Soothing instrumental sounds from Sweden
It is not often that instrumental music has a lasting appeal for me. This has something to do with how I see vocals as an integral part of music. I admit though that good instrumentation can cover up for bad vocals more so than the opposite.However I would like to say that the music benefits from having both sides integrated. Unfortunately a lot of instrumental songs I have come across tend to last eons, unable to find a fitting ending, continuing this uninspiring endless journey in one sitting. The melodies don’t seem to have many exciting layers and easily fall into repetition without the aid of a vocal range.
The instrumental composers that I find interesting have been film/video-game related which isn’t something I usually listen to outside the visual/engaging experiences. However, now I have finally found an independent artist that is instrumental, and seems to hit the right notes with me – while keeping the music interesting until the end.
He is far from being as complicated as I make music sound like at times. The music here is simple and colourful. Therefore I find it worthwhile to feature the first instrumental artist to have blown my ears away. Musette is a project by Joel Danell who is based in Stockholm. His arsenal consisting of whistling, guitar, violin, accordion and piano, help shape these pleasurable melodies. Even if the music doesn’t have any singing vowels, his whistling is great. I would say his whistling quality is comparable to that of Andrew Bird. It is used beautifully with some range and vibratos. This sheer simplistic music with carefully composed instruments create a playful, fresh and beautiful experience. The songs are expansive and diverse. The latest album Datum is a shining example of what I’ve attempted to describe here. There’s no album I could recommend more than this one.
Musette – 23 oktober
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