In case you missed the news, later next month seminal Oslo artist Jenny Hval will release a new EP titled The Great Sleep. It follows up two brilliant albums Blood Bitch and Apocalypse Girl, both of which featured highly in our end of year lists across 2016 and 2015. The four tracks here are based around one composition but become radically different beasts as she removes them layer by layer from their original musical context. She does this by using massaging its melodies and structural arrangements to shine a light on elements otherwise semi-obscured, applying subconscious improvisation to draw out the multiple meanings.
To bring her artistic vision to life, Hval again teamed up with Håvard Volden and producer Lasse Marhaug and enlisted the considerable and intuitive talents of four jazz musicians she much admires, Kyrre Laastad (percussion), Anja Lauvdal (piano), Espen Reinertsen (saxophone) and Eivind Lonning (trumpet). Together they produce the improvised feel needed for such a project. Having said all that lead track ‘Spells’ which she recently shared on the back the EP announcement, is eminently accessible with its signature pop sensibilities and jazz infused vibe, but expect to work and be rewarded subsequent to that. Listen below.
The Great Sleep is out May 25 on Sacred Bones. Pre-order here (digital available now with vinyl pre-order – just 9 remaining at the time of writing).
Tracklist
1. Spells
2. The Dreamer Is Everyone In Her Dream
3. The Long Sleep
4. I Want To Tell You Something
Spells
Jenny Hval (NOR)
From the forthcoming EP, ‘The Great Sleep’, Sacred Bones. Out May 25.
Jenny Hval Facebook
Audio Stream (Spotify)
Audio Stream (You Tube)