1. Sun Sets in Sector 5 6:30
2. Mr. Zenith 6:43
3. Troublesome Bubblescum 4:54
4. The Three Headed Nodh Listens for the Zarg 7:05
5. A Visit from the Gobble 6:46
6. Fishing for Snirks Part I 6:45
7. Fishing for Snirks Part II 7:34
8. Donkey Honkey Tonk 10:01
9. Into the Spiral’s End 12:53
This release is the first CD album from the Oslo-based Planet Noise label, a “virtual artist pool” that is based partly on traditional CD and vinyl releases and partly on download-able streams and tracks published on the web. Whether this is the future for the increasingly technology-paranoid music business remains to be seen, but it’s most definitely a promising concept. But instead of giving a lengthy description I suggest that you go and see for yourself on www.planetnoise.com. And for the remainder of this article, I’ll concentrate on this very un-virtual piece of plastic that you can actually buy in the shops.
Gork is the solo incarnation of Knut Sævik, a nice chap from the west coast of Norway who released an album together with a guy called Oddgeir last year under the name John Storm N Da Kid. (Knut is “da Kid” in question). He’s also produced a couple of albums for the notorious Italian Leo Young, and generally knows his studio inside out. JSNDK’s album was a quite well-produced and competent affair, and although it was a tad too smooth and frictionless for this pair of ears, it’s still worth checking out if well crafted house muzik is your thing.
House? What’s this review doing on a “psychedelic” site, then? Well, Gork is something altogether different than JSNDK, you see – this is where our Knut allows himself to disregard the established rules of dance music and the radio-friendly four-minute format. Instead, he experiments and explores in true con amore fashion, with more than a little nod to “psychedelic” music genres. To his credit, this is a very individual and unpredictable record; in fact, it sounds like nothing I’ve heard before. The first six tracks are quite freeform electronica/IDM soundscapes where microscopic percussion sounds and intriguing melody snippets are mixed together in an atmospheric and altogether quite digital and polished whole. It sounds a little bit like Future Sound of London’s “Lifeforms” if you want a comparison, and it works particularly well on “The Three Headed Nodh Listens for the Zarg”, which is almost as magnificent as its title. However, on the last three tracks the laidback/horisontal vibe is ditched in favor of the 16th note basslines and thudding kick drum of psytrance – a very surprising move that might turn off the less adventurous listeners out there. Still, it’s more restrained and has a more musical flow than most psytrance, and thankfully doesn’t resort to the pounding single-mindedness that detract so much from the impact of most releases in that genre. The dynamic elements are in the upper layers of the frequency spectrum rather than in the rhythm section, the emphasis being on lush pads and carefully sculpted layers on sound, thus making the music enjoyable without turning the volume up to 11. It’s probably too subtle, quirky and incompatible with anything else to be played at psytrance-floors, and DJ’s will most likely dismiss it as too corny, but it should suit you well on the home listening front if psychedelica is your preferred choice of music.
This being said, some critical remarks are warranted. The music undeniably has a certain studio engineer edge to it that results in a sound which is so polished that it borders on the sterile, and that’s particularly the case with “Mr. Zenith”, where the mood created by clever drum programming and funky sounds is frustratingly ruined by a tacky MOR saxophone. Production-wise, there’s also the odd detail here and there that doesn’t gel with the rest of the music (the bass sound in “Fishing for Snirks Part II” sounds out of place, for example). This album is also a little short on tension and climaxes, and flows so seamlessly along that one might wish a little more bite. Whether the album’s somewhat strange progression from listening-oriented electronica to tranced-out psycho-doodlings is clever (makes for interesting variation) or ill-conceived (comes across as a game of two halves) is for you to decide; myself, I liked the concept, but in a market so preoccupied with rigid labeling and categorizing, an album like this is a bold move that can easily fall between all possible chairs. Still, with there being so much tripe “psychedelic chill out” out there, this is a better choice for your stereo than a lot of other long players available. And if you buy the disc, you get a unique user code in the booklet that enables you to download bonus material by Gork on Planet Noise’s website, and if you ask me, that’s pretty darn cool. “Fishing for Snirks” isn’t for everyone’s tastes, but if you don’t even give it a try I think you’re a bit silly. So there.
Top level
Music reviews
