na: rune grammofon

Yesterday, Yancey mentioned the arrival of Supersilent’s 6 – one of the most excellent modern “jazz” albums I’ve ever heard. Why is that jazz in quotes? Well, there’s no other good way to describe what Supersilent and many other artists on Rune Grammofon do (except for a couple of notable exceptions).

We were lucky enough to receive much of the excellent label that specializes in “releasing work by the most adventurous and creative Norwegian artists and composers.” Here are some of the highlights.

Supersilent - 6
Quite possibly the best known group on the label, all four members of Supersilent get together and play music without planning anything or talking about what they will do once they get on stage or into the studio. On their first album, a triple disc set entitled 1-3, this came out as a brutal mash of free jazz skronk. But as time as gone on, the group has gotten more dynamic and by the time they recorded 6, the sound was typified by the beautiful ebbing and flowing between harsh synth-led grooves and delicate ambient passages. Try the first track, for a start.

Susanna And The Magical Orchestra - Melody Mountain

The guy behind the electronics of Supersilent helped produce both of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra’s first two albums, which is kinda amazing when you pair up the two. Melody Mountain is a collection of sad and haunting covers of rock staples like “It’s A Long Way To The Top” (featuring harpsichord!), “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Enjoy the Silence.” When I was talking about those notable exceptions above, this is the best one. Try her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” from her first album to begin.

Various Artists - Money Will Ruin Everything

Looking for a taste of everything the label has to offer? Try this one out. Now deleted in the physical realm, it’s the label’s 2003 celebration of their fifth anniversary. It’s notable on eMusic, for now at least, because it contains tracks from some of the artists and albums that Grammofon hasn’t delivered to us, including the voice artist Maja Ratjke and Kim Hiorthøy, the man behind the stunning visual design of the label’s releases.

Shining - In the Kingdom of Kitsch, You Will Be a Monster

Featuring two members of Jaga Jazzist. From the Pitchfork review:

So what do we have here: Jazzy art rock? Proggy jazz? Who knows. On top of any number of brassy instruments, there are clattering drum machines, moaning synths, chameleonic samplers, swooning (and frequently buried) vocal harmonies and thunderous, window-rattling cathedral organs.

There are plenty of other things on the label that I’d love to expound on (Arve Henriksen’s Far Eastern ambient trumpet record, the reissue of material from label head Rune Kristoffersen’s kinda awesome synth-pop group, the Radian-sounding avant-electronics of Humcrush (featuring, among other things, theremin!) or the indescribable sounds of Alog. But it would take too long to do them all justice. Just do yourself a favor and dive right in with one of the most fascinating labels in experimental music today. Or just cop that cover of “Jolene.” Either way, you’ll come out a winner.