JORD

Norwegian progmeister Håkon Oftung heads the two-piece band Jordsjø, alongside drummer Kristian Frøland, and this is an up-and-coming band that blends elements of 70s symphonic prog with Nordic folk music and ominous, textured ambience, to give us these short and sweet albums of mostly instrumental excellence. The music on their 2017 release titled 'Jord' is generally composed by Oftung, who is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, handling all guitars, keyboards, flutes and vocals, together with the production of the band's releases. As it often happens to be the case with modern Scandinavian prog bands, the music references the glorious, dark and gothic-tinted sounds of Änglagård, a significant band of the 90s prog revival, undoubtedly a strong influence here. Technical, moody and quirky, the music of Jordsjø can be very subtle, inviting and melodic, too, as the band focuses on the creation of pastoral soundscapes, all with a very retro feel.

The keyboard-heavy pieces also feature the heavy use of flutes, which contribute to the mesmerizing and occasionally psychedelic atmosphere of the band's music, which definitely emanates a Tull-like semblance. The guitar playing is clean and sharp and Oftung's riffs are acutely well-placed in each composition, supporting the role of the keyboards. We also get to hear a Jon Lord influence in the keyboard work all over, which is a nice and somewhat unexpected reference. While 'Jord' is a mostly instrumental release, the occasional vocals (which appear on three tracks here) play an interesting role in providing an accompanying wording to the overall ominous tones on the album, a bit like on those early Kaipa records, and the fact that they are sang in Norwegian, adds a further layer of authenticity and ingenuity to the album. Two shorter instrumental vignettes bookmark this album, which features excellent tracks like 'Abstraksjoner Fra Et Dunkelt Kammer' and the two-part title track, a fine mini-opus that explores a myriad of interesting musical themes and references both folk and prog rock classics along the way. 'Jord' is a really strong, well-executed retro prog album that introduces a young Norwegian band to the scene, and a talented one, too.

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