For Pintura, Norwegian trio 1982 take the Nordic coolness of ECM on a murkier, gravelly and less mannered path, resulting in an interesting, unpredictable yet easily enjoyed set. The trio of Nils Økland (violin/Hardanger fiddle), Sigbjørn Apeland (harmonium/Wurlitzer) and Øyvind Skarbø (percussion) create a kind of free improv-chamber-folk, with different components brought in by each of the three players. Økland’s fiddling supplies the rootsy folk component, leading most pieces with foregrounded melodies, but there’s an equal amount of dissonant screech and metallic slice to his work. Apeland’s instrument provide a grounding, almost like plush carpet: thick velvety drones giving way to percussive tics, taps and cracked wheezing. Skarbø is perhaps the most difficult to determine, from understated lower case jostling to jerky, punkish stabs. The contributions are always intelligent and coherent, and never less than thrilling.
The ‘coherence’ that 1982 achieve prompts comparisons with The Necks, specifically the manner in which Økland and co. create such coherent pieces from freely sketched improvisations. Opener ‘1’ (all pieces are numerically titled) is a slow, mournful introduction, portentous and cinematic like something from Bedroom Community, but this heaviness is offset by the shuffed stomp and organ rasp of ‘2’, Pintura‘s grooviest piece. ‘5’ sounds like a jovial take on the Psycho shower scene, while ‘6’ is all stretched and sustained, held chords from Apeland filling the space to bursting. Moods, tempo and approaches shift throughout, but Pintura is far from eclectic: that 1982 hold such explorations so closely together is a significant achievement.
Joshua Meggitt
