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Edena Gardens — Edena Gardens
(El Paraiso EPR068, 2022, LP / CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2023-01-05

Edena Gardens Cover art

Edena Gardens may be a new group name, but the members are certainly familiar from previous endeavors. Jakob Skøtt has been the drummer of Causa Sui since their very first album in 2005, while bassist and guitarist Martin Rude’s name is synonymous with the Sun River band / project (of which Skøtt is also a member). In 2020 they released two albums as The Martin Rude & Jakob Skøtt Duo, The Discipline of Assent and The Dichotomy of Control, the latter of which was reviewed in these pages. Now add guitarist Nicklas Sørensen from the all-instrumental psychedelic rock band Papir and you now have a trio, rechristened Edena Gardens. Like Papir and all but the earliest Causa Sui, Edena Gardens presents an all instrumental trio, though operating in more of a dreamy psychedelic context than the harder stoner rock of Causa Sui; here where plenty of free improvisation abounds, a more introspective and meditative immersive rock based experience can be found, a touch of blues, some elements of jazz, but more than anything else a free-flowing mystical and surrealistic experience, drawing equal parts Jimi Hendrix’ mellow side (think side three of Electric Ladyland) and the cosmic foundations of mid 70s Popol Vuh. The opening ten-minute salvo “Aether” begins in that dreamy space with two guitars wandering freely amid the loose structures provided by the bass and drums, slowly taking shape over its lengthy duration. “The Canopy” provides a similar dreamy and vaporous procession in a more concise four-minute length with hints of psychedelic bliss. Throughout the album, Skøtt’s drumming is filled with the rich improvisational spirit that evolves with each piece. The bluesy undercurrent of “Now Here Nowhere” will surely remind the listener of Jimi, almost as if his vocals could enter at any moment. The closing track, “An T-Eilean Dubh,” has a bit more structure and cadence than any before it, though still sports that wonderful psychedelic swirling guitar mastery. Immersive cosmic sounds that a listener can get lost within, Edena Gardens has it all.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Nicklas Sørensen, Jakob Skøtt, Sun River / Martin Rude, Edena Gardens

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http://elparaisorecords.com/product/edena-gardens/

 

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