Dagur delivers tonnes of warmth, melodies and evocative percussion that when working on concert take the listener to places less known.
Dagur lends itself well to different environments
Hot off the presses comes the latest full album from Skurken. Dagur caught my ear right from the off. There is a grounded and mature richness to this release. This arrives not long after the Val album from the Mystic & Quantum label Dreamwalker Series. The release seems to be a day in the life of. Opening with sunrise and ending with sunset, the track-listing takes us through a full day, with different sonic adventures and themes.
After the lush opening “Sunrise,” “Stepping Stones” feels like a jaunty walk through a forest, when crossing a stream, we use those stepping stones to get to another side. Rich arrangements keep us hopping and stepping along at a nice pace. ”Birds and Trees” brings us to another place in the forest where our imagination is given the soundtrack to wander and move with pace at times. Some nice nature sounds add to the abundant textural synths and rhythmics, with melodies that are uplifting but balanced with pinches of melancholy. Those dips just make the ups soar that little bit more.
“Oryctolagus Cuniculus” brings the bunnies. Not being a nature expert but a dab hand with internet search engines allows me to share this. In keeping with the nature theme here, this track has more of the expanding natural world being depicted by electronic synths. The playfulness of rabbits mixed with their curious yet cautious natures comes across here nicely, I can see the evening rabbits hopping around the big meadow and taking in the lowering sun on a fine summer evening. Every so often little pauses mimicking their behavior.
This release has a great warmth and a strong presence. It is quickly becoming one of my quick favorites for 2022—fitting right into the kind of music I’m very drawn to in recent years. Dreamy synth work with intelligent beat work, not overly challenging but not lacking in sophistication or elegance.
“Agustus Spiritus” and then even more so “Noon” reminds me greatly of Sonic Area’s release from a few years ago, Eyes In The Sky (Ant-Zen). This was fantastic release from 2016, and I got to see a live performance by Sonic Area around the release date. Hearing it really captured my attention then, and I regularly revisit it, and I can see myself going back for more & more listens with Dakur just as much. Whilst being different artists coming from related yet different label spaces I would love to hear what these two would come up with as a collaboration. Can someone make this happen?
“Noon” definitely marks that interval moment. The journey is not over but this is the moment to take a few breaths. Breathe in deeply through the mouth, then slowly out through the nose, and hold—then breathe again. Feel those cascading waves of synth wash over you and hydrate you before it is time to pick up the pace again. ”Hailstorm” puts us back on the road. This time there are snare like drums sounds crashing about that help evoke the hail falling. The ethereal lushness doesn’t end here, and we move into the ”Heartbeat,” which aptly has a 4/4 sunken rhythm at the start before we get closer and feel its grip as it hugs us and then every beat comes into it own full and warm. The melodies here are well crafted, with synth layers and little flourishes making a complete and rich palette. A smörgåsbord of sounds.
I have had this album for a number of weeks and it’s been the soundtrack to many car journeys, afternoons of work and evenings relaxing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way implying this is background fodder, rather it lends itself well to different environments. It is good dreamy alone listening, but also makes for great music when you have company.
With “Twilight” we know that there must be an end coming, and checking the listing we see it is the third to final track. The final legs of our journey are upon us, and it is time to finish the last pushes before we settle to contemplate where we came from. Strange sounds echo across the soundscape, testing speakers for frequency responses, and stereo fields to be maximized.
So going back to the search engines with “Antonius Divisus” the first thing that comes up is Flemish renaissance composer from the 15th-16th century. I wonder if this is what we are meant to infer, or should I have actually studied Latin in school? What I can say is that this arrangement sounds probably nothing like the sounds that a Flemish renaissance composer was able to produce, but maybe the compositions are comparable. ”Antonius Divisus” as a track feels more like the summation of overall travels through the day, with even some nice 4/4 floating ending to the track.
Skurken has given us something special ::
“Sunset” takes us full circle. The time for healing, rest and contemplation. Skurken has taken us with him and given us something special. It feels like something that was shared between friends, a grand day out, memories without selfies. A feeling of togetherness, even if we are listening alone. If you hadn’t the volume up enough already you’ll be reaching out to give this last track that little bit of extra welly.
Again the arrangement style whilst being far from Sonic Area does make me remember that album and how it also made me feel. Skurken goes far more uplifting and with some strings that do almost feel like an electronica renaissance. Maybe that is the Antonius divisus reference. Is 2022 the year of the electronica renaissance?
So my summation goes like this—although none of the tracks go longer than 5:30, like well crafted liqueurs, they have every bit of flavor and essence needed. I do like longer tracks that make you wait for it, but I do also like more concise compositions that get to the point effectively and succinctly. This album delivers tonnes of warmth, melodies and evocative percussion that when working on concert take the listener to places less known.
I’m looking forward to getting this on the headphones and heading off into the hills and forests, with a well timed river crossing, and maybe even some fresh sea air. I highly recommend all fans of Touched Music to buy this release fast, as this will sell like the proverbial hot cakes. It’s a big smiling thumbs up from me. Another fine Touched Music release, with 2022 being another brilliant year for the label, and electronica music, if that is a name you are comfortable with.
Dagur is available on Touched Music. [Bandcamp]
