Attestupa – “Musik For Tomma Rum” – [Jartecknet]

Naysayer   9/4/2013   12-inch, A Library

“Musik For Tomma Rum”, meaning “music for empty rooms”, is Attestupa’s most current project. Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, this three piece outfit has stripped down their sound for this exploration of “loneliness and isolation”. The six tracks switch back and forth between long, drawn out, almost drone-like organ and electronic notes and moments of silence interspersed with the sounds of outside: the woods, maybe a fire, emptiness. The instrumental pieces have a lot in common, sound wise, with the group Zomes, but Attestupa (name taken from the fictional place(s) where elders who had passed their usefulness on the farm would be taken and thrown down to their deaths) extend the notes sometimes to the point where the listener has had it. It’s a wonderful, meditative, sparse sound that might come off as more empty than we are used to, but it’s good to hear things we may not be comfortable with.