(Improvised & Experimental Music / Ambient / norway) [WEB] Erland Dahlen - Blossom Bells - 2015 [Hubro CD2525], FLAC (tracks), lossless

“Blossom Bells” is the long awaited follow-up of drummer and percussionist Erland Dahlen’s critically acclaimed solo debut album, “Rolling Bomber” (HUBRO, 2012). Uncut’s reviewer said that Erland’s “one-man band-in-a-box sounds fuller and more imaginative than many ‘post-rock’ quartets”, while Rock-A-Rolla described the debut album as “finely judged and creatively individual”.
Erland´s second album has a playful, richly visual mood, but is also quite dark and menacing in places. Elements of krautrock, drone music, ambient music and contemporary music are woven together here with dark, rock-inspired energy.
The album is named after the legendary instrument-maker Pete Engelhart’s unusual chromatic set of bells, “Blossom Bells”, which Erland plays in several places on the album. He also plays a variety of percussion instruments, saw, electronic instruments and some specially constructed instruments, such as cake moulds with springs built by Hallvard W. Hagen, a custom made «percussion bass» made by Harald Hougaard and a wind up wood instrument with elastic band constructed by Kenny Wollesen.
The collection of instruments used on the album is extensive, imaginative and unique. Erland is passionately interested in new sounds, and spends a great deal of time traipsing through offbeat second-hand shops while touring all over the world. Another important source of percussion instruments from the 1920s, 30s and 40s is eBay. His new compositions are often inspired by improvisations based on the exploration of fascinating sounds.
Erland plays all the instruments himself, as on the previous record, but has produced the album with Johnny Skalleberg as well as with Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard W. Hagen from the electronica duo Xploding Plastix – a group Erland has worked together with for over a decade.
Erland Dahlen has played on over 160 records since the mid-1990s, and has toured with an impressive list of top-ranking artists in more than 30 countries, including Madrugada, Xploding Plastix, John Paul Jones, Pantha du Prince and the Bell Laboratory, Årabrot, Kaada/Mike Patton, Eivind Aarset on “Sonic Codex”, Serena Maneesh, Anja Garbarek, Arve Henriksen, Hanne Hukkelberg and Ane Brun, along with many others.
For the past few years Erland has been a regular member of Nils Petter Molvær’s band, and he plays in the trio Stian Westerhus and the Pale Horses. His talents are also frequently put to use for film music.
The album was recorded at Oslo Klang with technician Johnny Skalleberg and at Coffee Fabric with technicians Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard W. Hagen. It was mastered by Helge Sten at Audio Virus Lab.
The album is available on CD and in a limtited deluxe edition on LP. 180g vinyl – CD included.
~ hubromusic.com

There is an impressive array of instrumentation used on ‘Blossom Bells’ and not once do you feel that Erland is biting off more than he can chew. Musically as stated before though, this is not for me; but I do appreciate just how well this has been pieced together.
~ Black Audio
Mer enn tre år er gått siden Erland Dahlens frapperende solo-førstealbum «Rolling Bomber». Dét navnet viste til Dahlens hederskronte Slingerland-trommesett fra 1940-tallet, men det er åpenbart minst like mye slagkraft i de enda eldre wlf (William Frederick Ludwig)-trommene som han bruker på «Blossom Bells». Dette oppfølgeralbumet, som låner navn fra Pete Engelharts stemte sett av kremmerhusformede bjeller, er likevel like lite et «trommealbum» som forløperen, snarere låter Dahlen nok en gang som et eventyrlystent, melodibasert perkusjonsensemble med en klangpalett aldeles uten sidestykke. (Joda, spesialbygde kakeformer med fjærer er med i instrumentariet denne gangen også.) Dahlen starter med å la de blomstrende bjellene klinge forsiktig mot dyp, pulserende brumming, og føyer så til nye klanger av ulik mykhetsgrad, som en audiokokk i ferd med å balansere fram et nytt lite kunstverk av en svevende klangrett («Snake»). Etter snaue fem minutter skifter han grep, etablerer en bastant rytmisk bunn og pøser på med en repeterende, rikt klangbåren melodi som spinner og drønner rundt og over trommene («Pipe») før den avløses av «Knife», albumets lengste strekk (8’06). Bjeller, sag, elektroniske droner og en tung, dump puls er noen av ingrediensene i dette skridende, nesten sørgeprosesjonelle forløpet som kunne vært kongen av tvillingriket Sag & Cyber verdig. Med «Iron» tar Dahlen steget ut i rytmisk og tonalt friere lende, men uten å havne i noen form for kaos, før han nok en gang strammer til med «Hammer», som etter ett minutts forpostfektninger legger seg på et stødig insisterende backbeat og rir et klokkeklingende, plystrebart melodisk tema som nok kan jage selv hardbarkede dansevegrere ut på gulvet. Moroa avsluttes med albumets tittelspor, som er nettopp det – blomstrende bjeller i duett med ømt syngende sag – og dertil en poetisk og vakker avrunding av et originalt tenkt og strålende gjennomført album. Heldigvis røper omslagsteksten hvilke instrumenter og ikke-instrumenter som Dahlen benytter, hvilket er særs nyttig og ikke minst gjør dyplyttingen til en fest.
~ Jazzinorge.no / Terje Mosnes (N)
Mit den »Blossom Bells«, die dem zweiten Album von Erland Dahlen den Titel geben, sind nicht die Lilienköpfe gemeint, die auf dessen Cover abgebildet sind. Auch wenn man kaum behaupten kann, dass jene die Erwartung in falsche Bahnen lenken. Stattdessen, wie schon bei seinem 2012er Debüt »Rolling Bomber«, auch auf Hubro Music, handelt es sich dabei um den Namen des Instruments, das den Sound des Albums prägt. Ein Blick auf die Liste seines illustren Arsenals lässt schon ahnen, dass man sich hier in einen besonderen, fast märchenhaften Klanggarten begibt: diverse Arten von Glocken, speziell eben die von Pete Engelhardt geschaffenen »Blossom Bells«, einige weitere Sonderanfertigungen wie mit Metallfedern versehene Kuchenformen, ein Aufziehinstrument aus Holz mit Gummibändern oder ein »Percussion Bass«, dann singende Säge, weitere Percussion von Xylophon über schlägelbespielte Streicher bis zu Schreibmaschine und Messer und Gabel, natürlich Elektronik (u.a. Dronebox, Spielzeugroboter), nicht zuletzt WFL Drums (wie so manches andere hier aus Urgroßvaters Zeiten) und am Ende noch Stimme, Keyboards, Gitarren. Ein Klanggarten also, in dem man sich fast verlaufen könnte, wäre er nicht so sorgsam angelegt. In »Snake« kämmt noch der Wind durchs Blattwerk, in »Pipe« schrauben Glockenriff und E-Gitarre einander schon in den Postrock-Himmel. Dann tastet »Knife« sich durch finsteres Dickicht, eine Art aufgeweckter Ginger Baker ballert sich froh durch den Obstbeete von »Hammer«, das Titelstück schließlich marschiert feierlich im Abendrot Mike Oldfield entgegen. Einzig »Iron«, das vierte der sechs Stücke, kommt daher wie Gestrüpp, das durch zerborstene Fenster ins verbotene, halb zugewachsene Gartenhaus fingert – aber das ist ja auch ein Remix, verfertigt von Hallvard W. Hagen. Einer der vielen (als Teil des Elektronik-Duos Xploding Plastix), die gern auf Erland Dahlens weitgereiste musikalische Fertigkeiten vertrauen, dessen Name sich auf über 160 Alben findet, seit einigen Jahren auch als Teil der Band von Nils Petter Molvær. Nun rockt Erland Dahlen hier eben so viel, wie einer alleine im Overdub-Verfahren eben rocken kann. Aber die aparte Farbigkeit von »Blossom Bells« kommt so aus einem Guss und erreicht eine Bildkraft, die bei jedem Hören von neuem fortträgt.
~ HHV Mag 8/10 (DE)

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