Ellen Arkbro & Johan Graden – “Close”

I get along without you very well is the new collaborative album from avant-garde composer Ellen Arkbro and jazz/classical pianist Johan Graden, two Swedes enmeshed in the Berlin new music scene. As explained by Thrill Jockey, the album finds the duo filtering their talents into a more pop-minded context than usual, a premise confirmed by its spectacular opening track. “Close,” which also embodies the project’s slow-burn creative process, finds Arkbro singing with a sort of plaintive wonder over classical instrumentats played with post-rock purpose. Deployed like this, the various brass and woodwind sounds remind me of the Notwist — especially when Graden’s synth drones enter the frame — though this music is far more glacial in tempo and organic in texture. Let it wash over you below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Close”
02 “Out of luck”
03 “All in bloom”
04 “Never near”
05 “Temple”
06 “Other side”
07 “Love you, bye”
08 “Waqt”

I get along without you very well is out 9/23 on Thrill Jockey. Pre-order it here.