▄▄ [ INFORMATION ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ ARTIST: Espvall Jakobsons Szelag █ █ TITLE: Improvisations for Strings and Electronics █ █ LABEL: Arachnidiscs █ █ GENRE: Avantgarde █ █ BITRATE: 218kbps avg █ █ PLAYTIME: 0h 43min total █ █ RELEASE DATE: 2012-00-00 █ █ RIP DATE: 2012-03-27 █ █ URL: █ █ █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ▄▄ [ TRACKLIST ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ 01. Fissure 7:57 █ █ 02. Arctic Rains 8:04 █ █ 03. Ice Age 13:50 █ █ 04. Lunar Tides 7:47 █ █ 05. Black Ice 5:35 █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ▄▄ [ NOTES ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ From Textura: █ █ █ █ Given that theyÆre such kindred spirits, it seems only logical that a █ █ collaboration between kindred spirits cellist Helena Espvall (of Espers) █ █ and Myrmyr duo Agnes Szelag (cello) and Marielle Jakobsons (violin) █ █ would have occurred at some point, and now is as good a time as any. █ █ DonÆt let the Improvisations for Strings and Electronics give you the █ █ wrong impression, either. While the forty-four-minute recording is, on █ █ instrumentation grounds, strings and electronics only (all three █ █ credited with the latter), the five settings might more aptly be █ █ characterized as æspontaneous compositions,Æ given the level of █ █ cohesiveness and direction that emerges when the trio interact. █ █ █ █ Recorded in Oakland, CA, the material encompasses a range of moods, from █ █ relatively agitated to ponderous. ItÆs particularly affecting during its █ █ mournful nachtmusik passages, such as during the opener, ôBlack Frost,ö █ █ where the strings etch serpentine pathways as they coil seductively █ █ around one another, and ôArctic Rains,ö where the playing is at times so █ █ restrained it almost retreats altogether into silence. Being almost █ █ fourteen minutes in length, the latter naturally moves through a number █ █ of contrasting episodes, with the aforesaid quieter section followed by █ █ bluesy explorations and a lovely plaintive coda so lovely it verges on █ █ hymnal. Track titles have been well-chosen, too, given how much they █ █ complement the mood of a given piece. ôIce Age,ö for example, offers a █ █ dense and brittle treatment that renders its sound-world rather daunting █ █ and disturbing, while the skeletal ôLunar Horizonö exudes an █ █ appropriately ethereal character. █ █ █ █ This fine set of evocative explorations shows Swedish-born Espvall and █ █ Mills College graduates Szelag and Jakobsons (both received their MFAs █ █ from the esteemed institution in 2006) to be natural bedfellows. Mention █ █ also must be made of the lavish handmade presentation that the █ █ Ontario-based Arachnidiscs Recordings has given the limited-run release █ █ (100 copies), with the disc housed within a multi-layered package that █ █ includes a lino-block printed envelope and transparent outer-sleeve. The █ █ evident care with which the trioÆs work has been presented enhances the █ █ already strong impression imparted by their music-making. █ █ █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█