possible recommendation