Aadal - 2022 - Lost Songs

(37:52; Apollon Records)

Track list:
1. No Man's Land 6:23
2. The Compass 4:30
3. Streams 1:29
4. Dawning 2:52
5. Into the Light 3:54
6. The Hunter 4:49
7. The Great Divide 5:26
8. Chronicle 4:17
9. Opening – Woodlands 0:49
10. Woodlands 3:23

Line-up:
Michael Aadal - guitars
André Kassen - saxophone
Audun Ramo - bass
Gunnar Sæter - drums


Norwegian foursome Aadal revolves around the compositions of presumed band leader Michael Aadal, who besides composing all the material contributes with the guitars in this quartet. The band has been around for a few years by now, and have two studio albums to their name so far. "Lost Songs" is the most recent of these, and was released through Norwegian label Apollon Records in the spring of 2022.

Jazz is the genre of music explored on this production, and as I'm not at all an expert in this field my simple description of the music provided to us here is that it can be described as soft, elegant and atmospheric laden.

Elegant, wandering and primarily light toned plucked guitar motifs is the constant element throughout, always played and performed in a manner that leaves space and room for the individual notes to stand out. These motifs are not always the dominant aspect of the songs here, but they are a constant presence. The saxophone takes the main role as the leading and dominant instrument as a matter of fact, and as with the guitar the focus is on soft and elegant solo runs and textures, occasionally rising in intensity and having a bit more of an expressive mode of delivery, albeit subtle ones at that. The rhythm section provides a solid and often more expressive backing, with the drummer in particular using his skills to good effect to create ebbs and flows in intensity or to mark the level of intensity right from the start.

While all the songs here move from one point to the other, there is a distinct atmospheric sheen to the landscapes explored here. Often slightly melancholic, these are compositions that paint musical landscapes to a greater degree than traveling through them. Music that will inspire the right listener to associate and to dream I suspect. The sole exception to the style otherwise explored here, 'Opening - Woodlands', is probably the best example of a creation that works in that manner, but this is a quality that runs through this album as a whole too.

While I do not know enough about jazz to place this album into one of the myriads of subgenres and traditions out there, my conclusion is that this is a solid production and that the music we get is a very accessible form of instrumental jazz. An album that will appeal to those with a general taste for careful, atmospheric laden music in general and jazz in particular, and also an album I suspect many people that normally wouldn't listen to jazz might find quite the appealing experience.

Olav M. Björnsen, April 2022

Links:
https://www.aadalmusic.com/
https://www.apollonrecords.no/