How Lonely Sits The City? is new long form work from Stockholm based improviser/composer Magnus Granberg. It’s a haunting, at the same time moodily taut example of modern composition for string, wind, keys, percussion, and objects- with the nearing hour work creating a spellbindingly eerier feel of shadowy unease fed through with moments spiritly disquiet.

The CD release appears on Sheffield based Another Timbre- who have a good history of releasing Mr Granberg’s work. It comes presented in the labels house style plain white gatefold- this features a sparse and crude line drawing of a near-empty city street- the work was recorded during the Covid pandemic, so it’s clear what the key theme/ subject is here.  To pick up a copy of this direct, drop by here. 

The single self-title track comes in at the 54.52 mark, with it being played by Granberg’s group Skogen- which takes in: Anna and Eva Lidal- Violins, Stina Hellberg-Harp, Magnus Granberg- Prepared Piano, John Erikson- Vibraphone, Glockenspiel and  Whistling. Henrik Olsson-objects, friction, and piezo. Erik Carlsson- percussion.

The work manages to be both skeletal, yet detailed, and at points busy in its make-up. It’s built a slowly tolling, at points barely moving piano base- around this the other elements shift, flit, and at points gather. If I was to try and describe the piece, I’d say think a gloomier Miles Davis Electric period track played by Tom Waits acoustic junkyard band, who just happen to be on downers. The whole thing slowly bobs and ebbs along with such a tangible feeling of both fear of the unknown, personal and social uncertainly, and a general feeling of lulling /sour dread. The collective play the work with such forlorn wonder- moving between dragged out and lightly darting tones, to more greyly flighty darts, tense rumbles, taut chimes, and unease knocks or drags

How Lonely Sits The City? is a truly masterful example of hauntingly tense and moodily involving modern composition from Granberg and Skogen. Probably one of the most grimly enchanting things I’ve heard quite in some time, and easily an early highlight of 2022!.