Customer Reviews

Solid Ether

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

 

 

Nils Petter Molvær's debut solo album "Khmer" revealed a knack for the combination of horn-based motifs with contemporary techno/electronica. "Solid Ether" goes a step further and fuses these elements into an homogenous and genre-defying offering that seeks the corruption of both stylistic and structural sensibilities. Jazz purists will hate it for its chunky beats and narrow minded dance phreaks will be put off by its unashamed musical complexity. Somewhere in the afterlife the ghost of Miles Davis is grooving to this album.

This is lovely, innovative stuff. The only problem is that it doesn't take off much from the direction set by "Khmer". It also contains two unfortunate pieces with lyrics, but they're short. However, these are minor complaints. The overall sound reminds me, if anything, of Jon Hassel and Brian Eno's collaboration twenty years ago, but essentially, this is music like no one else's. Buy "Khmer" first, then this if you're still hungry.

This is the follow-up to the award-winning "Khmer". Molvær's naked and lyrical trumpet stories are a little more dynamic this time around. Some electro-groove on a few songs and some beautiful piano and song (courtesy Sidsel Endresen) make for a varied listening experience. He has again found some beautiful melodies in his musical universe and plays them to the bone, whether he stands alone at the edge with his trumpet or in the middle of an inferno of electro-acoustical smoke and flames. Not quite what you would call jazz, but excellent none the less.

While trumpeters like Erik Truffaz struggle to break away from the classic 70's Miles Davis sound, Nils Petter Molvaer succeeds in picking up where Miles left off. Molvaer's mix master, DJ Strangefruit, nearly makes the album his own by blending in perfectly with the rhythm section. Despite its electronic sound, the music maintains a beautiful organic sound with colorful harmonies and melodies that are often lost when jazz musicians experiment with technology. But be warned: Molvaer's follow-up import album, NP3, lacks almost everything that made Solid Ether the sleeper that is.

Trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer's previous ECM CD, Khmer, was something of a departure for ECM, sounding for all the world like Miles Davis Meets Techno. Not only was the music surprising, though, it was really, really good stuff. Now Molvaer is back with another ECM release, and I can report that although this one is not quite up to the standard of the first one, it is still really good stuff. For example, it is still going to give your woofers a workout, and if you have a good subwoofer, your enjoyment will be even greater. At the same time, there are passages of delicate acoustics that will reward the listener who has assembled a system that is accurate in the midrange and treble.

I got the impression in listening to this new release that Molvaer wanted to do something a little bit different from Khmer. The net result is an album that sounds a little less techno, a little more human. Unfortunately, Molvaer lets his desire to sound more human lead him to the point of including some vocals on Solid Ether; alas, the brief vocal selections are the weakest part of the program, and the more you listen to the CD, the more you come to regret their inclusion.

If you liked Khmer, then you really ought to pick up Solid Ether, which really is a worthy follow-up. However, if you have not yet heard the music of Nils Petter Molvaer, Khmer actually is the more solid effort, and that is the recording with which you should start. Chances are, you'll end up owning both CDs in short order. Solid Ether is a solid effort.

Un CD excepcional ha producido el mítico sello europeo ECM.
El maestro Nils Petter Molvær sorprende con una frescura y una aplicación notable. Combinando sus raíces, que, claramente, nos dirigen a Miles Davis, y música electrónica, muy en el centro de la sensibilidad contemporánea, resulta en melodías bellísimas, con toques de cierto lirismo melancólico, propio, quizá, de los países nórdicos.
Desde Noruega nos llega esta maravilla de la música de ahora mismo. Bien por ECM. Bien por el Sr. Molvær.

Solid Ether is a great name for this album. It's solid, it's ethereal, and it's just plain wonderful. Although many seem to find that this album is merely a continuation of Molvaer's previous album Khmer, I find that the improvements are obvious. The sound is a bit more complex, the emotion is more pronounced. It is heavily addicting, and has become a source of music for several of my short films. I do find the two part song Merciful to be distracting and not in the least bit interesting, but both parts are short and relatively painless. I would recommend this album to fans of Cinematic Orchestra or any other dark, breakbeat and guitar-laced jazz.

I was listening to music samples in the record store and bumped into this CD. Soulful, urban, and unique are some words that come to mind.
Some of the most raw, breathy trumpet solos I have ever heard. It made my throat sore just listening to them. Every note sounds like it is on the verge of breaking.
I don't know if it belongs in the "Jazz" section but I'll take it.

Not what I would call jazz. Not sure what genre this fits into! Ok for "background noise."

You can see my review of the remix album for a little more in-depth opinion on why this is a good idea.

My normal musical tastes seem to be a bit different than most other reviewers. If you like dark experimental/ambient/dnb like reload photek or amon tobin you should check this out.