|
This Friday marks the official release of Hydrogen, the anticipated debut from BARDSPEC. A stunning fusion of stirring, hallucinatory synth-sounds, mercurial guitar effects and hypnotic rhythms that navigate illusory landscapes, BARDSPEC features Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson and Today Is The Day’s Steve Austin.
In advance of its release, today Revolver is streaming the record in full at THIS LOCATION.
Hydrogen will be released on June 23rd across all formats. The six-panel CD digipak is available as limited first pressing of 1000 and includes bonus track “Teeth.” The double gatefold LP is limited to 500 on black vinyl while the digital format will also include the bonus track. Access the “Fire Tongue” radio edits now via iTunes and Apple Music.
BARDSPEC will perform a rare and special show later this month at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar. The record release show – in association with AISA and By Norse – features BARDSPEC, alongside Josh Graham’s IIVII, and recent additions, Gnaw. Set to take place on June 29th at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York, tickets are on sale now and currently available at THIS LOCATION.
BARDSPEC w/ IIVII, Gnaw:
6/29/2017 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY [info]
BARDSPEC is inspired by the German masters Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schultze, and Conrad Schnitzler in addition to contemporary ambient music like Norwegian one-man-band Biosphere and abstract modern electronic music like When, as well as the electronic/industrial-driven metal like Godflesh. Bjørnson describes the appeal and trance-inducing aspects of such music to him, “I remember listening to Richard Burmer and his album Mosaic from 1984. I thought I fell asleep but I was in a semi-lucid state where I still registered music – but not much else. At the end of side A there’s an explosion so violent and extreme that I jumped two feet into the air and was totally shocked. The weird thing is, I couldn’t remember it being there. When I revisited the music again it was just a little ‘thud.’ I was just experiencing a trance so deep into the music that this deviation from the pattern and frequencies in the foregoing half hour of monotony totally shocked me. I loved it!”
The idea of micro and macro represents the very essence of BARDSPEC, which is thematically and sonically about minimizing, subtracting and meditating upon the simplest essence of “things” the single points, exemplified through the song titles like “Bone,” “Salt” and so on; the basic elements and foundations that make up the whole. There is an element of “space” in the music and the artwork, as a representation of the inner workings of the mind and the subconscious.
“…a challenging and introspective musical experience that is worth a listen.” — Metal Wani
“…a wistful paean to the atmospheric achievements of electronic pioneers like Tangerine Dream and Cluster, replete with shimmering walls of old-school synths and a persistent motorik pulse that’s equal parts Kraftwerk and Neu! Unlike a lot of similarly inclined projects, however, the extended pieces on Hydrogen sound neither retro nor tethered to someone else’s blueprint.” — Team Rock
“This release delivers yet another fascinating example of the development of ambient post-rock with nods towards electronica and early krautrock which appears prevalent at the moment. Highly enjoyable.” — Aural Delights
“The project aims to entrance its listeners in ethereal atmospheres, rather than bludgeon with odd times and black metal.” – Metal Injection
“From creating intelligent boundary-breaking metal to uplifting ambient electronica, I can’t wait to see what Ivar Bjørnson does next.” — Echoes And Dust
“The piece takes us directly into orbit, right between the moon and the International Space Station where if you listen closely enough, you might even hear a few transmissions echo in between the walls of the floating plastic structure. The moon’s surface is very close to us now. Can you touch it? The stars begin to feel so close that you could blow them out like candles, but then a slight tinge of dub enters the mix towards the end to add yet another dance club feel to the recording.” – New Noise Magazine on “Gamma”
|
