Beneva vs. Clark Nova: Flotsam / Jetsam
Fenêtre Records

Comprised by two delicately wrought atmospheric soundscapes, Flotsam / Jetsam, by Oslo duo Beneva vs. Clark Nova (Frank Benjamin Finger and Rudi Simmons), inaugurates a proposed series of 3-inch EPs from Fênetre in fine manner. Though each piece adopts an unhurried and relaxed pace for about nine minutes, an ample amount of picturesque detail keeps the listener engaged throughout.

Part 1 begins with gently lapping textures of ambient field noises that drift along until meditative acoustic strums appear. The music slowly swells thereafter as flurries of guitars, bowed strings, and bell tinkles add to the dense mass. Beneath it all, a metronomic rhythm of clicks and hum adds slow yet insistent propulsion to the song's flow. Part 2 pairs the bright pluck of the guitar with the glow and sparkle of meandering keyboard patterns, while a faint fire-like crackle, almost subliminally present throughout, is all that remains when this lovely EP reaches its end.

September 2007