The atmosphere herein simply spills over non-existent—perhaps even floating—boundaries with a surplus of instrumental virtuosity, roughened textures, and vaporous brittle tones that time shift and alter before our own eyes.
A surplus of instrumental virtuosity
As Anton Kaldal Ágústsson’s Tonik Ensemble assembles fine musical fragments in this nine-piece suite, Music Is Mass overflows with microscopic bubbles bursting at all angles. The atmosphere herein simply spills over non-existent—perhaps even floating—boundaries with a surplus of instrumental virtuosity, roughened textures, and vaporous brittle tones that time shift and alter before our own eyes. Tracks like “Tempus Fugit” and the title track are laced with melodic slivers that are both uniformly abstract and simultaneously surreal. Truly emerging from the farthest recesses of our memories in these subtly shoegauzey motions and moments—ref. opener “Constant” and “Addendum”—faded Polaroids and flickering pop elements are prominently featured.
Capturing a timeless (and seamless) beauty throughout, Ágústsson fuses subdued notes, field recordings, and numerous instrumental layers with minimal technoid contours (“Retina” and “Solar Winds”), as overarching soundscapes crossover with artists in the n5MD “melody and emotion” canon such as Crisopa, Tobias Lilja, and port-royal—reference “Cut To Scene” as a prime illustration. Exemplary Icelandic pop ambient and fluttering electronics with no beginning or end points—Music Is Mass is an infinite calm indeed.
With such an expansive cast of skilled musicians, Music Is Mass was created over the span of eight years (between February 2016 – June 2023) by Anton Kaldal Ágústsson with varying support by: Donna Hermannsdóttir, Elvar Bragi Kristjónsson, Agnes Björt Andradóttir, John Grant, Bryndís Jakobsdóttir, Jón Þór Ólafsson, Tumi Árnason, Hafdís Bjarnadóttir, and Halli Civelek. Cello, Woodwinds, Brass, lyrics/vocals, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Guitar, Saxophone, and additional electronics plus field recordings are all submerged in this sublime Icelandic kaleidoscope.
Music you can feel; touched music.
Music Is Mass is available on Touched Music. [Bandcamp]
