Every year I aim to cover more post rock influenced music, maybe this year I’ll manage to achieve that, and a new release by Norwegian musician Myrvandrer is a pretty good place to start, given he’s released the 1st track from an album which is due to hit in May 2021.
Behind the name is Magnus Frodahl Sand, and his music is an interesting mix of styles, not just relying on post rock, but fusing together metal, ambient and shoegaze genres too. In 2019 he released a self titled debut EP, which is quite atmospheric and effective in places, whilst I also enjoyed a ‘live session’ he did early last year entitled ‘The Bear and the Duck’ (reminding me way too much of my favourite Cardiacs track), where a striking piano part caught my imagination.
Anyway now he’s back with a new track entitled ‘In Love (In Leaving)’, and it’s received a fair bit of positive coverage in music websites and on Spotify playlists across the world.
As always with these types of tracks, it’s the contrasts in sound that appeal to me, and Myrvandrer pretty much goes to the extremes, with a thoughtful, soft guitar opening setting the scene, before a full blaze of guitars carries the track forward from just under 2 minutes in. The ending, with the cut to the piano, is particularly effective. For me I’d like even bigger crescendo's and melodic climaxes, but he certainly has the ability to paint a fairly convincing picture of the wild and desolate Norwegian landscapes - and based on his social media account, that is clearly what inspires him.
Anyway I feel there’s there's a fair amount of potential in Myrvandrer, so let’s see what the album brings.
You can find him on Instagram.