JORDSJO & BREIDABLIK: KONTRASTER

Ever since I discovered Jordsjø in 2017, there were two things I wished for and one was to record a side-length piece, another was to get Lars Fredrik Frøislie to make a guest appearance. Well, it looks like one of my wishes came true, and that's to record a side-length piece. As for Lars appearing, that hasn't happened. Probably because he wishes to record in his own home studio (the fact much of his gear is of authentic vintage, he probably doesn't want to move them around due to reliability issues, especially because much of it is at least 50 years old now). Kontraster is the second split release by Jordsjø with Breidablik, after Songs from the Northern Wasteland back in 2016. Kontraster is Norwegian for "Contrasts", which could have been easily guessed by me. And that aptly describes this. First side is Jorsdjø's piece. No surprise it's all Håkon Oftung on vocals, guitar, flute, and assorted keyboards, and Kristian Frøland on drums. It sounds like what you expect from these two guys, great retro-prog with lots of great vintage keys, vocals in Norwegian, and flute, and it's great to see them pull off an almost 20-minute piece. I knew they could pull that off, so I can't imagine that stopping them on a proper full-on Jordsjø release. I imagine Håkon wasn't confident he could pull off a 20-minute piece, as no Jordsjø piece ever went much beyond 10 minutes. Either that, or he was fearing a Tales from Topographic Oceans type of album from them (I couldn't imagine that. Jordsjø has always been too modest for that). Breidablik's contribution is, unsurprisingly much more electronic, with lots of eerie ambient passages and sequencer-dominated passages as well. He gets Håkon to play guitar and flute, as well as a real drummer, not Kristian Frøland, but Trond Gjellum, a drummer that's not familiar to me although he assisted on the previous Breidablik album Alduorka. Prior to that it was a drum machine (but only used occasionally), as most of the time, Breidablik recordings is entirely by Morten Birkeland Nielsen himself. This is incredible stuff, and it shows how Jordsjø is some of the greatest prog going these days as Breidablik is for electronic music.

10 years of Prog

If you're into classic modern progressive rock, chances are you already know Jordsjø. But fewer may be familiar with Breidablik, a project that, until recently, flew under my radar. I've been a huge fan of Jordsjø for a while, but I only listened to Breidablik for the first time yesterday?and I was genuinely impressed. Think Tangerine Dream, Mike Oldfield, or Jean-Michel Jarre. It's techno-ambient, old-school, beautifully crafted, and with a distinctly vintage sound. In short: a very good band that deserves more attention.

Now, these two Norwegian acts have come together to release a split album celebrating their 10th anniversaries. One side is Jordsjø, the other is Breidablik. Despite coming from different corners of the prog universe, the combination works surprisingly well. Jordsjø already stands as a major name in the current Norwegian scene, but paired with the atmospheric touch of Breidablik, the result is something even more immersive.

Jordsjø contributes a nearly 20-minute epic titled "Kontraster", and Breidablik answers with a piece of similar length. Both tracks explore the same central theme, but in their own signature styles?Jordsjø through organic, symphonic prog textures, and Breidablik through layered electronic ambiance. It's like hearing two different languages express the same thought, and it works beautifully.

What's most striking is that these two bands have almost nothing in common musically?except that they both come from Norway. Yet this split is a powerful example of the diversity within the prog scene, especially when approached with this level of professionalism and creativity.

I loved the record from the very first listen. It's one of those rare collaborations where both artists elevate each other. Without a doubt, this album deserves to be high on any end-of-year list.