Review Summary: Sensational, short and over way too soon.
Not all music comes in a veritable black and white, simple to digest. Grift’s newest little EP treads the lines between ambitious melancholy and sparse instrumentation. With an emphasis on acoustic led passages, slight musical embellishments and the croon meets moaned lyricism imbuing the very folk laced motifs that carry the music from point A to point B, gifted by Grift’s sole member Erik Gärdefors.
Despite the EP’s sheer brevity, culminating in just two tracks,
Vilsna Andars Boning manages to bring a depth to the music presented. The EP’s opening track “Bortom Berget” creates an interplay between the record’s instruments, adding each layer to the next in a way that not only builds on the overall atmosphere, but also exemplifies the simplicity of the music itself. A light display of bells and ringing horn work blend seamlessly into acoustic led rhythmic passages. Erik’s vocals also add warmly to the haunting, yet honest combination of sounds, giving life to the very bones of his music.
But it’s the EP’s second (and final) track where
Vilsna Andars Boning comes full circle as if defining a mood for the mountains of which this solo act bases most of the EP’s theme. “Dårarnas massiv” takes the melancholic feel to new depths, taking an obviously darker route than what’s shown in the EP’s first track. The music is slow, somewhat depressing in feel and while the simple instrumentation allows for some immersion by the listener, it’s Erik’s continued somber croons that close out this eleven minute chapter of Grift’s latest effort.
One major issue with Grift’s latest offering is in part its overall runtime, or lack thereof. The EP’s two tracks also aren’t as seamless as they could have been, helping tie the mountain to the music. As honest as the music is the separation between the record’s two tracks are like sampling’s off two separate full-lengths, rather than two adjacent tracks ready to bring an overall sound together. Personally, I’d love to see a fully fleshed out version of this music, ready for a full length as well as the accompanying tracks. Regardless,
Vilsna Andars Boning is a glimpse into something grand, even if it’s over too soon.
Overall Grift’s
Vilsna Andars Boning tries to convey both emotion and imagery, wrapped up in an eleven minute repose of articulated dark folk. As a whole the EP is a rewarding if somewhat short listen.
