Jo David Meyer Lysne & Peder Simonsen — Spektralmaskin

Spektralmaskin (Spectral Machine in English) is a three-track journey into grey ringings, hauntingly warblings, bleak ebbings, and eerily tollings. The collaborative album brings together two Norwegian sound creators- guitarist and composer Jo David Meyer Lysne, and microtonal tuba player, composer, and recording engineer Peder Simonsen. 

The CD release appears on Norway’s Sofa music- which has always had an ear/ feel for the more intriguing in modern composition, experimental jazz, and related genres. The CD is presented in the label's typically arty/ yet informative fashion- with the eight-panel green-coloured digipak featuring pictures taken under murky/dusk lite tree branches, and inside a page-and-a-half write-up about the ideas behind the release, and a small picture of the pair. The release also comes in the form of 12inch vinyl- 

For the album, Peder Simonsen plays microtonal tuba, modular synthesizer, sine waves, and Pyrex bowls. And Jo David Meyer Lysne plays acoustic guitars, electric guitars- which are played with mechanical sliding e-bows. With supporting contributions from  Ingar Zach - percussion, vibrating speakers on membranes (II, III), Vilde & Inga - violin, contrabass (I, II), Espen Reinertsen - bass clarinet (I), James Patterson - french horn (I).

The three tracks last between fifteen and nine minutes, and are simply named  I, II, and III.  With “I” we find a wavering mix of hovering drones, light-tone forking, and sparse tollings- with the track shifting between rising and tragically felt.

“II” opens with a decidedly eerier line of tone tolling, which is backed by slowly warping bays. As the track progresses the feeling of fraught disquiet builds- with a blend of slowed-down tolling, and light arching pitch wail.  “III”  somewhat follows on from the last track- with raising/ hovering pitch blending, gliding ring ‘n’ chime.

Spektralmaskin is very much an album that lives up to its spectral promise- with the whole thing hauntingly ebbing 'n' drifting along in a compelling & moodily atmospheric manner.