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Henrik Meierkord — Zeitreisen
(Projekt no#, 2023, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-03-05

Zeitreisen Cover art

My only encounter with Henrik Meierkord up to this release was his 2020 collaboration with Jarguna titled Tapestry Flow. That said, the Stockholm based composer, cellist, and multi-instrumentalist has three dozen or more releases, both solo albums as well as collaborations; he played on Black Tape for a Blue Girl’s The Cleft Serpent (2021) as well as Aarktica's Paeans from 2023. With Zeitreisen (the German word for time travel) he uses his cello, plus double bass, viola, and guitar, with an abundance of effects pedals, to create modern neo-classical minimalist soundscapes that generally play well with the floating ambient style of music we review so often at Exposé, even though it’s not borne of synthesizers. The ten tracks at hand, which span from a couple minutes out to seven or more, feature a lustrous shimmering character within which all the various instruments can weave in and out of at will, much like a tapestry of soft metallic colors and shaded nuances. Of particular interest is the four part “Cello Ambient Improvisation” that just floats through your listening space like a magical orb falling out of the night sky. The opener, “Mitthavet,” spins beautifully like a transparent planet on a fractured axis, with all of the beautiful textures swirling through its interior. Seemingly drawing influence from ancient times, “Sarabande – Ambient” bears a melancholic flavor that pierces the light with darkness, much like the sad and somber moods that typically surround the cello; a similar feeling is present with the even more introspective “Våren står på lut” as it wanders through the darkest caverns of your sorrow and gloom. The two part “Doppelgänger” provides a more steady shimmering state that exudes a hearty sense of monochrome beauty.  The closer, “Danza,” is like no other piece on the album, the pensive strings are mixed together over a bouncy viola figure that guides the piece forward to its conclusion. While initially a listener might find Zeitreisen to be too dark to enjoy, repeat listens slowly reveal the beauty that is contained herein.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Henrik Meierkord

More info
http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/zeitreisen

 

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