Music for a tilted reality

V is a journey that will take you through darkness and then slowly, slowly build you up towards the light. You'll be both guided and lost on the way, searching for meaning and nodding in recognition. This may be some of the most powerful music you'll ever hear. Not necessarily in the amount of noise and volume, but certainly in the emotional challenge, the heavy/ light, dark/ bright, the beautiful/ unpleasant places these songs are going to take you to. These songs could be jazz, rock, noise, ballads, contemporary music or folk music, but seem to be coming from an alternative reality, sat sideways, referencing what we know, but taking the melodies to another place altogether. Guitarist Stian Westerhus is known to stretch soundscapes. Those who have heard his solo work won't ever be the same again. He has also made lasting impressions in bands like Puma, Monolithic, Jaga Jazzist, Nils Petter Molvær Trio and Ulver, and he has also made two fantastic albums with Norwegian singer Sidsel Endresen. In this work titled V, originally commissioned by the National jazzscene in Oslo, Westerhus has mustered all this knowledge and boldness, and written songs. Strong, emotional, jagged, chaotic, beautiful, memorable songs.

Westerhus wrote this concert knowing that he would be joined by other headstrong musicians. Ståle Storløkken you may know from hard hitting, B3-organ heavy bands like Elephant9 and Supersilent. On drums, bells and kettles, Erland Dahlen is an inventive and melodic rhythmic drummer, perfectly driving this band. These three musicians have a precise sensibility for energy, sound and sustain with their own perception of melody and song structure. Trust these guys, and they'll give you the ride of your life. (Pressetext)