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Erik Wøllo realizes intelligent Spacemusic while keeping its mythical essence intact. His Earthshine (61:24) reminds listeners of the immeasurable factor which has been charming us since our first encounter with one of his albums. Humming with energy, every detail seems to have been chosen for sheer sonic stimulation. Free from the constraints put upon more conventional musicians, Wøllo transports us from an unknowable, haunted solemnity, into lulling familiarity - before being cast adrift into shadowy ambient atmospheres. Offering a quieter, more satisfying strain of Contemporary Instrumental music, Earthshine surrounds us in an earthly dream realm. The twenty tracks, each an intently composed composition, are yet a contrast of dramatic spontaneity. As vague thought tones cruise swiftly across an imaginative aural terrain, hefty synth strings support the journeying, outward bound structure. Atop deep, slow breaths of sound, hollow textures swell, then dip down on the melodic invention of long lined ethereal guitar leads. As bright timbres and vivid textures light out to the magic of the darker depths, pleasant consonance gives way to a practiced sense of composition - where an airy halo surrounds each tuneful note. From its first stirrings Earthshine shows us how this composer's mind moves, how his thoughts jump one to the next, and miraculously connect - to let the light of our time illuminate his artistry. More than fascinating and ingenious, Wøllo's work is poignantly and poetically exquisite.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 22 October 2026 |
