Everyone’s Too Sad For Everything
Svalka, 2023
8/10
Listen to Everyone’s Too Sad For Everything
This sophomore album from Erik Dahl and company find the outfit penning songs during the end of the pandemic, where the 10 tracks embrace avant-garde, neoclassical and progressive ideas.
The very rich “Lagim” begins the listen with Anna Malmström’s atmospheric clarinet and William Soovik’s crisp drumming complementing Dahl’s elegant keys, and “The Woods Within” follows with a bit of mystery amid the droning climate.
Halfway through, “Nocturnal” touches on more rock focused moments thanks to the thumping drums and fragmented rhythm, while “Vulkan” floats with a distinct dreaminess that quickly escalates to free jazz territory thanks to Andreas Thurfjell’s adventurous sax and Viktor Reuter’s animated bass.
At the end, the melodic and warm “Too Sad” emits graceful progressions from Dahl’s keys in an emotive demeanor, and “Frostblommer till Emma Niskapaa” exits with the bright clarinet and twinkling keys that also benefits from Anna Cochrane’s stunning violin.
An effort that’s just as unpredictable as their debut, the Erik Dahl Ensemble make modern sounds that certainly touch on jazz in unorthodox ways, and it sure does make a sizable impression.
Travels well with: Carl Weingarten- The Simian River Collection 1980-2020; MOTU- The Water Is High