Natten

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Named after the Danish word for "The Night," Natten is Bremer/McCoy's hypnotic fifth album and second for the Luaka Bop label. It follows the Danish instrumental duo's equally enga ging 2019 album Utopia and again finds them building an expansive dreamscape that touches upon jazz, classical, and electronic sounds. The group features bassist Jonathan Bremer and keyboardist/tape delay artist Morten McCoy. Together, they craft evocative instrumental songs that bring to mind the '70s ECM albums of Ralph Towner and Keith Jarrett, as well as the work of new age artists like Mike Oldfield and Klaus Schulze. Some tracks, like "Gratitude," start simply with a lyrical piano melody played delicately against a hushed double bass before widening out. Others, like "Aurora," have a shimmering, symphonic electronica-quality from the start that sparkles from one horizon to the next with deep blue synth, piano, and bass hues. While each of these songs are distinctive, as with Utopia, the performances on Natten feel like they are meant to work as a complete whole. Some tracks, including the aforementioned "Aurora" and "Nova," bleed into each other like audio sun flares captured by an interstellar probe and transmuted to earth. It's an organic, spectral atmosphere, the kind that begs to be heard in surround sound or through headphones in one extended session. With Natten, Bremer/McCoy successfully evoke the dark glow of the night sky, a sound that is vast and enrapturing. ~ Matt Collar Show more