Lars Jakob Rudjord's Arpeggio

Seems like things have been quiet in Norway lately--only three new releases from 2L Recordings and nothing from personal favorites Lars Jakob Rudjord or Ingvild Koksvik in quite some time--until now. Lars has just released a new EP, Arpeggio, just in time to celebrate Nils Frahm's Piano Day 2019, a global celebration of that particular instrument. As Lars explained to me, Arpeggio is "a little more conceptual this time," with three versions of the same composition named "Warpeggio," "Harpeggio" and "Arpeggio." As you might imagine, all three variations are derived from the same basic structure, obviously an arpeggio. Lars takes this delicate, simple theme and does what he does best, creating a hypnotic study that highlights both his stunning Scandinavian influences and the inner workings of his piano.

The latter element is one of the things that draws me deep inside of Lars' recordings--I've never heard another pianist who is so generous in showing off the mechanics of his instrument. That means you not only hear the pedals and the soundboard and the sound of his fingers on the keys, but you can also hear the hesitant way his ideas pour out and the thoughts that occur in his head just milliseconds before the note is played. You can sense it in the way he phrases these patterns, the way he makes each pass slightly different than the last.

In other words, these are three variations of the same piece that flow together as one single evolving composition. On his last release, Indiepiano, Lars excelled at being both intimate and a little icy around the edges--I can't help but think of Norway when I hear his music. "There's a minimalism at work here, reminiscent of the '80s, where Lars keeps the main piano melodies slow and deliberate and pleasingly repetitive," I wrote in that review. "It's the quiet textures that he subsequently adds that really dig out the contrasts." While I feel that Arpeggio is representative of that work, and these three variations could have been included in that release without sounding out of place, there a new step here that Lars has taken.

It all comes down to introspection, a motif I hold close and dear to my heart. Sometimes I feel nervous in recommending Lars Jakob Rudjord's work to friends because it is so light and beautiful that the deeper layers aren't noticeable at first. Where this music perseveres is in the almost invisible connections that are made in your synapses, the complex emotions that emerge through the simple melodies. (His wife Ingvild is able to accomplish this as well.) There's no doubt that Lars creates music that is simply beautiful, but it's up to you to explore and discover the hidden treasures.

You can listen to Arpeggio via your favorite streaming platform, or by visiting his website.

Ingvild Koksvik's New Single "Sommerflukt" on Spotify

Lars Jakob Rudjord came out with a single just a couple of months ago, so it makes sense that Ingvild Koksvik would follow up with one of her own. This one's called "Summerflokt," and it has more of a pop feel than her recent work, but plenty of her beautiful, original voice. You can here it on Spotify by clicking here.

Lars Jakob Rudjord's Pharos, and a New Way to Listen to My Digital Files

A few days ago, Lars Jakob Rudjord announced that he had completed a new single, "Pharos," and that it was available for download on Spotify, Tidal, Amazon and other digital venues. Of course I took a listen on Tidal, my preferred way to stream, and of course I dug the track. "Pharos" sounds like it belongs on his last album, Indiepiano, which I chose as my favorite album of 2017. The new song is another delicate instrumental featuring Lars' unique keyboard work--he favors an organic and natural presentation that emphasizes the interaction between the musician and the instrument, the fingers and the keys, and the feet and the pedals. Lars' recordings are always so pristine and clear and musical, and the emotions are beyond vivid.

I shared the digital sample Lars provided on my Facebook page, and within a day or two it was liked by both Lars and his wife, the wonderful singer/composer Ingvild Koksvik. After that, Lars sent me an email and asked if I wanted to listen to the digital master. Within minutes I had two 44k 24-bit WAV files, one labelled the main master and the other one labelled a "supersafe" master that was designed for playback on mobile devices and laptops. These files offered such a deep view of the recording event, the sound of Lars' fingers brushing the keys, the slight creaking of the pedals, the air and the space and all the beauty. If you haven't taken my recommendation yet on Lars and Ingvild, this is an easy way to sample this gorgeous and beautifully recorded music from Norway. Just click on one of the links in the first paragraph.

The "Pharos" file gave me a chance to break in my new laptop-based listening system, which is composed of a new pair of Cardas Audio A8 Ear Speakers, an Audioquest Dragonfly Black USB amp/DAC, and Tidal. I've been experimenting with so many different ways to stream these days, but I think I prefer this one because the Audioquest and the Cardas are small enough to fit in tiny portable case you see in the photo--which can be stashed easily in my laptop bag--and the combination sounds fantastic. For instance, "Pharos" has a deep bass synthesizer note that appears midway into the song, and I had goosebumps the first time I heard it. The bass was tight, full and seemed to rumble all through my body.

This is a great way to listen to files, and I'm going to stick with this for a while--especially since I just received another hi-rez file featuring Portuguese fado music from Luis Filipe Fortunato, whose brilliant Live and Pure I reviewed for Positive Feedback last year.

In fact, I'm gonna take a listen right now!

Ingvild Koksvik's Nattapent on LP

"Not surprised that you like it, even though she sings in Norwegian."

That's my Facebook friend Trond Torgnesskar, who connected me with Norwegian singer/songwriter Ingvild Koksvik so that I could hear her latest LP, Nattapent, on Norway's Fyrlyd Records. Trond, a fellow music scribe and audio reviewer from Oslo, had noticed my now numerous reviews of albums from Norway's 2L Recordings and thought I should hear this tremendously well-recorded album immediately. "I have come across one that might just be one of the finest recordings I have ever heard," Trond said, "not to mention that it is stunningly beautiful music. Might be right up your street!"

Within a few days of saying yes, I was exchanging emails with a certain Ms. Koksvik. She explained that she was a Norwegian singer and songwriter, and Nattapent was her debut release for Fyrlyd. I also learned that nattapent was Norwegian for "night open" and fyrlyd is Norwegian for "lighthouse sound." These are evocative phrases that wind up imbued in every single note of the album, a spaciousness that is both mysterious and invigorating like a moonlit walk on the beach.

Upon first listen, I was reminded of the Grammy nominated Quiet Winter Night from 2L, which I reviewed here. Perhaps that's because Ingvild's voice is superficially similar to Helene Boksle's. (I hope that's not just me thinking that all female Norwegian singers sound the same.) This recording features a much smaller ensemble than the 2L recording, however, and there's more of a consistency with the tunes; the 2L recording is more of an exploration of several genres while Ingvild is a traditional songwriter who stays true to her muse.

This more intimate sound, however, allows the listener to focus effortlessly on the distinct musical threads within the songs. You can certainly zero in on Ingvild's beautiful voice, the way she lets a little nervous energy to creep in at just the right moments so that you know she's singing about something that truly matters to her, something that touches her and makes her revisit real emotions. You can also focus on the way Nils Okland's violin and Sigrun Eng's cello intertwine and create a stunning, complex sound that can fool you into thinking that you're listening to a larger string ensemble. Or, you can concentrate on the sound of Lars Rudjord's deep, resonant piano notes that sometimes take forever to completely vanish.

The timing of this review coincided with the arrival of the Axis Voice Box S monitors from Australia. Designed by John Reilly and my good buddy Brad Serhan, these diminutive speakers are named for their ability to reproduce the human voice accurately. These speakers are used for mastering at the Benchmark Studios in Australia, and indeed they are extremely revealing and they let you hear every single detail in the recording. But unlike most studio monitors, which can be relentlessly revealing of mistakes during the recording process, the Voice Box S produces a fun and enjoyable sound.

As you can imagine, hearing Ingvild's voice through these little gems was a real treat--I felt like she was standing there in the room, looking around, wondering when I was going to unpack the last few boxes after my move last month. One of the strengths of the Voice Boxes are that while they are very small, they throw up and amazingly wide and deep soundstage. One of the loveliest things about the sound of this album is how there's plenty of space between Ingvild, the piano, the cello and the Hardanger fiddle, and that allows each voice to bloom and develop in space on its own. You get that wondrous feeling like you can get up and walk around in that soundstage, between all the musicians, and feel all that immediate energy bouncing off your body. In other words, this amazing sonic experience was brought to me through a Norwegian and Australian partnership.

So Trond, the answer is yes, I love this album even though it is sung in Norwegian. I've listened to so much Norwegian music in the last couple of years that the language no longer sounds alien to my ears--even though I only know what nattapent and fyrlyd means at this point in time. I don't know what Ingvild is singing about in these truly beautiful songs, but I can detect the feeling and emotion in every word and I can selfishly come up with my own narrative, and that's really all I need.

You can learn more about this album at Ingvild's website. If I've made you curious, you can check her out on YouTube as well.