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Our relationship with Erik Wøllo has progressed over many years, just as it has deepened. Throughout his Solastalgia (130:38) we again find a musician trying to make sense of the Spacemusic form while inhabiting its emotional depths. Proposing a majestic sense of scale, space and time the 21 tracks exert a rare dramatic force. As digital dreams and minimal moments blossom into meaning, they kiss the nocturnal air - striking a lush night-of-your-life tone of romanticism. Utilizing a myriad of pedals and processing Wøllo's playing yields textures rich and varied. Riding atop rising rhythms of electronic percussion, arrangements of lulling chords, propulsive electric guitar figures and yearning string harmonies find a forlorn beauty within the impeccable swirl of notes. Further in, the melancholy murmuring of softer synthesizers send forth sublime sounds and sweet airs. From every ethereal movement arises a wondrous sustained atmosphere - safe zones where we may breath easy with the music. Like hearing someone's secret, or sensing a whisper against the skin, Solastalgia elicits deeper feelings than intended. In these beautifully crafted moments of grace Wøllo is fearless enough to imagine a future of possibilities - showing us that the richness of the human inner life is utterly inexhaustible.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 14 November 2024 |
