LEHNBERG (Sweden) – Omgivelsen (single/possible future album track)

I first encountered (David) LEHNBERG nine years ago this summer and never cease to be amazed at the volume and breadth of his musical output with a selection of collaborations in bands like dÁrc (with Ida Long if I remember correctly); The Deer Tracks (with Elin Lindfors/Skeppstedt, Anna-Karin Berglund and others – reunion required urgently there please!); Léiah; Ariel Kill Him (which sounds like an order barked by an evil villain in a Bond film); Alderhomens Furistika, Ikaros and KAMARA.

He rarely stays still for long, always searching out new musical tastes and ideas but underpinning it all over the years is his devotion to electronic landscapes, one that equally is matched by the label here, the Gävle-based Lamour.

LEHNBERG’s latest track is ‘Omgivelsen’, which translates as ‘Environment’.

These lengthy electronic tracks tend to be immersive. They suck you into the simulated environment.

And that’s what happens here except not – for me at least – quite in the way anticipated by the artist.

I was watching a local TV news item tonight about thousands of Icelandic birds that have flown south again as is their annual habit, and landed on mass in a lake in northwest England.

I know it is cold in Iceland but they left it a bit late, we’re on the way to spring already and in any case its brass and bitter here as well. What were they expecting, Acapulco? Manchester-sur-mer?

To my mind ‘Omgivelsen’ might be representative of their journey across the North Atlantic, in the face of biting winds (or more accurately driven by them I suppose), the constant, relentless beating of wings, the facing down of waves of adverse weather, the dodging of storms (apparently they do that) and the employment of their inbuilt radar to find their target every time, like a darts player hitting a bullseye from 100 metres.

And the final part is the most satisfying. You can sense the triumphalism as the seatbacks go up and the belts go on as they make their final approach to landing.

Everyone will interpret this piece in their own way. If they don’t LEHNBERG isn’t doing his job.

All I can say is that it worked for me.

(Continues after the Spotify link)

A new album will be released later this year.

Find him on:

Website: https://www.davidlehnberg.com/