CD / CD-R » Brandal / Senneseth – A Walk In the Park

Brandal / Senneseth – A Walk In the Park

Brandal / Senneseth – “A Walk In the Park” available as CD-R and free download (Twilight Luggage, 2009)

Review from Animal Psi:

The pairing of Hans Kristian Senneseth and Andreas Brandal seems thankfully more strategic than convenient, as the four track ‘A Walk In The Park’ – a case of gloating, a curious mise-en-scene, or perhaps just something lost in translation – is an understated collection of abstract instrumentals in staggering dark bravado. Heavy-handed (six)string-pulling forms the central musical motif, trailed by simple bass lines for dimension and intensely-miked percussion which falls arbitrarily like mortar. Crunchy electronics process the entire field of sound, making for less distortion of the guitars than entering new debris into the blank spaces of the field. Strangely to their credit, there remains an uncomfortable distance between the immediacy of the guitar riffs and the depth of the texture, not unlike the gap between the ultimately experimental form of the music and the mundane theme of the title.

Review from Cracked:

A collaboration recorded 2007 between Andreas Brandal and Hans Kristian Senneseth, both parts of the chief executive board of Twilight Luggage. And their music is nothing like Gary Numan, believe you me. Free improvisations with guitar, bass and electronics. Is it reworked and manipulated after recording? Hard to say. But there are so many changes and effects and retouches and reroutes in these four untitled pieces that any kind of guess is probably wrong. There is a breath of Derek Bailey and the modern school of improv noise as well as a touch of stream of consciousness playing so heavily connected to the west coast drug scene. If this is really totally improvised then both Brandal and Senneseth are players with wide open ears and very quick reaction. Because sometimes they fall so melodically into the same pattern. But of course only for a short term at a time. My favorite part of all “a walk in the park” is somewhere close to the middle of “number two” when the bass produces a distorted, fuzzed, low noise sound, but that is only because I am addicted to bass noises. In some ways this one is the record the hardest to listen to of all the ones mentioned here; but in other ways it is also the most exciting one.

Review from Musique Machine:

Brandal/Senneseth – A Walk in The Park [Twilight Luggage – 2009]

‘A Walk In The Park’ offers up a nice unhinged,atmospheric & at times quite doomy & creepy improv mixture of electric & acoustic guitar elements, electronics, some noise textures & the odd splattering of doomed piano matter. This release brings together highly respected & versatile noise/experimental artist Norwegian born Andreas Brandal(Flesh Coffin,Hour Of the Wolf, Drevne Bolesti, solo work, ect) & fellow Norwegian guitarist Hans Kristian Senneseth( Lupus Golem, Nullpluss).

On offer here are four tracks that fall between six & nearly on ten minutes a piece, with the pair managing to summon quite a varied, often highly atmospheric & creative selection tracks that are best classed a more musically & active improv. We go from the first track ‘Number One’ which mergers brooding, horrifying & discordant bass like guitar stops ‘n’ starts, subtle & sinister electronics and very slight touches of junk metal edginess- it all feels like an unwell & soured mix of 80’s indie goth rock discord, and nervous 70’s horror film soundtracking with a wee bit of discoloured funk thrown in. ‘Untitled Three’ is a jerking & bent web of sinister, clunking & low down piano hits, atmospheric electric guitar purrs ‘n’ drifts, piano case hits & other subtle improv noise textures, plus the odd hit of seared electronics- all of which mangers to be atmospheric, jarring, very slightly unhinged & horror licked. All four tracks here are worthwild, creative & entertaining with the pair keep a very nice balance between jarring, off- centre, dramatic & often horror curdled.

A very enjoyable & darkly tinged collection of improv tracks with both parties being both creative, jarring & atmospherically astute through-out.

Rating: 4 out of 5