Growing up in the rainy marshlands of
southern Jutland, childhood friends Keld Dam Schmidt (modular
synths and guitars), Thomas Holst (bass and atmospherics), and
Mads Bødker (analogue synths, samplers, toy instruments)
have joined forces to create a sparkling and understated tapestry
of atmospheric melodica. Occupying the space between Four Tet,
Bonobo, Air and Efterklang; Skyphone deliver a charming and all
instrumental brand of folktronica with all the rich detail and
sonic refinement that one would expect of a band on Rune Grammofon.
‘Avellaneda’ is Skyphone’s follow up to their
warmly received debut album ‘Fabula’ and with this
new release, Skyphone further develop their ideas into a seamless
blend of acoustic and electronic elements.
Throughout ‘Avellaneda’ Subtly
crafted glitchscapes crackle and pop below the melodic surface
whilst synths and strings join in playful harmony to create frayed
Scandinavian folk-inspired melodies. On ‘All Is Wood’
one is immediately struck by the beefiness of the sound. Sub-melodies
ebb and flow whilst swirling sounds scatter haphazardly over warm
oozing’s of bass until a gorgeous lead melody joins proceedings
and swells towards infinity. The warm and rich production of the
intricately plucked strings resonate in your head long after the
song has elapsed. The alt.folk ideology is fully embraced on ‘Schweizerhalle’
which sees overlapping acoustic guitars creep darkly over a playful
bed of digital soundscapes. Elsewhere, the sweeping frequency-manipulated
synthscapes of the Philip Glass-esque ‘Quetzal Cubicle’
hypnotise whilst the clustered and out-of-sync melodies of ‘Tweed/Puck’s
Dye’ keep the listeners cerebral fully engaged. ‘Leafchisel’
has an Indian raga-esque quality underpinning the slow yet sparkling
instrumentation before closer ‘Yetispor’ finishes
on a somber note thanks to slow-motion combination of reverberating
drones and glitchy instrumentals.
The lush production techniques are a key
component of the album giving each sound its own space to flutter
freely and three-dimensionally. Just like a crackling fire, instruments
spark and flicker intricately over the icey soundscapes to accurately
recreate an image of the trio playing in a cosy home studio in
the heartland of a rain-battered Jutland. Ultimately, ‘Avellaneda’
is the place where intelligent and captivating arrangements meet
with delicacy and restraint to create a downtempo yet shimmering
slice of heart-warming melodica. (RM)
For
fans of: Four Tet, Bonobo, Air, Junkboy, Svalastog, Efterklang
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