Geir Sundstol

Jan 22 2020

Best of 2019 #54: Trond Kallevag Hansen – “Bedehus & Hawaii”

 

There are so many different reasons a particular album will connect with me, and often, it’s more than one reason.  It’s a joy to attempt to convey those emotions and thoughts in the written form, to bring the imagery in my head, heart, and soul to life on the page.  But occasionally I encounter an album that is so damn beautiful in some ineffable way that all I want to do is simply type the words this is pure beauty over and over again.  This is pure beauty this is pure beauty this is pure beauty this is pure beauty.  Guitarist Trond Kallevåg Hansen has crafted an album that captures the Nordic countryside and the Pacific ocean shore, and he’s joined by musicians who have a talent at doing the same, especially fellow guitarist Geir Sundstøl, who, also, creates music of pure beauty and has left me equally captivated.  2019 has had its share of gorgeous recordings see the light of day, but perhaps none more oso than Bedehus & Hawaii.  This is pure beauty.  Sometimes that’s all that can be said, and really, there is nothing more that needs saying.

Your album personnel:  Trond Kallevåg Hansen (guitar, electronics and field recordings), Ivar Myrset Asheim (drums and percussion), Alexander Hoholm (double bass), Geir Sundstøl (guitar, pedal steel, marxophone, optigan, xylophone) and Adrian Løseth Waade (violin).

Released on Hubro Music.

Music from Oslo, Norway.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Amazon – Bandcamp

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Jan 19 2020

Best of 2019 #66: Mats Eilertsen – “Reveries and Revelations”

 

Mats Eilertsen has been responsible for all kinds of fascinating music, so it’s no small thing to say that Reveries and Revelations is arguably his most compelling work to date.  It’s a series of de facto duo sessions performed in isolation.  The bassist recorded pieces in his own home studio, and then sent the music to a handful of collaborators to perform their own music along to it.  In turn, they sent that music back to him, and thus began the final stage of putting it all together into something of a sonic collage.  Eilertsen retains the minimalist aspect of the music, and never lets the recreation become something illogical or untraceable back to the solitary nature of this music.  And yet, he generates a large presence with these pieces, something that transcends the first blush impression of introspection and peaceful tones.  It is not unlike how sparse noises seem to roar out from the quiet black of night… almost as if silence is the best reflective surface for huge sounds to incubate.  There’s also an intimacy to this music, and seems to belie the claim that the musicians were miles apart when making their contributions to the final product.  All of it comes together for one of the most compelling works of 2019.

Your album personnel:  Mats Eilertsen (double bass, electric bass, acoustic bass guitar, guitar, harmonium, keyboard), and guests: Geir Sundstøl (guitar, national guitar, banjo), Eivind Aarset (guitar), Thomas Strønen (drums, percussion, electronics), Per Oddvar Johansen (snare drum) and Arve Henriksen (trumpet).

Released on Hubro Music.

Music from Oslo, Norway.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

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Nov 3 2018

Recommended: Geir Sundstol – “Brodlos”

 

The music of Geir Sundstøl is elemental.  The guitarist’s spellbinding melodies are a stiff breeze in a sonic atmosphere that settles in right from the first note and doesn’t fade until the last has sounded.  His latest solo release Brødløs does nothing to diminish this reputation.  An inspired medley of Bowie’s “Warzawa” and Coltrane’s “Alabama” is the album centerpiece, but just as compelling a facet of Sundstøl’s sound is the dizzying array of instruments put to use.  Pedal steel, Shankar guitar, moog, banjo, loops, mandolin are just a few of the sonic textures Sundstøl layers atop one another.  Add to this the guitarist’s enlistment of an equally diverse set of musicians on tabla, keyboards, effects, wind instruments and percussion, and this music’s hypnotic effect is amplified a hundred fold.

This is truly singular music.

Your album personnel:  Geir Sundstøl (pedal steel, six string bass, banjo, harmonica, cümbüs ̧ National Duolian, Shankar guitar, Moog MiniTaur, Lexicon organ, pianochordia, marxophone, timpani, optigan, guitar, mandolin, Prime Time loops), David Wallumrød (Minimoog, Prophet 5, Arp Pro Soloist and Juno 60), Erland Dahlen (drums, drum machine, frame drum, steel drum, log drum, marching toms, xylophones, dulcimer, musical saw, Schulmerich handbells, blossombells, triangle, metal plates, and vocals), Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet), Jo Berger Myhre (Fender VI, Moog Minitaur), Sanskriti Sheresta (tablas, vocals) and Mats Eilertsen (acoustic bass, vocals).

Released on Hubro Music.

Listen to another album track at the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Music from the Oslo, Norway scene.

Available at:  Amazon

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Nov 27 2016

Recommended: Geir Sundstol – “Langen ro”

 

geir-sundstol-langen-roThere is nothing ordinary about the music of Geir Sundstøl.  Not his dreamlike compositions.  Not his singular expressionism on pedal steel.  His choice of instrumentation is anything but conventional, and when he needs something unavailable, he sits down and invents it from scratch out of sheer imagination.  Some of this talent is due to his vast experience in a diverse array of projects.  Some of it is due to a creative drive that clearly has no concept of obstacles or boundaries.  His newest album Langen ro benefits from all of that, and it’s why it’s one of the most enchanting albums to come out all this year.

All the compositions are originals, aside from two.  Sundstøl gives the funhouse mirror treatment to the melody of folk tune “Gråtarslaget” and, at the other end of the pop culture spectrum, a rendition of “Tony’s Theme” that is more laid-back than the title-character of Scarface ever conceived of being.

At its core, Sundstøl has a trio of himself, keyboardist David Wallumrød and percussionist Erland Dahlen with a number of guests.  But really, this album is about piecing together any personnel and instrumentation required to fill out Sundstøl’s unique imagery of jazz improvisation, Nordic folk, ambient minimalism and chamber music.  There is no core, really.  It’s about imagery and the vision it sources from.  The music is mesmerizing, not catchy, experiential, not immemorial.  It’s music to be lived in the moment and only in the moment, but Sundstøl, thankfully, makes that moment last a very long time.

This is a seriously captivating album.

Your album personnel:  Geir Sundstøl (pedal steel, six string bass, banjo, xylophone, bass drum, cymbal, harmonica, cümbüs ̧ National Duolian, Shankar guitar, 5-string banjo, Moog MiniTaur, log drum, maraccas, pump organ, pianochordia, concert harp, marxophone, tubular bells), David Wallumrød (piano, Wurlitzer, Clavinet D6, Prophet 5, whistling), Erland Dahlen (blossombells, snare drum, metal plate, marching toms, xylophone, mini xylophone, musical saw, bass drum, Schulmerich handbells, finger cymbal, metal spring, frame drums, steel drum, lego case, whistling) and guests:  Nikolai Eilertsen (bass), Martin Langlie (drums, percussion, processed percussion, modular synth), Erik Sollid (violin) and Martin Winstad (bass drum, timpani, cymbals, triangle, log drum, shekere, satellite bell, woodblocks, cowbells).

Released on Hubro Music.

Listen to another album track at the label’s Soundcloud page.

Music from the Oslo, Norway scene.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic

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Nov 27 2016

These are videos that I like: Geir Sundstol, pedal steel and clavinet in an old church

 

Today’s featured video comes courtesy of Geir Sundstøl and a track from his new album Langen ro… yet another excellent release on the Hubro Music label.

Sundstøl is known for his pedal steel work, but he’s a multi-instrumentalist who makes many of his own inventive musical contraptions.  Case in point, the pedal steel in this video.

Later today, you’ll be reading more about his new album.  ‘Til then, here’s that video…

Your video personnel:  Geir Sundstøl (pedal steel) and David Wallumrød (clavinet).

If you don’t feel like waiting for my write-up to post and just want to buy the album right now, you can pick it up either at Amazon or eMusic.

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