Customer Reviews

Places

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Krispen Hartung's new release, Places, caught my ear from the very beginning. The opening track, Continuum brilliantly sets the mood for the rest of the CD. Hartung's clever use of pulses, looped motifs, swelling harmonies and first-rate improvisation combine to form these unique, all-guitar compositions. The resulting music transcends the monotony of unchanging tempo and tonality, allowing the artist to express himself as if his guitar were speaking its own language - indeed, it spoke to me.

On all eleven tracks, Hartung stretches the boundaries of the acoustic/electric guitar, creating inventive collages of non-traditional sounds, oblique melodies and delightful dissonance. You will find it relaxing, intoxicating and thought provoking all at once. If I must make comparisons, the guitar work is at times reminiscent of John McLaughlin while tracks 5 (Fremmed Sinn) and 6 (Min.7 Sec. Evolution), embrace other-world sounds ala the Kronos Quartet; pick abrasions (like a scratchy violin bow) and the pizzicato effect (simulated by plucking strings above the nut) provide some of the string-like qualities. Even so, this is truly original art. Places is a CD that musicians and non-musicians alike will thoroughly enjoy.

Ben Burdick
Guitarist, Composer, Producer

Krispen Hartung's new release, Places, caught my ear from the very beginning. The opening track, Continuum brilliantly sets the mood for the rest of the cd. Hartung's clever use of pulses, looped motifs, swelling harmonies and first-rate improvisation combine to form these unique, all-guitar compositions. The resulting music transcends the monotony of unchanging tempo and tonality, allowing the artist to express himself as if his guitar were speaking its own language - indeed, it spoke to me.

On all eleven tracks, Hartung stretches the boundaries of the acoustic/electric guitar, creating inventive collages of non-traditional sounds, oblique melodies and delightful dissonance. You will find it relaxing, intoxicating and thought provoking all at once. If I must make comparisons, the guitar work is at times reminiscent of John McLaughlin while tracks 5 (Fremmed Sinn) and 6 (Min.7 Sec. Evolution), embrace other-world sounds ala the Kronos Quartet; pick abrasions (like a scratchy violin bow) and the pizzicato effect (simulated by plucking strings above the nut) provide some of the string-like qualities. Even so, this is truly original art. Places is a cd that musicians and non-musicians alike will thoroughly enjoy.

Ben Burdick
(...)

I find "Places" a must for music listeners who are seeking a new transcendent journey into the avantgarde and improvisational sound.