release date: 29 September 2023 vie Punkt Editions
Everything I know is like a rope around the ankles Hollow out my bones and take me higher To the last two inches of sky
«Last Two Inches of Sky», released by Punkt Editions on 23 September, is an ambitious and engaging mixture of sonic painting and art-pop; a new high point in Eivind Aarset and JanBang’s collective output.
Aarset and Bang have collaborated since the early 1990s in constellations with, among others, Nils Petter Molvær, Bugge Wesseltoft, Sly & Robbie and Jon Hassell. «Snow Catches on her Eyelashes» (2020) was their first recording as a duo, an album that was widely praised, inspiring John Eyles of All About Jazz to write: «Aarset, Bang and company go from strength to strength, as does the Norwegian scene. Onward and upward.» «Last Two Inches of Sky» further expands this sonic universe – onward and upward. Like its predecessor, the new recording is an amalgam of styles, linked together by Jan Bang’s hallmark sampling technique and Eivind Aarset‘s continuous exploration of the guitar. Now, the rhythm section of Audun Erlien (bass) and Anders Engen (drums) are prominent on most tracks, and the arrangements are enhanced by guests like Gianluca Petrella (trombone), Adam Rudolph (percussion), Emanuel Birkeland-Bang (drum programming) and Erik Honoré (samples, lyrics on «Legion»).
https://youtu.be/o2IycVSm5fc?si=GDs0Grk-Jb8E6Chk
Both conceptually and sonically, «Last Two Inches of Sky» is a multi-dimensional experience of dreams within dreams, layers upon layers of colours, light and shade. While the seamlessness and warmth of the duo’s earlier work is still present, the new album is thoroughly grounded in a bass/beat foundation owing much to the Jamaican sound systems of the 1970s, but placed within a decidedly 2020s context.
At times the music crosses from abstract soundpainting into melodic art-pop territory, primarily on the two vocal pieces, still with a distinctive dub feeling at its core: «Legion» with vocals by Nona Hendryx (founder member of Labelle) and the title track sung by Tim Elsenburg of British quartet Sweet Billy Pilgrim. On this track, with its Icarus-inspired imagery of ambition, risk and hope, Tim Elsenburg yearns for the hollow bones of birds; light enough for the protagonist to break free, to soar:
Everything I know is like a rope around the ankles
Hollow out my bones and take me higher
To the last two inches of sky
Listening with your eyes closed, this is exactly the escape that Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang’s powerful new album offers you. Close to the sun, perhaps, but grounded by the beat.
new album:
Last Two Inches Of Sky
JAN BANG / EIVIND AARSET
release date: 29th September 2023
formats: LP / CD / DL
label: Punkt Editions
cat no: 3779551
includes the single: Legion – featuring Nona Hendryx
Tracklist:
1.Fire Dancer
2.Legion
3.City Never Sleeps
4.Seraphine
5.Hush Now (Peaceful)
6.Minute Warning
7.Last Two Inches of Sky
8.Two Predators Circle Above a Forest
Line up:
Jan Bang – MPC programming, live sampling, synthesiser, LFO creatures, textures
Eivind Aarset – Guitars and electronics, additional bass
Audun Erlien – Bass
Anders Engen – Drums
Adam Rudolph – Percussion
Nona Hendryx – Vocals on “Legion”
Time Elsenburg – Vocals, synthesizer, piano on “Last Two Inches of Sky”
Erik Honoré – Synthesizer, treatments on “City Never Sleeps”, mix on “Last Two Inches of Sky”
Gianluca Petrella – Trombone on “Legion”