Blomma defies the idea of recycling, rehearsing and planning ahead, and offers two voyages without a destination to the outside of reality, two improvised streams on which techno, space ambient, house, trance and misty jazz hues coexist engagingly, depicting special places where our imagination can blossom freely. Therefore the word blomma (Swedish for blossom and flower) works perfectly as a title for the double album.
Minilogue’s second album, Blomma presents a modus operandi that is more commonly found on albums by mysterious progressive rock or space rock bands and their bizarre ambient side projects, and of course on jazz albums rather than on electronic music outputs. Blomma defies the idea of recycling, rehearsing and planning ahead, and offers two voyages without a destination to the outside of reality, two improvised streams on which techno, space ambient, house, trance and misty jazz hues coexist engagingly, depicting special places where our imagination can blossom freely. Therefore the word blomma (Swedish for blossom and flower) works perfectly as a title for the double album.
CD 1 is a trippy EDM monster that can work fantastically on open-minded dance floors but can also be a real treat for the devoted home listener searching for the strange and other-worldly. In fact, I think the experience with this side of the album can be much more powerful and deep at home rather than on the dance floor. Liquid swirling and sparkling synth textures at times in gentle Floyd-ish shades float enchantingly amid sonorous beats, infectious basslines and mystical pads. Pulsating and electrifying 74-minutes of ebbing and flowing, flying and diving. CD 2 is the more meditative side of the album—ethereal and placid, but absorbing and dynamic. Sumptuous layers constantly morph and glide, delicate extraterrestrial sounds float and flicker. A fluid display of highly charged emotional and atmospheric activity. Heavily spacey. Play it late at night when only the crickets, the stars and the moon are outside and time will cease to exist.
The only concept of Blomma is that it has no concept. As it says on the press release: “…a double album that is just there to let the music speak.” The music was not edited or post produced. These two CDs contain the raw, original versions of the tracks that were created impulsively during various jam session by Marcus Henriksson and Sebastian Mullaert. That means every little imperfection is included as well, but that’s also a part of the album’s magic. Most importantly, on an album that presents such recordings you can hear unique, elusive and rare moments of blooming creativity that are impossible to recreate, and there are plenty of those captured on Blomma. Obviously Henriksson and Mullaert are on top of their game, they know their instruments, equipment and each other very well. The two CDs come in a really great digipak that also contains a booklet with beautiful photographic material. Completely unaffected by current trends and soulless fads, and holding a certain ancient charm that rarely flows on releases nowadays, Blomma is a refreshing and welcomed beam of light. A sonic entity without a clear form, free of structure, free of limitations.
Blomma is available on Cocoon. [Release page]
