New York-based ambient / downtempo producer Tor Lundvall balances his music production with a parallel career as a painter, and indeed it’s his own distinctly dreamlike and snowstrewn artworks that grace the sleeve of this latest release. Intended as a conceptual EP geared around “snowy soundscapes and celebratory songs for the season’, Yule follows on the heels of Lundvall’ recent “Empty City’ album, a record centred around evocative “ghost ambient’s tracks that generated some of his most significant critical acclaim to date. Lundvall describes his intentions whilst creating this record as being geared towards producing “blurred and distant’s melancholic music, a description that certainly aptly suits the ten tracks collected here. Opening track “Busy Station’ slowly unfurls from what sounds like the distant background hum of passing traffic, delicate melodic tones trailing against sparse clicking rhythms as the reverberating background tones rise and fall. By comparison, “The Train Home’ almost suggests some meeting point between Ulrich Schnauss and the contoured ambience of Depeche Mode’ “Exciter’ album as distant thudding beats and spectral melodic tones wander against brooding bass tones. “Christmas Eve’ meanwhile calls to mind a considerably more ambient-tinged Gusgus, Lundvall’ own delicate vocals soaring out over a downbeat backdrop that blends trailing synth pads with subtle dubbed-out beats. Perhaps one of the biggest delights on offer here however is epic closing track “The Falling Snow’, which vividly conjures the dreamlike sensation of snow slowly falling over a city at night as the lights slowly turn out one by one, over its expansive 20 minutes. One of the most satisfying releases of its type I’ve come across in some time; a limited run of 333 copies apparently too, so don’ miss out.
Chris Downton
