Danish artist Jon Krasheninnikoff Skarin is Fuimadane, a creative with a vast catalogue of projects already under his belt. One of the more recent of which, is the epic and beautiful Kominn vel á sik.
Focused almost exclusively on Nordic vibes, yet incorporating elements of Neo Medieval, Folk, Viking and Oriental Music, the album is beautifully detailed, complex and multi-layered, thoughtfully structured. Each composition offers something quite breathtaking, and perfectly designed to take you to precisely the places the artist had in mind when composing.
Prufað kirkju, entist stutt introduces things with a decidedly raw and real make-up – almost sounding as if it’s been recorded live in a church or great hall. Classic organ tones meet with a choir of voices that feels deeply historic and nostalgic in nature. Chimes of additional instrumentation follow the meandering melody along, always mixing things up but remaining in keeping with the progressing dance-like energy of the whole. And at the half-way point, things are redirected drastically – tribal vibes emerge, acoustic and isolated, with a vintage crackle and a melodic delicacy. The latter half becomes something else entirely; beautiful in a completely different way.
As the album continues, Fuimadane takes the listener on a host of different journeys – each one unique yet in keeping with the Nordic aura and the tunes and tones of the natural world.
Sendimaðr is a gorgeously delicate performance with a subtly increasing pace and a cinematic, Lord Of The Rings level of natural beauty and purity; something that runs throughout this work. Later on, intensity kicks in, creative freedom arrives by means of distortion, expressive rhythm, weight and alternative intentions.
Fuimadane rarely falls victim to complacency – on the contrary, you can rely upon him to throw in a few curve-balls and moments of absolute shock and evolution. In every case, whatever the instrument, whatever the mood or emotion, the musicianship is second to none. This post-nine-minute piece moves towards a Celtic aura and envelops its audience in a powerful way. Absolutely worth experiencing.
There are so many stories within this project – so many scenes and sounds and artistic conversations. Sometimes things feel classic and familiar, sometimes they feel completely out there and impossible to pigeon-hole; Hævnen being a bold example of the latter.
Afterwards, Norns reverts to the comfort of rhythm, of the vocal choir, the flute, the didgeridoo. A gorgeous composition and one of the more memorable from a musical perspective. Bíða feels similar but even more uplifting and engaging as it moves along. A stunning piece of creative musicality.
An hour is far from enough time to spend with this music, it needs revisiting – each composition needs perhaps a day of its own, for the listener to turn up the volume and allow it to wash over them; allow its history, its passion and intention, its intricacies and details, to truly speak out and connect.
Dís is a highlight, as is Taktur smíði, but in a completely different way. And between the two, distorted high energy is followed by deeply calming peacefulness and intimacy. Eclecticism is powerful on this project, and Fuimadane’s creative reach knows no limits. At no point does any of it get tiresome. On the contrary, there simply isn’t enough time to truly get lost within all of it.
í Jafnvægi adds a hit of blissful optimism at the penultimate moment – a long-form melody entrances as a rhythmic choir provide a chant-like backdrop. Then return the birds, the natural world. Again, it can’t be said enough, the musicianship is superb.
At the end, Godnat appears as a more casual and familiar sung piece – acoustic picking and a single vocal lead the way, but still there are dashes of character and alternative thought.
Without a doubt, there is no one else creating quite like this, and particularly not to such an impressive and vast degree. Well worth discovering and experiencing – any piece at all from this album, but the project in full is where the real cinematic escapism kicks in.
Check out the music via Bandcamp. Find & follow Fuimadane on Facebook, YouTube & Instagram.
