Sverre Knut Johansen (with David Helpling): The Vast Expanse
Spotted Peccary Music

Above all else, two feelings are invoked by The Vast Expanse, Sverre Knut Johansen's third release on the Spotted Peccary Music label: awe and wonder. And that's as it should be, considering that the thematic focus of the album concerns fundamental questions such as the origins of the universe and the human species. Most of us, at one time or another, grapple with the eternal mysteries and ponder how we came into being, and the Norwegian electronic producer is no different. Albums that tackle the ‘big questions' are always in danger of collapsing under the weight of pretension, but not here: The Vast Expanse reveals Johansen's done a remarkable job of translating such lofty concerns into musical material that's epic but not overwrought.

Its content inspired by the writings of the late Stephen Hawking and the theory of the Big Bang, The Vast Expanse is an eight-part suite whose episodes are connected by a pretty melodic motif that emerges during the first part and is referenced thereafter in varied form. The music has ties to ambient, electronica, electroacoustic, classical, and even IDM, but in its presentation it's a hybrid form integrating all such styles organically. Perhaps the best term to describe what Johansen's doing here is sound painting. Acoustic and electronic elements are the tools with which he works, and it's not unusual to hear piano and guitar appearing alongside sweeping synthetic washes. Credit for the rich sound design must also be extended to David Helpling, whose ambient guitar textures contribute greatly to the total effect.

Multiple colours are added to these atmospheric landscapes in such a way that rich, fully formed vistas are evoked. Exemplifying this painterly approach magnificently is the opening piece, “Origins of the Universe,” where Johansen artfully assembles a vast array of sound details into a complete, multi-layered whole. In its opening moments, whooshes and clusters hint at a universe being born, after which that aforementioned melody emerges, its swoon tinged with melancholy and soaring alongside a pulsating beat whose bounce catapults the music forward. The album is never more epic than during this initial movement, especially when the pumping, techno-styled groove lends the music such propulsion. As rhythm-focused as The Vast Expanse is in these moments, it also never sacrifices its lyrical and symphonic qualities in the process.

Subsequent to that, Johansen dials the intensity level down slightly for the title track and “Emotion Strata,” both of which tease the ear with gentle variations on the opening track's theme. Contrasts in dynamics are repeatedly exploited as the album advances, with the material alternating between meditative episodes and high-intensity grandeur. Abetting the smoothness with which such transitions are effected, tension gradually increases during a calm interval when the move into a comparatively grandiose section is signaled by increases in volume and activity. A good illustration of the approach is “Space and Time,” which initially soothes with synthesizer percolations and ambient guitar textures but eventually swells into an energy-charged colossus.

June 2018