Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip - Selenopolis (2021)
By Flork (contact)
At first, I was a bit unsure whether I had pressed play on the right album. A light, acoustic guitar instrumental flooded my head through the headphones and I was compelled to pick up my smartphone and check whether I hadn’t accidentally pressed a wrong icon or such. But no, it was there, displayed quite clearly, Selenopolis by Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip. *Hmnn* (rubbing my chin while half-closing my left eye).
After the opening track, Profane to Sacred, I continued listening on to Woodland Shrines, a longer, yet very different version of the former track, it too being completely instrumental with an added guitar for accompaniment, as well as a shaker instrument of some sort keeping the slow background tempo, while the guitars sped ahead at the forefront. Very folksy, yet still very image-provoking, especially of forests and autumn and chillier weather. This is a longer and intricate song that is beautiful and masterfully played. I scroll down to see the description on the bandcamp.com site and I’m a bit surprised to see the tags displaying black metal, alternative, acid rock, and psychedelic.
I am intrigued. The third track, City on the Edge, has a single bass beat, this time in the forefront along with the guitar styles of the previous tracks. The percussionist does an amazing job of giving a mysterious effect on the ride cymbal, with the entire track leading to a faster-paced build-up towards the end. I realise that I haven’t heard any vocals until I get to Swamp Rite, where a harmony of male vocals can be heard, and yet there is no text whatsoever (although none is necessary). On the latter tracks, vocals are heard only sporadically and when necessary. The instruments are clearly the stars of the show.
The rest of the album is a cool, somewhat bluesy-style of music that in fact does evoke black metal imagery, stuff like pagan rituals or medieval festivals, although the entire album is very peaceful and leans towards psychedelic folk with elements of black metal at its root apex, but without distortion or rage. Temple of Comus may be a good example of this as the album comes to a peaceful end, this is true as well with the final track, Apotheosis. All the tracks are peaceful and soothing and of course, cool.
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