Puul

“Puul”

(Optical Substance Productions OSP004)

Puul is a new international duo featuring the British bass player Tim Harries and the Norwegian electronics artist and soundscaper Terje Evensen. The pair first played together as members of UK drummer Martin France’s Spin Marvel project and both appear on the group’s two albums to date, the eponymous début released on the F-ire label in 2005 and the 2010 follow up “The Reluctantly Politicised Mr. James” which appeared on Edition Records. 

Harries is a supremely versatile musician who is an in demand player across a variety of musical genres from jazz (Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, Richard Fairhurst, Dan Messore’s Indigo Kid)) to folk (Steeleye Span, June Tabor) to pop (Katie Melua). His penchant for the experimental has seen him working with guitarist Charlie Beresford and with the rather better known Brian Eno.

Evensen is also an accomplished drummer and has appeared on the Jazzmann web pages as part of the trio Eyes of a Blue Dog alongside vocalist Elisabeth Nygaard and British trumpeter Rory Simmons. Their album “Rise” (Babel Records, 2012), a blend of electro-acoustic improvised instrumentals and carefully sculpted avant pop songs, was a delight, one of the most interesting releases of its year. Evensen has also been an important guest contributor to Simmons’ now defunct large ensemble Fringe Magnetic. He describes himself as a “drummer, sound designer and programmer” and further information on his musical activities can be found at http://www.terjeevensen.com

Presented with the opportunity to perform as a duo Harries and Evensen played a successful gig in Oslo ( an occasion made even more memorable by Harries suffering from a bout of food poisoning) and subsequently decided to document their rapport with a studio recording. The group name came from Harries “I always wanted to be in a band with two U’s in its name” .

“Puul”, the album, consists of eight relatively short pieces which I assume were completely improvised -  the album credits do nothing to suggest otherwise. The music falls loosely into the “ambient” category with Harries’ melodic, liquid electric bass shadowed by Evensen’s electronica.  Harries describes his role in their shared musical landscape thus ” the bass as a sleepwalker, dream haunted by fragments of half forgotten vocabularies” before going on to talk of Evensen’s responses, the creation of “an independent but encompassing parallel sound world for it to wander in”. Both musicians are fulsome in their praise of the other’s abilities with Evensen describing Puul as a “compounded yet spacious duo”.

Evensen is credited with “electronics” but opener “Opella” also includes percussive type sounds reminiscent variously of finger cymbals, bells and singing bowls -  Evensen’s work as a drummer evidently exerts a considerable influence on his work as a sound designer. Some of the effects are eerily lovely but there’s also a darker edge in the interplay between the two musicians as they take turns in shaping the direction of the piece.

“Oitana” is essentially a bass solo with an undertow of electronica, some of it almost subliminal, some of it dark and unsettling with Evensen’s contributions becoming more substantial and significant as the piece progresses.

The following “Havgul” passes the leadership baton to Evensen for a piece that is essentially a dense barrage of uneasy electronica,  alternately seeming to come from deepest space or from the very bowels of the earth.

Harries’ bass takes the lead again on “Momina”, his chording and melodic patterns complemented by Evensen’s richly textured electronic responses.

“Clelia” represents the duo at their most spacious and unhurried, sparsely plucked bass underscored by the low hum and rumble of electronics. Once more the listener feels themselves transported to the outer reaches of the galaxies.

We remain in the depths of the cosmos for “Loris” with eerie electronica approximating organ drones underpinned by Harries’ insistent but almost subliminal bass pulse. Again the atmosphere is vaguely unsettling, threatening even.

“La Catalina” is a short, melodic unaccompanied bass solo that paves the way for the closing “Nene”, a genuine collaboration with both musicians helping to shape the flow of the music. The soft growl of Harries’ bass combines with the fluid rustle of Evensen’s electronica and subtle percussive style effects.

“Puul”, the album, isn’t a jazz record by any stretch of the imagination despite its origins in the art of improvisation. If it must be categorised then “ambient” is probably the best description as it’s also far removed from the “electronica” of dance music with mood and texture taking precedence over rhythm or simple melody. Doubtless there are some who would dismiss it as aimless noodling but careful listening draws the hearer into the duo’s sound world, one can begin to appreciate the subtleties, the gentle ebb and flow of ideas, the finely calibrated power balance as each musician takes turns at shaping the flow and structure of the music. Like a classic jazz duo playing more conventional instruments it’s all about listening.

Many of the pieces on “Puul” are like tiny jewels, individually delightful but tending to pall if listened to over the course of a whole album. A greater variety in terms of mood, style, instrumentation and dynamics would have been appreciated though that’s not to deny the album’s often other worldly beauty and it’s obviously a recording intended to focus on a specific facet of the duo.

Eyes of a Blue Dog remains my favourite context to hear Evensen’s music, the trio offering that element of variety that Puul currently lacks. Perhaps working with guest musicians in the manner of the Anglo-Norwegian electro improvising duo Food ( comprised of saxophonist Iain Ballamy and drummer Thomas Stronen) would represent a possible future direction for the duo to consider. Trumpeters Rory Simmons or Nils Petter Molvaer, both already connected to the band, might represent suitable collaborators.

In the meantime listen out for Puul on Late Junction, some of the music on this album would find a very natural home there.     

  Band name: PUUL
Album title: Puul
EAN: 7041880560423
Catalog number: OSP004
Label: Optical Substance Productions
Distribution: Musikkoperat?rene/Phonofile Forced Exposure (US)
Format: Digital downloads only. (Itunes, etc)
Release date: 16th of January 2015
Web: http://puul.bandcamp.com/releases

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