Club Alpino – Woouldy

by Vital Weekly,nr 1083:

The new label Gusua Records tells us that there is a manifest behind their label, and it reads: "not
all sounds are born naturally, however all are nature dependent / sound carrier is always an
instrument / even if there is no electricity, we will continue to create" I am not sure they are from
but the music of Club Alpino, the same person who runs the label, is inspired by the folklore and
myths of Europe and field recordings here were recorded during "hitch-hiking trips through the
Iceland, former Yugoslavia, Italy, Lithuania, Austria, Bieszczady & Karkonosze mountains", and
there are some "handmade tape loops". I am sure there are also instruments used. The opening
piece is surely all about field recordings, some electronics/synthesizers and a text by Edgar Allan
Poe and sounds a bit gothic, but in the other pieces Club Alpino also uses a fair bit of rhythm and
while everything is quite dark in this release, it is also more synthesizer based, even a bit of cosmic
arpeggio in 'Huldur' and field recordings seem to be not as much in use in the other five pieces. It
is a piece of music that I enjoyed very much. A bit of darkwave like, which is good for a change.
The whole 'myths of Europe' is perhaps a bit lost on me, but perhaps a piece like 'Rau', no rhythm
and lots of atmosphere suggesting synthesizers can be seen as a soundtrack of forests and mist
of time. In the final piece 'Baltika' there is a bit of traditional Eastern European wind instruments
and the slow pounding rhythm might be inspired by some folkloristic dance, but as said that whole
notion of folklore is a bit lost on me. The six tracks on this album is a very varied bunch of tracks,
maybe even a bit too varied and one is not really sure what it is Club Alpino wants; to be a bit
techno-like? Moody and dark, be it atmospheric and rhythmic? Or maybe the whole album is a
story in itself? See, what I mean? Nevertheless I though this was a most enjoyable release. (FdW)
––– Address: http://clubalpino.bandcamp.com/releases