SHAMBLEMATHS 2

First of all thanks to every mate who has recommended this great album to me. "Shamblemaths 2" was released as the second full-length album by a Norwegian rock duo SHAMBLEMATHS in October 2021. This is my first Shamblemath album actually and a quick listen to "2" has notified me why this album is appreciated by lots of progressive rock fans. Very complex, very diverse, but very optimistic and very suggestive ... we could mention this creation as such.

After the prologue entitled "Måneskygge" featuring Simen's refined saxophone sounds, the real departure (and one of their masterpieces) "Knucklecog" possessing energetic sarcastic musical explosions goes forward with incredible rhythmic dissection and melodic distortion. Their intensely enthusiastic dissonance suddenly grabs our heart in a beyond-recovery manner. The sound formation may be sometimes called avantgarde, sometimes heavy, and sometimes jazzy. Such a diversity getting over the subgenre categories is also fascinating. The following "D.S.C.H. (8th String Quartet in Cm, Op. 110, mvts 1 & 2)" (I have had a listen to these quirky mysterious melody lines and found this is an opus by Shostakovich!) is superbly arranged and stabilized by the duo filled with deep strong eccentric rock essence, like "Starbird" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Yeah additionally SCH's tough and sensitive feelings can be expressed so badly. The last song "This RIver" is the grand finale featuring all of their heavy fuzzy dizzy instruments especially drastic saxophone, critical synthesizer, and fantastic female vocals. Earthy grassy flavour like a river on a mountainside or in a deep forest is awesome really.

"Lat Kvar Jordisk Skapning Teia" Suite is the piece de resistance. Melodic weirdness, quietness, harmonization and synchronization are coming out one after another. Dark ambience produced by wind instruments and cynical rhythmic nations is very impressive. Kind of fantasy is that silky-touched sensitive melodic texture is popping out immediately after the darkness. Their complicated melody lines are not common nor rational but two Shamblers' powerful sound launching should make us feel that they are theoretical. The former part of "Part 5" reminds me of the similar vein to French RIO jazz project Red Noise plus heavy metallic innovation. Various soundscape based upon their musical background heard here there everywhere should be enchanting and uncopyable. The following part has perverted deathcore-ish attachments amongst delicate quiet ambient intervals. And 6-year-old Elvor's pretty charming singing can relax us completely in the last "Part 9". Such an unimaginable combination should be cherished in a large scale.

Good work. In a good sense, I love such a 'wonderfully messy sound-polluted' creation indeed.