by Jason

At the beginning of last year, Somewherecold introduced readers to the electronic Norwegian duo Pjusk which consists of Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik and Rune Sagevik. The duo returns with a new EP entitled Sakne Verda which has their brilliantly deep, electronic compositions with a bit of an eastern flavor. They also have a guest vocalist Anne Garner on the second track on this go around. The three tracks continue a trend of Pjusk’s shorter releases by the duo and, if the pattern continues, we should expect one or two more this coming year.

This all-too-brief EP begins with “Attende”. The choice of electronic sounds here are lovely, with a mixture of very non-organic synth voices as well as beautifully composed organic moments. A vocal quietly dots the electronic composition as syncopated percussion begins to fill the voids. “Kviskra” casts an ambient spell on the listener which is only enhanced by the incredible vocals of Anne Garner. The composition of the track is beautifully subtle and has this light touch that really creates a powerful track. “Bontelabo” ends the EP with an almost rain-forest feel. Something Pjusk does so well is take electronic sounds and make them feel very organic. It’s almost like animal sounds, rain, water, and so forth populate the music but I don’t think these are samples. “Bontelabo” is a prime example of their skills in utilizing synths to create brilliant sound-worlds.

Pjusk definitely do it again. Sakne Verda is brief but in that short time, Pjusk transport the listener into their gorgeous electronically soaked world. Gjelsvik and Sagevik are masters at their craft and I cannot wait for the next release. If you are so inclined, I highly recommend following the link below to their Bandcamp and indulging yourself in their aural masterpieces.