Geir Sundstøl
Langen ro
Hubro / Grappa

Geir Sundstøl's debut album Furulund appeared only last year, but the guitarist has contributed on hundreds of albums during his 27 year old career. The higly sought after session player's solo debut was a pleasant surprise and of of mye favourite albums of 2015, a low key Ry Cooder from the Norwegian inland, slowly tinkering along with his vast instrument collection in his own studio, creating a personal universe as unasuming as it is lovely.

This time around the canvas is a bit bigger. Guests like David Wallumrød, Erland Dahlen, and Nikolai Eilertsen contributes to Langen ro, and there's even some splashes of synth here and there. The music swings between folky guitar landscapes and more abstract ambient passages, but it's always melodic and warm, anchored by Sundstøl's singing guitars. He even makes "Tony's Theme" from the Scarface soundtrack his own, and it's followed by a version of the Norwegian folk standard "Gråtarslaget" like it's the most natural thing in the world. Such open minded ecleticism is surely what we need in world steadily growing darker.

My own tastes probably veer in the direction of the scrappy sounding and a bit more more eccentric debut album, but that should not stop anyone from listening to this higly accomplished piece of cosmic 'Norwegana'.

Copyright © 2016 Thor-Eirik Johnsen