Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Svartsinn - Mørkets Variabler [Cyclic Law - 2017]

Mørkets Variabler has brighter, more inspiring moments as well, and really helps reinforce Svartsinn's album take on more breadth." />
Four years since his last release, and eight years since his last for Cyclic Law, Norway's Svartsinn is back with another lush slab of wonderful dark ambient. His latest, Mørkets Variabler (which translates to "Variables of Darkness"), makes use of varying levels of darkness and gloom to bring across a deep, dark, sprawling record. Although very bleak at times, Mørkets Variabler has brighter, more inspiring moments as well, and really helps reinforce Svartsinn's album take on more breadth.

Spread over seven very full, very rich tracks, Mørkets Variabler vividly unfolds before the listener like a shimmering aurora. Unlike the traditional Northern Lights, this aurora is rife with dark colors, rich in their depth. This, by contrast, makes the brighter, more airy tracks gleam with more intensity. Svartsinn exploits this contrast with impressive skill by bookending the album with such a juxtaposition. Sprawling forth in a subterranean shimmer, "And In This Cloak of Darkness I Cast My Shadow Short (Ghost Boy)" opens Mørkets Variabler with a slow, creeping ominousness that predicates the album's mission statement. While it's not as low and grumbling as the following tracks, the cthonic tones work in stark contrast to the closer, "Vemod (Cello Mix)." Nearly breaking free from the bonds of gravity, "Vemod" soars through the heavens like a long, majestic, ethereal dragon. Large in body, light in mass, this beast shimmers like sun off of a bell while deftly weaving between the clouds, enjoying it's safe vantage point from the churning below. Well organized, but grim and dark, this churning makes up the body of Mørkets Variabler. While moving between deep, almost sparse pieces and frantic, noisy moments, Svartsinn creates an atmosphere that is comforting in its darkness.

Weaving lush layers together like a magic loom, Svartsinn crafts another dark ambient gem with Mørkets Variabler. While the darkness may vary, his skill for evoking feelings never wavers. The music on display here is inspiring and invigorating, and a great addition to Svartsinn's catalog.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Paul Casey
Latest Reviews

Svartsinn - Mørkets Variabler
Four years since his last release, and eight years since his last for Cyclic Law, Norway's Svartsinn is back with another lush slab of wonderful dark ambient...
270324   Jerzy Skolimowski Collection ...
260324   Latex Choker - Sealed
260324   Occlusion - 59: No Input Wall
260324   Nihil Impvlse - Anabasis
260324   Marta Forsberg - Sjunger För...
260324   The New Boy - The New Boy( Th...
250324   The Stargazer’s Assistant - ...
250324   Liza Lim - Annunciation Trip...
220324   Patrick - Patrick( UHD/ Blu Ray)
220324   Dadawah - Peace And Love
Latest Articles

Sutcliffe No More - Normal Everyd...
Sutcliffe No More are a British two-piece bringing together Kevin Tomkins & Paul Taylor. Formed in 2021, it’s the spin-off project/ next sonic step...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
050523   Bill Morroni - The Trials & ...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom