Linnéa Talp‘s first album under her own name is all about exploration of the ambient splendour of the pipe organ; but also in combination with her recent discovery of the Buchla synth.
The album opens with “To Whom” and a stifled murmur, a subtle resonance that wavers like the dreamspace of a liminal half-lit world. A warm flood of melancholy enhances “Arch Of Motion” and it is the sort that evokes a ship slowly leaving port, the alternating tones moving like the smoke from the exhaust as it wends its careful way through a coming breeze, the overall feel pervading the senses.
The tones seem to change as the album progresses and that subtle shift is enough to change the mood of each track, moving from warm to chilly, sometimes alighting on an oddly alien sensation. It feels as though it is all about the long game, with the evolving sounds insinuating themselves into your psyche, dust motes whirling in the sepulchral light, the rays highlighting forgotten details; so it is quite a revelation when a chord is struck in “Conversation”. That is a real awakening and seems to set the album off on another setting.There are hints of distant voices that appear, the kind that make you strain to overhear the seemingly devotional offerings and at points the vibe is akin to watching somebody sleep; you have all the time to appreciate the finest of details while the subliminal rhythm of life is accompanying your musings.
Arch Of Motion is an extraordinarily thoughtful work that is enhanced by the deftest uses of flute, trombone, piano and guitar; but really it is all about your relationship with the pipe organ and the unique ambience it brings to your world. A gentle but transportative album that is worth a place in anyone’s collection.-Mr Olivetti-
