HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO

In this record she steps away from her usual trio and collaborates with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. As this collaboration might hint, this record is far jazzier then her previous output with her Trio. If I am not mistaken, she composed all the songs in this record including the orchestrations. She still plays her killer guitar, but more space is allocated to other instruments as well.

Overall I would describe the feel of this record as avant rock/jazz with fantastic guitar solos mixed in. There is a definite Latin jazz tinge in some of the songs. I clearly feel the spirit of Flora Purim infused all over the compositions.

The album is very balanced; it not only has typical fast paced Hedvig style songs but also includes contemplative quieter compositions. I hear another female singer supporting her in some of the songs, who has a wonderful voice, but I am not sure who she is.

Hedvig certainly evolved her musical style and further developed both compositional and orchestration skills. I am already looking forward to her next output.

A little different flavour then what we got from her Trio with jazz being more the focus here. Still we get some heavy rock guitar sections that sound really good. She would be a pleasure to see live. The opening track "No Friends But The Mountains" and "Slightly Lighter" are the two songs that don't do a lot for me and the latter is very pastoral with guitar only for 3 minutes. They are the two shortest tracks at least but man the rest is gravy as they say. Four killer tunes ranging from 7 to 10 minutes.

"A Stone's Throw" is all about the guitar and drums early on and man this sounds amazing. Trumpet kicks in as well and there's lots going on at this point. We get a couple of calms then it ends like it began. "Antilone" along with the title track are my favourites. Love the guitar intro, so fast paced. The trumpet arrives when the music settles back each time. Again the drumming is so impressive. Check out the dissonant trumpet and she gets really innovative at times on here. I've never quite heard the things she does with that instrument. Drums and percussion then it kicks back in before 6 minutes. Man this is good! Check out the light show from Hedvig 8 minutes in to the end.

The title track opens with me just shaking my head at how good the guitar is. Drums join in then trumpet which trades off with the guitar for a while. Percussion galore before 3 minutes as the trumpet solos. Check out that trumpet sound after 3 1/2 minutes. It turns fuller before 5 minutes then it gets experimental. Electric piano, guitar, drums and trumpet all come and go. So interesting then we get synths. "One Leaf Left" is the excellent closer. A more relaxed tune but they turn up the heat later as Hedvig does here John McLaughlin impression. So good! The trumpet again sounds so inventive and we get electric piano too.

This is the best thing I've heard from Hedvig and as far as the Trio goes I recommend "Smells Funny". I know the cover art is all done by the same visual artist and he has a vision when it comes to them but I am not a fan at all. There's one I like from "Smells Funny" coincidently enough.

Over the six tracks we get some variety but it's all good. Probably my least favourite would be "Jurasek" which is fairly mellow with some relaxed Santana-like guitar. I've grown to appreciate this one. I'm not big on the heavy riffing to open and close "Bewitched, Dwarfed And Defeathered" but man the majority of the rest of this song makes up for it. We get jazzy stuff and some dissonant guitar which is cool then she lights it up. "First Thing To Pop Is The Eye" has a Page-like section to start which actually reminds me more of Lifeson on RUSH's debut. The rest is gravy with those intricate leads then atmospheric sounds all the while the bass and drums drive this along relentlessly. The guitar is crying then at 4 1/2 minutes we get some echo, love this. Check out the bass and guitar a minute later. She's lighting it up before 6 minutes.

The opener "Beastie, Beastie" is another highlight and a song I've played a lot. Powerful yet restrained. We get some hit and runs solos as well as a steady run of playing. Just love the sound of it. "Sugar Rush Mountain" is a ride at a high speed down that mountain. I like that drum intro and then they are off! The drums really stand out on this one. The closer "Lucidness" is my favourite. Experimental to begin as the guitar starts to cry out. Soon the guitar is reminding me of Rypdal as the bass and drums continue to remain experimental. Intense is the word. The guitar is crying out again after 4 minutes. So good. Check out that repetitive guitar melody beginning around 5 1/2 minutes and it continues for about a minute. How powerful is this after 7 1/2 minutes. Come on!

Easily 4 stars and one of those albums where there is a high appreciation for the way each member plays on this all instrumental album.

Not a concept album, this very tight 40-minute near-perfect record blends in effortlessly impressive guitar acrobatics, not some mindless shred-fest, with the complexity and challenging nature of progressive jazz - the end results are more than indicative that this is a very great album from the near-ambient beginnings of the short opener 'No Friends But the Mountains' to the first big introduction to the sound of 'Ekhidna', which is the heavy powerhouse 'A Stone's Throw', followed by the 10-minute frenzy of 'Antilone', full of energy and power, this composition displays the immense talents of each band member in a glorious fashion. The title track is another highlight of the album, very obscure, very unnerving and masterful, it is an enigmatic instrumental that will leave the listener in awe. The tranquil album closer 'One Leaf Left' surprises with the beautiful but bombastic final two minutes - Mollestad is uncompromisingly well-phrased, delivering a grandiose finale to this excellent album.

The two tracks that standout for me are the opener which hits the ground running with jazzy guitar expressions before the guitar changes to a rock mode. That jazzy guitar is back at 4 1/2 minutes and I like that guitar solo starting before 6 minutes. A good song. Head bobbing time on "All Flights Cancelled" with that catchy guitar melody. Bright and energetic. The title track is okay but melancholic as they slow it down. "Gimbal" is my favourite. Really the only track I looked forward to hearing. That guitar melody just hits my sweet spot but she changes that style up unfortunately but returns with it before 4 minutes. "Magic Moshroom" composed by Ella the bass player would be in my top three but again I'm just not blown away by any of this to say the least. Experimental sounds to start with jazzy bass before the guitar starts to solo over top. Rypdal comes to mind here. Really disappointed the way the album ends with my two least favourite tracks.

Great band who like BUSHMAN'S REVENGE have a discography that is very much hit and miss depending on your tastes.

It is said Hedvig is putting some mind games into practice here, which originally came up at the Norwegian Vossajazz Festival. That must have been a great inspiration. Roundabout fourty minutes of the recordings, which took place at the beginning of 2020, have got on 'Ekhidna'. The Terje Rypdal reminiscent deep toned trumpet strikes on the short opener No Friends But The Mountains. A remarkable heavy blues rock riff is leading into the next multi-varied song A Stone's Throw. A tour de force, switching to a jazzy ambiance again and again, due to fine electric piano input, yeah, on both channels. And Lofthus of course, who is serving a lively drum performance.

Partially gliding into some freestyled jamming the more extended Antilone shows a wonderful percussion drive. My favourite so far, powerful, provided with great dynamic. And then, due to Slightly Lighter, corresponding to the song title, the flow needs a switch to a charming relaxed experience after that. The diversified title track afterwards lives from the excellent interaction between the musicians. Not solely Susan Santos Silva has taken the opportunity to freak out a bit in between. One more left, One Leaf Left finally sees them on a beautiful patient and melodic direction, though ending with a strong and heavy expression nevertheless. What a superb album, close to a masterpiece, 4.5 stars.

While the previous albums have been easy to enjoy, this is the album where everything finally works in Hedvig's favour and trancends the previous efforts.

The melodies are heavy but with a slightly jazzy feeling that enhances what could otherwise be determined a too bombastic approach.

Not one filler track on the album although not all tracks are of stellar quality.

Beastie, Beastie, First Thing To Pop Is The Eye, Sugar Rush Mountain and Lucidness are the stand out tracks.

Jurasek is the mellow alibi on the album and "drowns" a bit among the otherwise frenzy.

Bewitched, Dwarfed And Defeathered is also very good but not as good as the best. This track alternates between a very riff based theme that is a bit to repetetive, but also wander almost into free jazz at times.

Lucidness, which clocks in at over 8 minutes, is a track that grows on you. It comes across as a bit less catchy as the rest, but the atmosphere in the track grabs You and won't let Your attention wander during the whole workout.

To sum it up, the best album of her career so far and we can only hope that she aims to hold this level of excellence or better this effort in her next releases!

Well, this title describes with uncanny insight and accuracy how I felt about the album: it comes across as infantile and borderline terrible .. jk :)

People who are into prog and contemporary jazz have been spoiled rotten by hundreds, of not thousands of supremely talented bands and musicians.

I can't determine if the Hedvig Mollestad Trio members just lack the necessary skills to play anything like proper prog or fusion, or they purposefully chose to express themselves artistically in this album by sounding like a teenager garage band. The "Enfant Terrible" is unpleasantly loud, coarse and monotonous.

I do not feel this album has contributed much to the (sub)genre.