This line-up of Elephant9 has been together for the best part of fifteen years now and although keyboard maestro Ståle Storløkken is the main songwriter and ideas person, the strength of the trio lies in its interplay and the flexibility of rhythm section Nikolai Hængsle and Torstein Lofthus.
This latest album consists of six of Ståle’s supercharged compositions bookended by two short trio compositions that explore the outer reaches, drifting in a beatless limbo that cocoon the six rhythmic tracks and act as a counterpoint. The heaviness and solidity that emerges on the title track finds organ lurching over the top, seething with spacedust.
There is something sepulchral in the tone and you can’t help but notice the influence of some of the prog titans; but this is a timeless sound and the keyboard odyssey is full of imagination and adventure. The tone of the organ seems to shimmer creating overtones, bubbling in the background and this is the case over the whole album as Ståle shifts from machine to machine as if on a whim. “Party Among The Stars” screeches out of the blocks, funky and fast-paced, a cop show chase interspersed with whispered electrocution freakouts that stand the hair on end. It is a high-octane ride with organ sounds like insides spilling from the machine while the gutsy carbon depth of the bass holds the whole thing aloft, preventing it from imploding.The different keyboards that Ståle uses make for very different atmospheres across the album, the romantic introspection of “Chamber Of Silence” making way for the slow stargazing drama of “Heading For Desolate Wastelands”. The bass here is as deep and sticky as the clay and there is an awkwardness to the improv sounds that are scattered amongst the heavy groove.
In some places, the notes are ripped from the organ, particularly on the circular, hypnosis of “Star Cluster Detective”, while the distorted fusion raucousness of “Cavern Of The Red Lion” finds the rhythm section barrelling downhill, all unwieldy momentum and sheer thrill, out of control but loving every minute. Perhaps this is the secret to the trio; through it all, they are having a great time, twisting familiar ideas to their own devices and constantly searching for new ways of expressing the drama and intrigue that a tight organ based trio can elicit.Mythical River finds Elephant9 pushing ever further into new territory, but always leaving a hint of their roots.
-Mr Olivetti-
