ALDUORKA

Once again Morten Nielsen Birkeland aka Breidablik delivers another great masterpiece of Berlin School of Electronic Music (or Bergen School as Morten calls it given where in Norway he hails from). He get a bit of help from Håkon Oftung of Jordsjø fame on guitar, and Trond Gjellem on drums. While Omicron (which released just as COVID was starting to take off and coincidentally the Omicron variant not appearing until a year later) tends to emphasize the more calm, eerie ambient nature, this one more balances the slow creepy ambient parts with the upbeat. "Alda" starts off with sequencers reminding me of Michael Hoenig's Departure from the Northern Wasteland before going into eerie ambience that makes me think of glaciers. "Orka I" and "II" are more upbeat and has a more 1980s feel, like as if they were breather pieces because of the eerie nature of a lot of music. The stuff between the two "Orka" pieces are quite eerie. Actually that's what I always enjoy about Breidablik and this doesn't disappoint. You really can't go wrong with anything Breidablik has done, and Alduorka is no exception.

A band that is progressing/improving dramatically in both its compositional "trimming of the fat" and its ability to not only imitate the old progressive electronic masters (especially "classic-era" Tangerine Dream) but take their sounds and styles and create refreshing new music that stands on its own--that sound as if they are lost pieces of the past masters themselves. Kudos to the "Bergen School" of Progressive Electronic music! This is great stuff! Eminently listenable--even addictive!

1. "Alda" (20:52) Opens with a fully-developed wonderful sequenced weave that is definitely imitative of 1970s Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream progressive electronic. The electric guitar work in the third minute is awesome and fresh. Sounds a little bit like David Torn. Different lead guitar sounds used--to great effect--in the fourth, seventh, and thirteenth minutes. The end of the opening sequential weave at the 6:00 mark is unexpected but well- coordinated and -transitioned. The new palette is much more Vangelis/space/soundtrack-like: beautiful, but, after five minutes, I'm ready for something more (or different). It's not until well into the thirteenth minute that the next, third motif begins--this one a much more guitar-centric weave with semi-military cymbal/light snare play beneath. Eventually, some of all three motifs become woven together until, at 16:00, a two-part combination of the original sequence and Vangelis chords are woven together in a stripped down fashion before searing Arp strings notes enter and the original foundational sequence returns with a progression of Mellotron male voice and horn chords joining for the 19th and 20th minutes. Finishes with about a minute of synth-treated snare/cymbal military drums till fade. Excellent composition; very engaging song. (36/40)

2. "Orka I" (3:25) sequenced tuned percussion and impressive lead guitar play over a driving "Lunar Sea"/"Twilight Zone"-like rhythm track. (9/10)

3. "Rán" (3:56) 1970s VANGELIS synth-strings chord play. Very cool. Reminds me of how much I loved those spacey Vangelis sounds/songs. gets a little old after two minutes, despite the addition of the Mellotron voices. (9/10)

4. "Hraznō" (7:42) synth ocean sounds over which TD/Berlin School computer synths and sequence tracks are added. Flute takes the fore/lead as the principle melody maker--though it is backed and complemented with many other synths and layers. Minute three sees a shift in which the sequence tracks get stronger and Mellotron voice sounds take the lead. In the fourth minute we drop down to bare bones before shifting completely into a new sound pallet and sequence with bent and echoed electric guitar notes now in the fore. A song that truly explores TD territory. (13.5/15)

5. "Himinglæva ok Kolga" (7:06) another wonderful TD-style & palette song that, if I might say, sounds better than the masters even in their peak years. (14/15)

6. "Orka II" (4:33) Drums. Bass line. Chordal structure. Thief! Or, perhaps, more Klaus Schulze and/or Harald Großkopf. Wonderful weave, pace, sound palette, and melodies. My favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)

Total Time 47:34

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of retro/homage progressive electronic music. Like listening to new stuff from the old masters!

Excellent album and a pleasant listen. Fans of progressive electronic music may love this. That said, it is more of a homage than exploring new grounds. As a homage, it succeeds.

Alda is a great track of more than 20 minutes. The atmospheric soundscapes keep me interested the whole time. There's just enough variance in the music to keep it enjoyable for me. The best part for me starts at 12 minutes when the pace picks up with the guitar. 8.5/10

Orka I is a fast-paced song with great guitar. Exactly what I would like at this point 8/10

Rán is a 4-minute soundscape. Nice 7/10

Hraznō is another great soundscape that has some nice guitar bits, picking up speed around the middle. 7.5/10

Himinglæva ok Kolga is the third great soundscape in a row. All tracks are beautifully atmospheric and are unique. 8/10

Orka II is a faster-paced closer. A great way to end the album. 8/10

This album is a very pleasant listen. But it is nothing shocking, nothing to push the envelope. This is why I rate it 3 stars. It's good. But not-essential.

As is often the case with artists and groups in this genre (electronic/ambient), the music focuses on capturing and involve the listener attentively and without any type of distraction - although many like to listen to this as background music, I do not recommend it - through the use of sequencers, prolonged chords played on a synthesizer or keyboard with different types of sounds and textures, and sometimes various musical instruments to give variety or complement. Breidablik accomplishes all of this except for the 'catch' and 'envelop' thing that he only achieves with the piece "Alda", leaving the following Tracks relegated to small ideas without conclusion.

I recommend listening to this only for fans of this type of music, if this is not the case, it is preferable to review the greats of the genre: "Tangerine Dream" and "Klaus Shulze".