Flica: Tapsskog
Schole Records

Malaysian musician Euseng Seto has been issuing flica material on Schole for more than a decade, with this new EP a commendable addition to his discography and the label catalogue. If at thirteen minutes Tapsskog is modest in duration, its content is nevertheless strong.

An accompanying narrative brings clarity to the release, with Seto appearing to tie each of its four sections to individual tracks. The story itself can be gleaned from the track titles but is fully fleshed out by the text in toto. A walking pair of unknown age exits the snow-covered suburb of a small village and enters a wooded area; exploring aimlessly and noticing the absence of creatures, they imagine that if a griffin were to appear they would ride it into the sky to admire the woods from on high. As night approaches, the two depart, passing a frozen lake as they make their way home.

Exuding a magical, dreamlike quality, the melancholy lilt of “Entrance to The Woods” immediately calls to mind early Múm or The Books in its delicate wedding of woodwinds and piano to a crunchy beat pattern. Wholly entrancing, the song captures the wistfulness one experiences when winter forces one indoors and incites longing for spring's return. Acoustic guitar's added to the other elements for “White Woods,” its slow tempo suggesting an image of walkers taking in the snow-covered scene and the sounds and smells of the forest. Without lessening the EP's melancholy tone, “Riding Griffin” introduces a subtle tinge of joy and playfulness into the presentation. The recording's prettiest moments arrive in “Exit Trail” when the music swoons even more potently than it does on the opening track.

The feelings of ennui and yearning expressed by the music make it all the more affecting at a time when the pandemic has made sadness so prevalent and created a groundswell of longing for better times. I don't know whether Seto set out to create a musical analogue to the way people are feeling right now, but Tapsskog comes nonetheless very close to matching it.

October 2020