SARALUNDEN & ANDREY KIRITCHENKO : THERE WAS
NO END
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I think the fascination that emanates
Saralunden is partly due to her mysterious voice, so full of melancholy and
strength at the same time, and to the mysteriousness of her persona, which
all probably started by the simple act of dropping the space between her
first and last name. Musicians definitely fall for her charisma and presence
easily, but that is also true for listeners. Just take a breathe of how she
sings on ÒOh so blueÓ on this six song collection, so fragile and beautiful
it makes you hurt with glee. Or the age old longwinding of vocals she uses in
the almost folk tale ÒDonÕt you rememberÓ that draws you into a story of love
and love lost that seems centuries old. I could go on about each and every
song on this compilation. I think I am starting to fall for Sara Lunden
myself. This record and the collaboration with Kyrre Bjцrkas and
Andreas Mjцs released at the same time on new nexsound-pop-branch-label
is enough to get me addicted. What exactly the mystery of female
singers from the farthest north of Europe really is (Bjцrk, Frida
Hyvцnen, et. al.) is far beyond me. There probably is something in the
water or in the air. I might just be diluded by a not representative sample
of singers that reach me, but when have I ever written about something else
but my own illusions of what reality could be like. I also have the hunch that
Sara Lunden has a penchant for producing music with men she has or has had an
affair with, which I have no proof for other than the deepness of how the
songs are being played together and a certain sense of relationship in the
sound. Oh yeah, and the illustration on the cover of the record, which
displays a certain kind of intimacy. To note, I am not interested in what she
does in her private life, but if it has an effect on the music, then I take a
note. And there definitley is an effect in affection. What is also fascinating, is the
electronic fundaments that Andrey Kiritchenko lays down for Saralunden to
sing on. Not only do they contain some guitar here and there and other ÒrealÓ
instruments, but the most amazing thing is how sensitive and gentle Kiritchenko
uses his electronic tools to support the vision of the song. I know him to
have used his tools for mostly power measures and walls of pure distortion as
well. But here there is no piercing of eardrums or shocking of listeners
intended. He steps back and opens up doors and stairways for Saralunden to
expand on. All for the sake of the song. At other times he uses tiny snippets
and samples of Sara Lundens singing, on the beginning of Òoh so blueÓ only
the breathing sounds of her, to add shapes and fragrances to the basis of the
tracks. Thematically the songs are close again
to what has been laid down on ÒdubiousÓ as well. Love and love lost, the
depths and heights of personal relationships and private obsessions. ÒI have
had erotic dreams about youÓ she sings on Òerotic dreamsÓ something I am sure
you wonÕt hear from either Celine Dion or KT Turnstall in the near future.
This openness in exploring her own inner self, her psychosis and psyche makes
the songs more honest and more real, no matter how much electronics there are
in the back. Hyvцnens piano is no more real as an instrument than
KiritchenkoÕs switchboard. The opener ÒCome with meÓ is sparsely but
originally arranged, later on the arrangements become more lively, layered
and dense. Even though the label calls its new
branch Òmore accessibleÓ this is no easy music, especially not when you dare
to listen closely and really dig into the songs and the music. There are many
hidden depths and cliffs in the dark waters around here. The dancing sounds of
swirling electronic butterflies around SaralundenÕs voice on ÒOh so blueÓ
only add balance to the hurried and worrying breathing sounds mixed further
in the back. The depth of the melancholy and the tinge of pain in the singing
of ÒdonÕt you rememberÓ, a song about lost love if there ever was one. Lyrics
like ÒdonÕt you remember, how it felt so good, when we first kissedÓ that
sound bland and immature written down, gain in size and emotional depth with
the ability of the interpreter, the singer. There is so much in these songs
it is impossible to name it all. And yet this is only six songs on one CD-EP.
I wish there were no end. |
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This collaborative project has its
roots in a Swedish Institute initiative which took place in spring 2006. With
the aim of promoting relations between Sweden and Ukraine, four musicians
from each country were asked to work together. There's a curious sense of
dislocated tension in these songs which could be derived from their
unorthodox genesis, couching Lunden's faux naif, sing song delivery against
Kiritchenko's uneasily shifting electronic backcloth. Titles such as
"Come With Me" and "Oh So Blue" are knowingly banal and
the lyrics offer a similarly deadpan version of the utterly conventional. But
they are transformed by the slurred handclaps, queasily manipulated vocals
and restlessly uncertain tempos. The overall impression is of a compromised
emotional landscape not a million miles away from Throbbing Gristle's 20 Jazz
Funk Greats, and the closing, half whispered phrase -"Tonight you gave
me something / will always remember"- hangs in the mind after silence
has closed over it, resonant and ambiguous. Chris Sharp |
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Az album egy zenei k’sŽrlet illetve
egyŸttműkšdŽs Žs egy ukrajnai turnŽ eredmŽnye, amelyet Kiritchenko Žs
Lunden hozott šssze a ukr‡n Nexsound kiad— (ami Kiritchenko saj‡tja) Žs a Swedish
Institute szervezŽsŽben tavaly ősztől egŽszen 2007 tavasz‡ig.
Saralunden 1998-ban kezdett el zenŽket kŽsz’teni, Žs m‡ra kiteljesedett az a
hangz‡svil‡g amely olyan egyedivŽ teszik projektjei hangvil‡g‡t, a disco-t—l
a sanzonon ‡t az elektro-ig. FellŽpŽsei egyben performanszok is egyben, ezŽrt
– a hangja Žs Žnekei miatt is – egyből Laurie Anderson jut
eszembe. A stockholm-i kŽpzőművŽszeti egyetemen vŽgzett, tšbb
kisfilmje kŽszŸlt a performanszok archiv‡l‡sa mellett. (www.saralunden.com;
www.myspace.com/saralunden). Andrey Kiritchenko az ukr‡n experiment‡lis
elektronik‡ban ismert Žs elismert producer, kiad—tulajdonos. Egyike a
kelet-eur—pai experiment‡lis zenŽk pioneer-jainak. ƒnekeskŽnt,
zeneszerzőkŽnt Žs git‡roskŽnt kezdett el zenŽlni 1995-ben. Rengeteg
projektet tett m‡r le az asztalra haz‡j‡ban Žs a legtšbb volt szovjet
tag‡llamban. Dolgozott egyŸtt Francisco Lopezzel, Kim Cascone-val, Jonas
Lindgrennel, Jeff Surakkal, Kotra-val, Mantichora-val, a The Moglass-szal Žs
a tšbbi. KŽsz’tett remixet Frans de Waard-nak, Brian Lavelle-nek,
Scanner-nek, Marcus Maeder-nek Žs a 833-45-nek. 2006-ban d’jat nyert a Qwartz
Electronic Music Awards-on a ãDiscoveryÓ [J] kateg—ri‡ban. Elektroakusztikus
zenŽit most nagy erőkkel kezdte el szupport‡lni a vil‡g minden t‡j‡ra.
Az album a turnŽ felvŽteleiből hatot tartalmaz, a gyšngyszemeket
v‡logatt‡k ki a hihetetlen mennyisŽgű hanganyagb—l. SzfŽrikus melank—lia
j‡rja ‡t az egŽszet, Lunden nagyszerű, b‡r nŽhol kissŽ unalmass‡ v‡l—
k‡nt‡l‡s‡val, amelyet Kiritchenko legtšbbszšr j— helyen Žrzett meg Žs spŽkelt
hozz‡ egy-egy kiv‡l— hangot vagy effektet. A szšvegek szintŽn ezt a
melank—li‡t, alkoholgőzšs estŽket tolnak lassan a szob‡ba, amiből
az elektromos effektek garmad‡ja rŽm’t ki egy pillanatra, vagy Žpp hœz mŽg
mŽlyebbre – j— Žrtelemben. TermŽszetesen a szerelem Žs a csal—d‡s sem
nŽlkŸlšzhető ebből a hangulatb—l, ami ’gy ősz t‡j‡n tškŽletes
elegyet ad egy hasonl— helyzeteket megŽlő hallgat—nak. A k’sŽrletező
melank—li‡ba vegy’tett nagyfokœ ŽrdekessŽghalmaz a lemez. Kork |
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It's a small world after all, we find
here a project with Swedish singer/songwriter Sara Lunden joining forces
Ukranian electronic artist Andrey Kiritchenko for a 25 minute EP. Sara's voice in de first track Come
With Me doesn't immediately take me in, so to speak. In the following track
it turns out it wasn't so much the voice, but the melody that was somewhat
problematic for me. As the EP continues things get more exciting, in melody
but also in arrangement. Don't You Remember finds Sara somewhat absentmindend
it seems, droning through soaring electronics. Next we find a more
traditional song, with plain guitar, electric piano, ghostly backingvocals
and some seemingly random sounds scattered around. Halfway into Erotic Dreams
the sound reminds me of Depeche Mode, in some peculiar way. The sixth and
last track finds us floating into the sea as Tonight seems to be some odd
seashanty-out-of-joint. It turns out that this EP is much
nicer than I initially thought it was going to be judging on track one.
Somewhat comparable to the female singer/songwriter with electronics
combination we know from Susanna & The Magical Orchestra and Niobe's
White Hats album, but very much creating their own little soundworld. Martijn Busink |
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Andrey Kiritchenko er en flittig
herre, der ikke alene udgiver stribevis af glimrende albums, men som ogsŒ
finder tid til at drive det eksperimenterende label Nexsound og dertil
arrangere den elektroniske festival Detali Zvuku i Kiev. PΠpladefronten lod
han senest h¿re fra sig med et album i Staalplaats Mort Aux Vaches-serie, men
allerede fŒ mŒneder efter er han klar med endnu en udgivelse. Ganske vist
drejer det sig blot om en ep med seks numre og en spilletid pΠca. 24
minutter, hvor Kiritchenko fŒr selskab af den svenske chanteuse Sara Lunden. There Was No End, som samarbejdet er
kommet til at hedde, udsendes i serien Nexsound PQP, der skal skabe plads til
mere lettilg¾ngelig musik pŒ det ellers avantgardistisk orienterede label.
Kiritchenko goes pop? Tja, letford¿jelig popmusik kan man vel n¾ppe kalde
resultatet, men sandt er det da, at musikken har en i¿refaldende kvalitet,
som ligger et godt stykke fra Kiritchenkos typisk noget mere abstrakte
lydflader. Her er blid kvindevokal og svale, melankolske melodier, og sŒ
handler det hele gudhj¾lpemig ogsŒ om k¾rlighed, hvad der trods alt er et
slags spring for en kunstner, som for nylig udsendte et album, der havde
udstoppede dyr som tema. Nu er det da ogsŒ Lunden, som stŒr for
sangskrivningen, ligesom hun udover at synge spiller guitar, synth og blokfl¿jte.
Kiritchenko giver sit besyv med i form af skr¿belige elektroniske teksturer,
knitrende st¿j og manipulerede reallyde. Hans hŒndelag for den slags skinner
tydeligt igennem, men omvendt er det en ny situation for ham at arbejde inden
for rammerne af regul¾re sange. Sp¿rgsmŒlet er sŒ, om det er en god idŽ for
ham at begive sig ind pŒ det territorium? Jeg skal ikke l¾gge skjul pŒ, at jeg
ved f¿rste gennemlytning var lettere skuffet. Det ville v¾re synd at sige, at
blandingen af dr¿mmende kvindevokal, folkorienteret indiepop og knitrende
electronica er nogen nyhed, og det kr¾ver altsŒ noget s¾rligt, for at min
opm¾rksomhed kan holdes fangen. Det l¿d jo meget l¾kkert, men det virkede
ogsŒ, som om Kiritchenkos brillante fornemmelse for lyd var reduceret til ren
baggrundsflimmer for nogle lettere anonyme melodier. Og det var jo ikke lige
det, jeg havde forventet fra ham. Efter nogle flere gennemlytninger mŒ
jeg dog erkende, at jeg har ladet mig forf¿re. Forf¿relse forekommer at v¾re
det rette ord, for selvom pladen for en umiddelbar betragtning ikke g¿r det
store v¾sen af sig, sŒ luller den alligevel stille og roligt Žn ind i en
stemning, der f¿rst og fremmest kan beskrives som sexet. ÓCome with meÓ
messer Lunden pŒ Œbningsnummeret af samme navn, og det g¿r man sŒ, indtil man
ender pŒ en postorgastisk tangent i afslutningsnummeret ÓTonightÓ. Sammen
synes de seks sange at danne en hel lille fort¾lling om forelskelse og
forf¿relse, en fort¾lling, som samtidig kan l¾ses som bŒde en allegori over
lytteprocessen og over spillet mellem de to musikere. I hvert fald kan man
ikke lade v¾re med pŒ baggrund af teksterne at h¿re deres n¾sten hviskende
anslag som gensidige k¾rtegn, generte, men ogsŒ dragende. ÓDon't you remember
how you stroked my hairÓ synger Lunden, mens musikken netop knitrer som
sŒdanne elektriske ber¿ringer. Det her er ikke bare kammerpop, men i
allerh¿jeste grad sengekammerpop. Det fine ved pladen er, at den skaber
en formfuldendt erotisk stemning uden at havne i lummerhed og/eller ironisk
retrokitsch. Ligeledes gŒr pladen ogsŒ uden om letk¿bte seksuelle effekter
som st¿nnelyde og deslige. Det erotiske spil opstŒr udelukkende i energien
mellem de to musikere, og selvf¿lgelig gennem selve sangenes elegante og
n¾sten meditative kredsen om forf¿relsen. Lundens stemme kan i starten
forekomme noget monoton, men det er faktisk med til at give sangene et fint,
hypnotisk pr¾g. Samtidig rummer hendes stemme et m¿rke, der sammen med
Kiritchenkos momentvis st¿jende passager, antyder den potentielle farlighed i
situationen, frygten for at bev¾ge sig ud pŒ det dybe vand og eventuelt blive
efterladt alene der. Hendes jazz- og folkpr¾gede fraseringer kan lede
tankerne hen pŒ bŒde en Nico og en Feist. Det er dovent og sensuelt, men ogsŒ
med et strejf af uheldsvangre skygger og smerte. Decideret fremragende er numre som
ÓDon't You RememberÓ og ÓTonightÓ, hvor melankoli og s¿dme gŒr op i en h¿jere
enhed. OgsŒ ÓErotic DreamsÓ – et nummer, der virkelig lever op til sin
titel – b¿r fremh¾ves. Som sagt b¿r numrene dog h¿res som Žn samlet
fort¾lling. Ikke nogen stor episk gestus, men et lille, intenst kammerspil.
Og det har bestemt ogsŒ sin ret, selvom jeg nok ikke hŒber, at Kiritchenko
dropper sine mere avantgardistiske tilb¿jeligheder for at begynde at spille
indbydende indietronica. Det er der nok heller ikke nogen virkelig grund til
at frygte; ergo kan man uden skrupler godt tillade sig at nyde denne
charmerende lille flirt af en plade som det, den nu er. Rasmus Steffensen |
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NŠr jag var en liten snorgŠrs nŠrde
jag nŒgra dršmmar om framtida jobb. Ett av dem var att bli pilot. Otaliga var
de flygplansbšcker som lŠstes. Spitfire och Boeing, Messerschmitt och Airbus.
Ett synfel satte effektivt stopp fšr mina fantasier. En mental sŒ vŠl som
fysisk nŠrkontakt mellan tŒ och tršskel kan framkalla smŠrta. Ett annan dršm
var att ratta en demoleringsmaskin (med stor, svart, fin stŒlkula). Riva
byggnader. Mumma! Pentyl, trotyl och nitroglycerin var ord vars sprŠngverkan
jag kunde redogšra fšr nŠr som helst. Det kan lŒta destruktivt, att fšrstšra
saker. Men det Šr det inte. Det handlar om att skapa utrymme. Tomma rena
ytor. I den vŠrld du och jag lever i, sŒ šverbelamrad med intryck, Šr det
viktigt att skala av, plocka bort, avytra. En inre frid att kunna tŠnka innebŠr
att kunna leva. Just det hŠr ekande tomma utrymmet Œterfinns pŒ Sara Lundens
och Andrey Kiritchenkos 'There was no End'. Ett tillfŠlle om 23 minuter att hŠmta
andan. Viskningar utan rop i skšn symbios med elektroniskt gnissel och
bludder gnuggar igŒng en šverbelamrad hjŠrna. Som nŠr nŒgon tar ett djupt
andetag och flŠmtar till i suverŠna Bjšrk-pastischen 'Oh so Blue'. Skivbolaget Nexsound kallar det
'indie-tronica'. Ack sŒ rŠtt de har. LŒttips: 'Oh so Blue' och 'Erotic
Dreams'. Fšrfattare: Peter Larsson |
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Might of course be just me not knowing
much, but the name Sara Lunden is new to me. She plays synthesizer, vocals,
guitar and recorder and composes songs. How she recorded this album with
Andrey Kiritchenko (objects, drums, field recordings, programming,
electronics and editing) I don't know. Did they sat together and made or did
Kiritchenko add his part later? In any case, that is not of real importance,
the music counts. A lot. Lunden's voice is alike Portishead and other trip
hop like artists, but the music is not like that all. Melodic and
melodramatic glitch pop music. There are elements to be recognized from the
abstract clicks 'n cuts music, but the overall emphasizes lies on popmusic.
Maybe the voice is a bit too much like the triphoppers of this world, but
throughout I must admit I thought this was a highly enjoyable release. Careful,
vulnerable popmusic with a great modern touch. Frans de Waard |
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This is a new series of Nexsound that
takes the name of PQP (pickup) which is dedicated to release more accessible
music in the likes of experimental pop. So were released two EP's: 'There Was
No Fun' of the Swedish Saralunden (aka Sara Lunden) and the Ukrainian Andrey
Kiritchenko, founder of the Nexsound label and a renown artist of the
experimental scene in his country and abroad. In addition the 'Dubious' EP by
Saralunden.BjšrkŒs.Mjšs. This project arises in the spring of 2007 during
Saralunden tour to Ukraine, after a year or so when four Ukrainian artists
were invited in May of 2006 - among them Kiritchenko - to Stockholm by the
Swedish Institute for an interchange with musicians of that country. There
are two notables here. The first song ÔCome With MeÕ that blend minimal
electronics that cede to a certain tension between the keyboard ambient lines
and the clap hands, and ÔDonÕt You RememberÕ, with the angelical vocals of
Sara Lunden and KiritchenkoÕs obscure organ chords and the synthetic noises. Guillermo
Escudero September 2007 ----- Esta es una nueva serie de Nexsound
que lleva el nombre de PQP (pickup) y que est‡ dedicada a editar mœsica m‡s
accesible que se inscribe en el pop experimental. De esta forma se editan dos
EPÕs: ÒThere Was No FunÓ de la sueca Saralunden (aka Sara Lunden) y el
ucraniano Andrey Kiritchenko, fundador del sello Nexsound y referente
destacado de la escena experimental en su pa’s. Adem‡s, "Dubious"
de Saralunden. BjšrkŒs.Mjšs.
Este proyecto surge en la primavera de
2007 durante la gira que hace Sara Lunden a Ucrania, luego que cuatro
artistas ucranianos en mayo de 2006 fueran invitados – entre ellos
Kiritchenko – a Estocolmo por el Instituto Sueco para un intercambio
con mœsicos de ese pa’s.
Hay dos temas destacados en este EP. El
primer el tema ÒCome With MeÓ que combina bien la electr—nica minimalista
librando cierta tensi—n entre las l’nea ambiental del teclado y las palmas y
ÒDonÕt You RememberÓ con la sugerente voz de Sara Lunden, las oscuras notas
del —rgano y los ruidos sintŽticos de Kiritchenko. Guillermo Escudero
Septiembre
2007 |
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