First, the Swedish title of the album is roughly translated to mean “dark melancholy and sadness are senses to be valued.” So much for “never is heard a discouraging word”!
The twin tenor/bari sax and electronics team of Mats Gustafsson and Kjetil Moster team up with Anders Hana/barig, Greg Saunier/dr and Sofia Jernberg/voc for a jarring collection of distortion, eerie moods and cacophonous sonic assaults. Guitars emulating a chain saw are featured on “Svarmod” while Jernberg’s Indian chanting veer through the thick murk of electronics and reeds during “Vemod” before she spends an entire song clearing her throat and curing her hiccups for 13 minutes on the percussively ominous “Translated Slaughter.” Sounds akin to a windstorm blow through “Both Sides Out’ and eerie wisps team with shrieking guitar and jangling saxes for a mind wrenching “Don’t Wait.” Is this album listed under “sound effects”?