Origami Arktika - Vard0gr
(Silber)
The press sheet for this record claims that Origami Arktika are the Norwegian branch of a worldwide artists' collective called Origami Republika. I'm not sure just how far across the world this collective may stretch, though the Arktika branch recorded Vard0gr between Vancouver and Warsaw. Perhaps because I read this, I feel a truly pan-global atmosphere to the churning ambiance on this disc. Origami Arktika play dark droning psychedelia that combines experimental electronics with sparse guitars. Some light percussion and piano makes an appearance, and there is a delicate use of chimes. The electronics are a lot closer to rhBand than Merzbow; nothing is really harsh, but rather atmospheric, and buried in layers of echo. The longest piece, "trank:vill", opens with what sounds like bowed strings, though it may be processed electronics. It could be an outtake from one of Pelt's noisiest moments, as Origami Arktika share the rural/alien soundscape aesthetic at times. Some of the pieces feel improvised, or at least loosely structured, though other pieces are definitely "songs". "Tukthusen" is a traditional Norwegian song, arranged in the dark Origami Arktika mold, and the droning is layered thick like paste, drowning the tune in a haze of Norwegian mountain air. The closing song is a creeping, pulsing folkie bit that leaves me with a sense of unease, yet strangely provides the record with a great sense of closure. Recommended.
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