Lumen Drones: Umbra
Hubro
Available in CD, digital, and white vinyl (500 copies) formats, Umbra sees Lumen Drones' Nils Økland (Hardanger fiddle, violin), Per Steinar Lie (guitars), and Ørjan Haaland (drums) giving voice to nine rustic and raw creations on a fine follow-up to the trio's 2015 self-titled ECM debut. It's about as heady a concoction as you'd expect from a project pairing Hubro mainstay Økland with two members of the influential post-rock band The Low Frequency in Stereo. All three are comfortable in any number of milieus, from folk and rock to experimental and improv, and are thus excellent partners for an outfit dedicated to letting music emerge expressively and without a suffocating amount of predetermination. However much structures or guidelines were in place before the tape rolled, the nine pieces unfold like creations naturally born.
The instantly recognizable cry of Økland's fiddle is present mere moments after “Inngang” initiates the album with a plaintive melody, though this time against a simmering backdrop of guitar atmospherics and cymbal shadings. But as if to prevent anyone from mistakenly identifying Lumen Drones as an Økland solo project, the scenery changes in “Glør” with Lie and Haaland moving aggressively to the fore. Pushing things even further afield, “Droneslag” bolts from the gate with a pummeling motorik groove and bruising wail from both Økland and Lie, the two trading snarling solo statements like sword fighters and the vicious performance about as far from pastoral folk as possible.
The trio progresses thereafter through settings of contrasting character, some peaceful, ponderous, and tending to the mournful, others noisy, scabrous, and verging on the nightmarish. In the latter category, check out “Avalanche in A minor,” a seething meltdown where Økland's fiddle melody emerges as the sane voice amidst frenzied drumming and psychedelic guitar fury. The penultimate “Etnir” works its incremental build expertly when all contribute methodically to its semi-ecstatic climb, after which “Under djupet” brings Umbra to a close with a hypnotic exercise in carefully rendered slow-burn.
Throughout the recording, texture and sensitivity to group dynamics are paramount, with all three attending closely to the collective outpouring. A commendable sensitivity to control is demonstrated, too; there are moments on Umbra where musicians of less maturity would have opted for theatrics and overkill; these three know that music of more substance comes from judicious command of volume. Adding to the release's appeal, the tracks range from two to six minutes in length, such concision working consistently in the group's favour.January 2020