I hadn’t heard of either of the musicians here. There’s very little chance I will see any of these players live although I’d be game enough should the opportunity arise provided I wasn’t washing my hair that night, mucking out the byre, decluttering the guttering or grouting the bathroom tiles.
But something piqued my interest. I suppose it’s a natural curiosity and there was a certain glimmer here that drew me in. You choose to listen or you don’t.
Was it worth the effort? On balance, yes, although I crave more edge and perhaps if truth be told a less floaty, New Agey sound. I usually listen to album tracks in order as they are sequenced. But on this occasion I listened to ‘Stevelen’ first. Apparently according to label blurb it “captures the quiet power of cliffs and open skies.”
As cliff edge listens go I’ve come across some more dramatic attempts! It’s the second tracks of some 10 tracks. They are all very brief. If you are into Ralph Towner then at a pinch while an unfamiliar address and location you may well start to feel at home on this record.
There’s a fair amount of overdubbing going on switching between instruments. The leader, a prolific Swede who lives in Denmark, writes the tunes. He plays a dizzying amount of instruments – what a litany of kit the label lists! Baritone ukulele, mandola, acoustic guitars, charango, pedal steel guitar, tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet, oiano, organ, celeste, and synthesise oh and not to forget a Langspil Icelandic drone zither. Gustaf’s foil is a much more understocked bassist from Iceland called Skúli Sverrisson with whom the Swede has form. The production style puts everything in a blender and what you get coming out the other end is as silky as a smoothie and probably very good for your digestive system into the bargain. There’s little to stick in your craw.
Because there’s nothing jarring here. Maybe it’s too much of a sedative however. And there’s so much scene painting it’s like a travelogue without the scenery. So you could should you choose to close your eyes and drift away, easily imagine a nature documentary maker putting say ‘Letters Melting’ to imagery of a delightful meadow scene complete with butterflies and dappled sunshine.
If Along the Low Road has a fault it’s too samey and just well too nice. By the time I got to ‘Summer Passing Letting Go’ I started to tire as a listener. On a first listen that shouldn’t really happen because you are hungry for more.
Recorded in Iceland and in Denmark while flawed in the sense it doesn’t quite engage enough it’s absolutely OK for background listening and adding to your latest mindful mix.