Recorded in the coastal town of Hvisten in southeastern Norway, Espen Friberg and Jenny Berger's debut collaborative full-length is a duet on Serge modular and pipe organ that lands somewhere between Kali Malone and BoC.
There's a familiarity to this one, and that's not a bad thing by any means. As soon as the first tones of Below A Layer Bend Aside emerge, there's a feeling of comfort from hearing a well-worn synth alongside the hum of an old church organ. Friberg and Berger think of the instruments as siblings and they're not wrong; they met when Berger contributed to Friberg's debut solo album Sun Soon and enjoyed the process so much that they decided to take it a step further, retreating to the Norwegian coast to take advantage of Hvisten's pipe organ. And although there are plenty of organ-electronic fusions out there right now, there's an undeniable warmth to this one that makes it attention worthy.
Harnessing the relationship between air and electricity, Friberg and Berger often obscure the instruments by blending them so thoroughly. On The Sun The Fog, the fluttering Serge tones follow the organ's breathy whine before the two instruments split apart majestically, the pipe organ scattering into dramatic folk phrases and the synth splintering to remind you what you're hearing. Even on Bright Colored Armor, where the Serge takes more of a traditional role, circling the kosmische canon with skipping, resonant sequences, the organ replies with majestic Jarre-esque compliments. And they reverse the roles on Sibling Horses Heart, with the organ playing synth-like sequences and the Serge accompanying it with quivering drones.