It has become increasingly difficult for the amateur to tell a composer from a practiced improviser. Or maybe it has been since the advent of New Music, though the smoothness and spaced-out quality of both prepared music and its libertarian twin make understanding the subtleties of structure and scale that much more of a chore; and that much more rewarding, too. 

Otto Lindholm’s FortyTwo has all the alien soundtrack qualities that bridge ambient (I.e., amateur) and trained musical heritages. As such, the release will appeal to both camps, though I doubt that many will pick up on the subtle grain of Lindholm’s double bass, as it pushes the two tracks that make up the release – each 21-minutes in length, hence FortyTwo – into terrains that are initially capacious and beautiful and then more populated, eventually crowded.       

The second of the album’s two tracks, “The Donkey Theory”, departs from the opener’s relaxed, unhurried feel, and approaches something a bit more thought-out, or so it seems. It is not entirely clear if this is a planned departure, or if the entire release is one long movement. Either way, things get busier and more overwrought as time moves on, which may very well suit more compositionally-minded buffs, though I do think it detracts from the overall listening experience.

FortyTwo is for fans of both ambient soundtracks and restrained compositional pieces. To find out more about this vinyl release drop by the label here