Nicklas Sørensen - Solo (2016)

First solo album from Papir guitar player Nicklas Sørensen! While there's certain similarities with the oeuvre Nicklas has created with Papir it quickly becomes apparent that this is something quite different. Solo begins and ends with the instrument the Copenhagen native fully masters by now: the guitar. Throughout the album his main instrument is being explored as a generator of otherworldly, esoteric sounds as well as a compositional tool and - perhaps most importantly - a transmitter of pristine, cascading melodies. There's a peaceful, savory quality to the record that manifests a musical maturity. With help from the rhythm section of Papir as well as Causa Sui's Jonas mun (who also recorded the album in El Paraiso Records' new studio) Nicklas has created a wide, shimmering sound that seems to allude to a multitude of different styles and traditions. Considering that Nicklas is best known as a hard rocking guitar player with a knack for improvisation it's perhaps surprising that his inclination for pattern-based minimalism, blissed-out ambience and experimental british oceanic music from the 1980s and early 1990s dominates throughout this set. This is the kind of record that rewards repeated listens - each listen revealing new layers in the architecture of the sound. Solo is an affable, slowburning album where each component is given its own space and place to gently unfold and work its magic in the mind of the listener.