SOLAR FIELDS - Ourdom

Solar Fields is the stage name of Magnus Birgersson, a Swedish composer who has been active in the European ambient/electronic scene since 2001. His compositions draw thematic inspiration from astronomy and the dreamlike dimensions of cosmic music, all poured into a melting pot of atmospheric tendencies synthesized from genres such as psybient, psytrance, chillout and downtempo.

His latest record is titled "Ourdom", initially conceived as the debut work of an alternative side project, but ultimately released as a Solar Fields album by Birgersson, 5 years on from its predecessor "Origin #2". The record does in fact tend to take on an identity of its own compared to the rest of his discography, this time drawing inspiration from the rural landscapes of South Africa, where the Swedish artist retreated to write the album. In his intentions, it's a concept record about nature and its changes, expressed through broad, warm soundscapes within which emotional climaxes unfold.

The listening experience is at once smooth and immediate, yet it takes several spins to fully sink in. At first listen, in fact, the work can come across as overly stretched out, risking tedium at certain points. The tracks vary considerably in length, ranging from brief interludes like "Shifting Nature" or "A Green Walk" to the suite "Mountain King", with its intermittent synths halfway between Future Sound of London and fellow countrymen Carbon Based Lifeform.

In truth, "Ourdom" grows with repeated listens, revealing meticulous care in its sonic choices and psybient atmospheres. The joyful chants of "Into the Sun" give way to a bittersweet close, while the melancholy, slowed-down rarefaction of "Forgiveness" morphs into a vibrant electronic interplay of keyboards that eventually spills over into a distorted, post-rock-inflected crescendo. Birgersson also displays considerable stylistic range here, moving between minimal drones, lounge-music keyboard beds, IDM pulses, and beats that shift from uptempo to downtempo.

Birgersson's melodic (and dreamlike) intuitions prove evocative, and the tracks flow into one another to form a compact, enveloping unicum, particularly successful in terms of internal cohesion, even allowing for the shifts in timbre.

There's no sense of filler, and the work is also enriched by the care invested in production, with elegant sonic interplay between the notes that audiophiles in particular will appreciate. There isn't excessive layering, not even when the keyboard warbles turn into pervasive, dreamlike drones, but "Ourdom" is not an album built around silence.

The result is undoubtedly positive, even if on more than one occasion Birgersson seems to hold back so as not to break the balance of the atmospheres and the inner peace they're meant to convey.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

29/12/2018