With
FNS, drone guitarist Fredrik Ness Sevendal delivers a mature piece of work. The album features six pieces of multi-layered loops of acoustic and electric guitars, plus occasional vocals from himself or Inga-Lill Farstad (on "Wooden Leg," a highlight). Electronics are also involved. The album starts with a pastoral track entitled "Silence to Say Hello," dominated by strummed acoustic guitar. Things take a darker turn on "Sappélur," more of a bona fide drone piece: murky, inward-turned, brooding. The aforementioned "Wooden Leg" is somewhat lighter, more peaceful, although the electric guitar textures remain ominous in a "Makoto Kawabata in a meditative mood" kind of way, something that also happens in the final track, "Flaggermusvingers Vift I Dimmer," where the psychedelia knob gets turned up to 11. On the other hand, "Dream" features massively layered electronics and guitar bits with a strong
Robert Fripp influence. All in all,
FNS covers quite a lot of ground, more than enough to retain the listener's attention. And Sevendal being a proficient guitarist, we get treated to some actual strong playing. Also, unlike other drone guitarists out there, he clearly knows what he is doing. As a result, the music develops at a steady pace, and the stacks of loops sound crisp and clean -- no lo-fi muddiness here.
FNS is an album that rewards deep and repeated listening. And it sports some striking artwork by Erik K. Skodvin. ~ François Couture