Spurv - Myra

A Closer Listen

We’ve been waiting all year for a great post-rock album, and as summer approaches, we’ve finally gotten one. Norwegian sextet Spurv has made major strides since 2015’s Skarntyde, which demonstrated substantial progress from 2012’s debut.  On Myra, the tracks are shorter, the riffs more diverse, the power through the roof.  This is not a headphone album, or even a car album; it deserves the full speaker treatment.  Even a house is hardly enough to contain its energy; an outdoor stadium would be perfect.  Spurv means sparrow, but here it sounds like a pterodactyl.  As soon as those monster riffs drop in “et løfte i fall,” we’re sold.

Spurv is continually in search of its best sound.  The jump from average to good (2012-2015) wasn’t satisfying enough for the band, whose goal was to go from good to great.  A few friends came along for the new recording sessions, including members of Moe and Ulver.  Together, what a lovely racket they make.  The one-two punch of “og ny slog baeres frem” and “far dypet under stenen” is the best thing we’ve heard in this category since Do Make Say Think’s “Bound and Boundless” a year ago: a no-holds-barred style that leaves one pleasantly drained.  But Mono is a better comparison, as many are likely to hear traces of Hymn to the Immortal Wind, especially when strings and brass collide, producing an enormous impact.  The difference between them is that Spurv has abandoned long repetitions in favor of greater melodic turnover.  There’s even a glockenspiel (sparingly used), a nod to some of the post-rock’s most memorable productions.

The album surges into action, then allows emotion to bleed through, until its cathartic finale “allting får sin ende, også natten” (“everything ends, even at night”).  First comes piano and a poetic voiceover.  Then a volcanic eruption of guitar and bass: exquisite dynamic contrast and divine stereo effects.  Just when it seems the song has peaked, the strings enter against a cascade of drums.  As the final chords crash and the music fades, one is left with a feeling of bittersweet gratitude.

Some say the golden years of post-rock are over, and that all the best bands are on their way down.  But Spurv is like a salmon (laks), swimming against the tide.  Myra sounds like a classic.  It’s the post-rock album to beat in 2018.  (Richard Allen)

Angry Metal Guy 60

Every successful album, of every genre of music you can imagine, relies on a few key characteristics to make it the monumental album people herald over time. Perhaps it’s the timeliness of the album’s subject matter and how it ties in to what’s going on in the world today. Maybe it’s the originality of the blend of influences a band’s been combining to make something fresh. Most often than not, though, most timeless albums share a single common thread. In other words, the album just flows like an everflowing stream of (insert flow-y liquid/substance here). Norway’s instrumentalists Spurv harness the ability to flow on their third album, Myra.

After a short, ambient intro complete with rushing water, a horn opens up “Og Ny Skog Bæres Frem,” immediately followed by a high-note tremolo melody on guitar, an off-kilter drum pattern, and a melody carried by bassist Hans-Jakob Jeremiassen. The song gets noticeably heavier towards the second half, as Jeremiassen’s bass gets distorted, and both Herman Nilius Otterlei and Gustav Jørgen Pedersen trade off some intriguing tremolo melodies as the song reaches the end. While not the most effective of opening salvos, it at least got my attention long enough to wonder what was next on the menu.

And that next item, “Fra Dypet Under Stenen,” could give American instrumental lords Russian Circles a run for their money. Between Jeremiassen’s groove, Simon Ljung’s frantic drum playing, and build-up and release of tension that swells and releases, “Fra Dypet Under Stenen” stands out for being simultaneously hefty yet also glowingly optimistic in its melodies and aura, and packs a truck-full of drama and intrigue in its eight-and-a-half minute length. Closer “Allting Får Sin Ende, Også Natten” comes closest in terms of matching its intensity, building off a beautiful opening piano melody, and riding a wave of emotions that build and crest repeatedly over the song’s ten-minute duration. When Spurv are on their game, the emotional tug-of-war leaves the listener exhausted in the best ways possible.

But that middle section pulls things down a bit. I know it’s not easy to build up tension without a vocalist, but as Russian Circles and Caspian have proven, it can be done. While none of the songs between “Fra Dypet Under Stenen” and “Allting Får Sin Ende, Også Natten” are bad, they don’t particularly stand out, either. But as a collective whole, though, Myra makes for an engaging listen when you’re in the mood to (mostly) sit down, kick back, and unwind for about 40 minutes. Aiding in this journey is a lush production, sounding both natural and organic, whether it’s in Jeremiassen’s bass, Ljung’s kit, or the layers upon layers of horns and strings that perforate the album.

And that’s exactly how Myra is best listened to: as a creative, flowing whole rather than just bits and parts here and there. While it won’t replace Geneva or Memorial as my go-to album for an instrumental fix, Myra definitely intrigued me enough to keep an eye out for Spurv‘s future offerings, as there’s a lot to enjoy here. Definitely a band to keep an eye out for.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Fysisk Format
Websites: spurv.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Spurvinnen
Releases Worldwide: June 1st, 2018

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