PASTORALIA

I picked up on Jordsjo with their Nattfiolen LP, which became one of my favorite records of 2019. On that album they cemented their own style of retro prog in the vein of early Camel (think of a track like Mirage's Nimrodel / The Procession / White Rider). In 2020 the band released an instrumental album filled with mystical jazzy folk prog under the 'Elds Mark' banner. A fine record as well. Jordsjo's 2021 offering is actually a good mixture between these two records. The band has a sort of 'acoustic' roomy sound, though playing electric instrument most of the time. The band has a great flute player and the the fuzzy lead guitar suits the natural sound.

The compositions still have traces of symphonic prog, but this album often sounds more like prog folk in the vein of Gryphon. The band has an introverted way of playing and combined with the introverted Norwegian vocals it all sound quite mystical. Somehow this album sound very linked with nature, as if it is an ode to the woods and forest of Norway. The compositions are filled with interesting retro textures and sounds, all very sophisticated in a subtle way. Compared to Nattfiolen this album is even less filled with actual songs and perhaps a bit more abstract (a bit like technical fusion music sometimes). On the other hand the style of Jordsjo has become even more distinguished from other prog groups in the retro-prog field. The recording quality is fine and the vinyl comes with a lot of great artwork - to the point of almost justifying a purchase because of the sheer beauty of the physical album.

With 'Pastoralia' Jordsjo again shows itself to be one of the better and more interesting progressive rock groups of the day. On every album the band manages to refine its craft and become more distinguished, seemingly without giving a care about pleasing today's prog crowd too much. For my own personal taste this album lacks some moments that really grasp me on an emotional level. Instead I feel more like witnessing something very magical, but also a bit distant. Still a good contender for best album of the year so far and must-have for listeners of symphonic prog, retro prog and prog folk.

While this really pains me to write, I felt this would be a good chance to write a not so positive review. I say this because most the time, if I'm writing a review on this website, it's either 4 stars or 5 stars. That's because I don't typically like to go out of my way to trash or tear down an album, and I'm gonna try not to tear this album to shreds while still being completely honest. The truth is, Jordsjo has really disappointed me on this new release. I've been a big supporter of the band ever since I blind purchased their album "Jord." To this day that record still grabs me and gets me so excited from start to finish, to the point where I've always considered them my second in command with modern Norwegian prog beneath the great Wobbler. Their last record, "Nattfiolen," was possibly their most popular and well received to date. I thought it was good, but not quite on the level of "Jord." However, there were some tracks on there that I really enjoy and still revisit. With that said, I did take some issue with some aspects of the record that unfortunately are really amplified on this release. On Pastorlia, I think there's just way too many ideas constantly clashing with one another. I feel like almost every single melody lacks a proper resolution. They've often been compared to Mirage-era Camel, which I can certainly see, Camel is my favorite band as my profile picture may suggest. However, though Camel would break into these twisting jazzy melodies and solos, they would always come together in the end for a pleasant melodic payoff. Here, every time I can feel it about to break out into just that, it sounds like the guitarist accidently played a fret below or above where he was supposed to. In turn, I just can't grab onto much here, the melodies are just not pleasing to the ear. This concept extends further into the actual song structures, which very often come off as touch-and-go. A lot of times as they'll jump from one passage to the next very sharply, lacking a good organic flow that this breed of mellower and lowkey prog really needs. Every now and then, it'll finally break out into a section of music I like, just to quickily simmer right back down into slow, mellow, background music. The vocals have never been the frontrunner or main driving force behind Jordsjos music, but here I think they fall particularly flat. For one, they also lack melody and seem to just be there for the purpose of being there. But mainly, a lot of times the instrumentation backing them up does very little to set the stage for the vocals or stand on its own with any sort of interesting playing. My favorite track is the 2 minute opener "Prolog," after that, the songs become very indistinguishable. As weird as it is to say, they sound very Jordsjo-by-numbers. Which isn't a distinct enough sound for me to be able to shrug off and jive with. The title track is one of the better songs, but it still suffers from having too much fat to trim leading to some real momentum issues. The closing track "Jord III" is probably all around the worst offender of everything I've criticized in this review, and it stings extra hard because the 1st two parts are both songs that I love dearly. I can sum it up in one sentence: they just don't develop their ideas on this album.

This record really makes me appreciate Wobbler for how well their songs flow and manage to keep you engaged with a strong grasp on the concept of melody. Now with all this said, DO NOT let me discourage you from checking out and potentially enjoying this album. This review is coming from the perspective of a fan, I really like this band and I've been trying to spread the word of their music for a couple years now. I will continue to listen to and support the band with their endeavors of future and past. I've only been a deep music fan for around 4-5 years now, and I can safely say this is one of the first times I've felt truly let down by a record from an artist that I love. However, I congratulate Jordsjo on pumping out another record and on finishing this much music with clearly a ton of work put into the writing, arranging and recording is a huge accomplishment and I'm grateful for this release. It just didn't do it for me, but it seems some other folks are enjoying it, so check it out!

2 Stars

Jordsjø doesn't seem to suffer Wobbler syndrome in making us wait six years for a new release and wondered if they fell off the face of the earth (like what happened to Wobbler between Rites at Dawn and From Silence to Somewhere, which made the three year wait between that one and Dwellers of the Deep a big shock). Jordsjø once again only made us wait two years for a new release, and the Elds Mark project didn't seem to get in the way (Elds Mark was essentially Jordsjø in disguise recording all instrumental prog folk). COVID didn't seem to stop them, although I'm sure it affected how they performed live. Pastoralia is the followup to Nattfiolen, a truly wonderful album that, in 2021 still holding up very well. Pastoralia has provided me a new challenge, as it was an album that didn't grab me as fast as previous ones. But as I give it more listens, I find it to be a great album, but perhaps the music is a bit less melodic and less accessible which is the reason this album could get dismissed in some circles. There are songs on this album that cover familiar Jordsjø ground, like "Skumring i Karisuando" and "Mellom Mjørdurt, Marisko og Søstermarohånd". Here Håkon Oftuns provides his usual assortment of guitar, flute, keyboards, and vocals with Kristian Frøland on drums. The Mellotron is the M4000D which is a virtual Mellotron keyboard unlike the M4000 (no "D") was tape driven. Still he uses the M4000D in a very convincing fashion. Speaking of which, the band goes into Gryphon territory on "Vettedans" which helps that what sounds like a bassoon is being used, when in reality it's tron bassoon. "Fuglehviskeren" sounds like a rehash of "Septemberbål" off Nattfiolen until you discover they are doing a more jazzy approach this time rather than doing a Nordic version of "Mood for a Day" (Steve Howe). "Prolog" is a great way to start the album because it's a full piece (they tended to intros that are brief, like some brief flute stuff or electronic bits) and they go a jazzy route on this piece. "Beitemark" has some nice dreamy use of electric piano having a bit of that Canterbury feel with that Jordsjø sound. The title track is different in that clarinet and violin are present so giving it some new ground never heard on a Jordsjø album. Violin is provided by Åsa Ree, who appeared on many other Norwegian albums, including Wobber's Dwellers of the Deep and Tusmørke's epic Nordisk Krim. The album closes with the 10 minute "Jord III". Is Jordsjø following in the footsteps of Focus where Focus recorded a bunch of "Focus" pieces on many of their albums, Jordsjø recording "Jord" pieces. Anyways "Jord III" is showing the band doing more complex music than before. Usually they revisit themes and melodies, here they don't. The band gets more experimental here, even some odd spoken dialog. The piece ends with some unsettling dissonant organ. So what it seems is there are some cuts on here they are covering familiar ground covered on Nattfiolen, but I really enjoy how they covered new ground. But they also took a less accessible path, so it took me quite a few more listens for the album to grab me. The reason for the four star rating instead of the five their other albums deserved is for that reason.

Complex, nuanced, many-faceted symphonic prog coming from Håkon Oftung and Kristian Frøland's folk/anachronistic predilections. This is the band/project's sixth full-length studio release since 2014.

1. "Prolog" (2:16) solo jazz guitar joined by organ-led jazz combo before turning proggy around 0:45. Interesting for introducing the essence of the album that is to follow: a ball of confusion! (4.25/5)

2. "Skumring i Karesuando" (7:37) so many changes, styles and themes! From Keith Emerson/Änglagård to Ian Anderson to monastic chant to FOCUS, WOBBLER, and CAMEL--every 20 seconds a new and drastically different motif and style is presented and or returned to. Astonishing! And this one works! (My favorite song from Jordsjø. Ever.) (14/15)

3. "Mellom Mjødurt, Marisko og Søstermarihånd" (6:30) gently finger-picked acoustic guitar is soon joined by Mellotron strings, synth and simply effected lead guitar before shifting to strums and flute with organ background. Drums and vocals join in as organ becomes the more dominant foundational instrument. Flute solos with the vocal melodies as does choral vocalise before next verse. In the third minute, jazz guitar takes the lead before an eerie GOBLIN-like passaged of percussion and bass clarinet and other background instruments/sounds. The band then gathers up together to play out a very WOBBLER-like passage until breaking down for solo acoustic guitar work in the fifth minute. Though the lyrics are sung in Norwegian, I very much like them--they feel sacred--like something that one might have seen performed in a monastery in the 17th or 18th Century. An instrumental JETHRO TULL-like passage then begins at 5:45 and plays out till the end. With repeated listens I hear more and more similarities to the musics being published by Greek Folk Prog band, CICCADA. Another top three song. (9.25/10)

4. "Pastoralia" (6:05) sounds like a simple song composed by Christoffer Gunrup's THE AMAZING but performed by (or with) GRYPHON or acoustic GENTLE GIANT--though the melodies are more akin to those used by modern Greek prog folk band CICCADA. (8.5/10)

5. "Fuglehviskeren" (2:32) a wonderful little jazzed-up folk piece--instrumental. This one could have had the support/contribution of Markus Pajakkala's UTOPIANISTI squad. My final top three song. (4.75/5)

6. "Beitemark" (6:01) another ancient-feeling song structure performed by a wild diversity of old (1960s) and older (Renaissance troubadour) instruments and vocal styles. A bit of old WOBBLER, GHOSTS OF JUPITER, and the most recent NEEDLEPOINT in this one. (8.75/10) 7. "Vettedans" (2:02) pure GRYPHON with this one (minus vocals) with anachronistic stringed, horn, and keyboard instruments. Nice. (4.5/5)

8. "Jord III" (10:34) solo piano, as if stuck trying to figure out his melody lines, turns into a full-band song at 1:25, using one of the piano's melody lines repeatedly until a solo jazz guitar takes over early in the third minute playing a coda into a new, more fully developed full-band. The song plays out as if the composer and principal instrumentalists were trying to work out some mental mathematical issues in counterpoint and melodic inversion and manipulation; the recording of a long étude. In the eight and ninth minutes, there is a SKE-like "conversation" of a particular melody--in parts--within a group of six or seven individual musicians (using their instruments). The final minute uses an organ to finalize with a continuous chord building of swirling notes. Interesting--especially intellectually--but hardly drawing me back for more "enjoyment." (17.25/20)

Total Time 43:37

These guys just keep getting better and better--their music and production maturing with each album release. The only thing maybe getting in their way now is their own penchant for cleverness.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic anachronistic progressive folk rock music worthy of inclusion in any prog lover's music collection.

"Pastoralia" is the most recent album from this Norwegian duo called JORDSJO. Six guests helping out with vocals, bass clarinet, guitar, double bass and violin. Like most I feel their previous album "Nattfiolen" is better and that 2017's "Jord" is their masterpiece. "Pastoralia" is maybe folkier with more space to breathe but this is no doubt JORDSJO thankfully. I remember the first time I heard them and being so surprised that they were from Norway when they sounded so much like ANGLAGARD and SINKADUS. Lots of mellotron and flute of course and in the liner notes they thank side project ELDS MARK along with AGUSA, TUSMORKE, WOBBLER and more.

I think it's so cool that they close this album with "Jord III" because "Jord I" and "Jord II" were on the "Jord" album from 2017. "Jord III" is my favourite track on here and at 10 1/2 minutes it is the longest tune. There's such a majesty to this song at times and I like the repeated themes. "Beitmark" reminds me that my sister was a biter but I digress. Love the electric piano early on with the bass clarinet. That guitar style is so Swedish 90's sounding. Some complain about the vocals but I wouldn't change them. They are in the realm of the singing from ANGLAGARD, SINKADUS, ANEKDOTEN etc. and fit the woodsy music like a glove. Sounds so much like ANGLAGARD after 4 minutes with that flute. The atmosphere builds and dominates to the end. "Fuglehviskeren" is kind of cool with the upright bass and acoustic guitar. Some percussion and more follows but very folky. "Vettedans" is similar but more electric and plenty of flute. After the short intro track we get three very, very good tracks making this a very solid 4 star album overall.

I don't find it as consistent as the previous record but man so much to love here. My music!

In the early '70s, progressive rock's center of gravity was clearly in the UK, with the Italians having carved out their own distinct niche as well. In the ensuing decades, prog was largely dominated by Brits and Americans, but since the turn of the century, Scandinavia has become a leader in the genre, with acts like Opeth, Wobbler, and Beardfish.

Jordsjø, a Norwegian duo, follows in the path of their spiritual predecessors, Änglagård. Both acts draw heavily from acts like Yes and King Crimson, but distinctly Norse melodies are woven into anAnglo-prog-inspired backdrop. They've been consistently stellar over their career, and 2019's Nattfiolen was one of my personal favorites from that year.

After a brief, scene-setting intro, "Skumring i Karesuando" is the first proper song on Pastorialia. It's replete with lush Mellotron and synthesizer, lilting flute, idyllic acoustic guitar, and murky, creepy electric passages. There's a fantastic little funky clav break before a guitar solo near the end of the song that I wish they would have expanded upon a little more, but even with its brevity, this is a wonderful song.

The next track, "Mellom Mjødurt, Marisko og Søstermarihånd", follows in a similar vein, if a bit slower. Nordic folk and the gentler side of prog are effortlessly married into something that is both soothing, yet creepy and sinister. In this song's final minute, the intensity is cranked up for an impactful conclusion.

Pastoralia's title track is next, and this piece is the first song to fumble, in my opinion. It doesn't stand out in comparison to the two tracks which preceded it, and the structure feels jumbled and unfocused. There are some very strong ideas in here, but the band ping-pongs between musical themes too rapidly to build any significant tension or momentum. It feels like if you took a bunch of 15-second snippets out of a Gentle Giant record and played them all in a row. "Fuglehviskeren", meanwhile, is a brief interlude led by acoustic guitar and some sort of bassy reed instrument, but it does a great job of developing its central theme.

"Beitemark" opens in some rather jazzy territory. That same bass clarinet(?) helps establish a rhythm over which clean guitar and twinkling keys forge a melody. This song suffers from a milder version of the kitchen sink syndrome which plagued "Pastoralia", but it holds together reasonably well by comparison. The individual ideas are strong, and it's not rapidfire hopping. "Vettedans" is another brief folk interlude, but this one sounds like it's straight off Gryphon's debut record. 

The 10-minute "Jord III" closes Pastoralia. It begins with a typically-Jordsjø-y passage: Flute and lush keys form a distinctive texture as folk-and-jazz inflected guitars carve out a lead line. After around five minutes of instrumental interplay of varying quality, some quiet narration enters and does serious harm to the song's momentum. This experience felt similar to "Pastoralia" with its cycling of musical ideas, but the spoken word section brought "Jord III" to a screeching halt. Even after the narration ends, this song languishes, barely moving forward at all.

Despite my grousing, this is still a decent album. It's definitely Jordsjø's weakest album to date, but with the reputation and catalog that Jordsjø have cultivated, that's still better than a lot of what you're going to find in the contemporary prog scene. Amid the overlong, unfocused songs, there are some very successful integrations of progressive rock with the folk music of Norway.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/06/21/album-review-jordsjo-pastoralia/