Kiasmos - Flown

A Closer Listen

We love surprises like this.  Last week, after seven years of silence, Kiasmos (Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen) suddenly dropped a brand new EP and video.  Even more than past releases, the EP inhabits the middle ground between modern composition and electronic dance, featuring a string quartet, a small orchestra and Arnalds’ majestic ivories.  This blend simultaneously yields a club floor breadth and an intimate warmth.

The set begins with a piano and a beat.  Arnalds and Rasmussen both play synthesizers, but Arnalds’ piano is distinct.  As the string quartet enters – subtly at first, then dominant – the beats bow in supplication.  Then everyone plays in tandem, with a wisp of uncredited vocal.  Greg Barnes adds visual expression, starting with a rush of wind not present on the EP.  A modern day Icarus sees the word “Flown” on peeling wood, leaves his house, walks to a cliff and looks to the sky.  Soon he is hard at work.  Amusingly, the first thing he creates is a hanging version of Kiasmos’ logo!  We won’t spoil what happens next (watch the video below), but we love the open-ended interpretation.

“Told” begins without the beats (don’t worry, they’ll arrive) and showcases the orchestral element.  Again, they are given their own space at the center of the composition: equal partners, regarding each other with generosity and mutual respect.  The intimacy of the closing minute stretches into the quieter closer, “Dazed,” which includes rainforest recordings from the artists’ travels.  The club elements exit softly, revealing a canopy of piano and strings: a remarkable comedown that. makes the entire EP seem like the microcosm of an evening out.  We only wish it were longer, but we’re sure glad it exists.  (Richard Allen)