A Closer Listen
Five years have passed since The Thief Bunny Society, whose animated title track imitated a children’s book, with a flying whale, a bunny on a motorbike and a pernicious lynx. In the videos from Tenants of Misty Mansion (According to the Landlord), the graphics have improved, while the tone remains endearing. Per Störby Jutbring calls the generous full-length work “a concept album about the different occupants in his head,” while AI-Midjourney helps to bring them to life. In the first of the videos, “Orb,” clouds hover in a Victorian mansion, growing faces and arms and charm. The staircase scene is reminiscent of Marvel’s “Dr. Strange,” while the cloud creatures suggest “If.” Some kids may be frightened by the stuffed animals moving below and atop the bed, but they are meant to be more whimsical than frightening; the track itself is a comfort, the felt piano adorned with the contributions of string ensembles and soloists.
“The Backrooms” shifts the action to a Brutalist building, the third use of Brutalist architecture in albums we’ve reviewed this fall, an unusual yet likely unintentional coincidence. At first the rooms and hallways seem deserted; but as the violins and viola introduce a new, flowery stage, the lights begin to blink and the hidden children appear. Who or what has been watching over them all this time? It seems that we’ve underestimated the flora, even sweeter creatures than those in “Where the Wild Things Are.” Also, some of the children can fly. If these are the tenants in Jutbring’s head, wow; also “Störby” is extremely similar to “story,” or “story by,” which seems fitting.
The cuteness factor explodes in “Poodle Riot (feat. Malva Quartet)” which is packed in pink and flowing hair. It’s not all poodles, as there are also some dressed-to-the nines beagles and walking mop creatures; the entire video is like a procession, while the staccato strings contribute drama. When the canines begin to run toward one another, one fears a rumble; fortunately, Jutbring loves them more than that. As the clouds expand, one senses the culmination of a theme introduced in “Orb.” Will all of these tracks eventually spawn videos? We hope so, and we’re confident that AI-Midjourney is up to the task.
The continual surprise of Jutbring’s music, as noted in our review of The Thief Bunny Society, is that the quirkiness of the artist’s visual presentation is not mirrored in the music. The music – shall we call it a score? – is in turns reflective, elegant and theatrical, and flows beautifully from beginning to end. Yet if the videos intimate a fantasy, the score suggests a drama. By the time the album starts to play, the tenants are already living in harmony; there’s no dissonance to be found.
After a flurry of activity, “As You Left It” slows things down to a lovely, thoughtful pace. One thinks of the creatures in the videos, and the ways in which childhood can be beguiling and wondrous, yet also intimidating and terrifying. Looking back, one seeks to reconcile all of the different thoughts taking up residence in one’s head: the old tapes that seem to run on an infinite loop. The “You” in the title is unidentified, but the landscape of the mind can be changed, especially if one is blessed with imagination and hope. “The Squatter” may need to be evicted, though the track of the same name is more of a hummingbird than a harm. “That Translucent Swell of the Attic” may refer to the memories one packs away, but sometimes these memories, caught in diaries and photo-books, may offer a bittersweet pang. The cello allows the mind to sink or swim, after which the cooing birds of “DM Library” (Depeche Mode?) seem like the echoes of long-lost friends.
The contemplative “The Secret Society (Still)” sets the stage for solo piano that opens “The Fragile Few.” The tenants that remain in Jutbring’s head are benign. They’ve been through a lot together, and learned how to live with each other, like the residents of the TV show “Ghosts.” By introducing us to his own tenants, Jutbring invites us to take inventory of our own, on our way to inner peace. After we find it, our own pink poodles may come out to play. (Richard Allen)
Tue Nov 19 00:01:46 GMT 2024