LIFELINES | VINYL RECORD (LP)

With his wayward mix of infectious melodies, unexpected time signatures and intricate arrangements Elias Krantz established himself on the Swedish alternative scene in 2007 with the album Island Rock released on Airwaves and then again in 2011 with Night Ice released on Country & Eastern Records. His album Lifelines challenges listeners to absorb each eclectic influence and sound experiment as a dynamic whole. Lifelines consists of two contiguous tracks/sides which enliven the ears and mind like the kinds of conversations worth staying up all night for. This richly detailed music employs a '60s Italian tape echo, analog synthesizers and various tape recorders to create a sound that is both retro and modern. Resisting contemporary trends of restless streaming and playlists, Lifelines's loop-based soundscapes demonstrate what's possible when we give the imagination room to breathe. By providing an unfractured listening experience, Lifelines is reminiscent of the dream-like narratives that emerge when music compels the listener to let it all sink in. Writing in the tradition of American minimalist composers like Terry Riley and Glenn Branca, Krantz spent several years carefully mixing his own tonal pallet, refined among the other productions and composing projects he works with in Stockholm. For Lifelines he finds inspiration in Japanese electronic music pioneers like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto and in sources closer to home like the krautrock, electronica and jazz groups in which he has been a long-time collaborator in Stockholm, the town he is born and raised in. The result of Krantz's patient effort is a rush of dark exuberance and uniquely analog aesthetic.