Jónsi’s Dark Morph project releases debut album: Stream
Dark Morph, the new group featuring Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi and Swedish composer and visual artist Carl Michael von Hausswolff, have released their self-titled debut album. It’s streaming in its entirety below through Apple Music and Spotify.
Due out via Krunk/The Vinyl Factory, the eight-track effort was developed as part of a fellowship and residency program at TBA21-Academy, an organization “dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of the ocean through the lens of art and to engendering creative solutions to its most pressing issues.” Incorporated throughout are field recordings of humpback whales, bats, dark morph herons, and other creatures which were collected at the Vanua Vatu Reef in Fiji.
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In a previous statement, von Hausswolff discussed the process of obtaining all of the album’s unique sounds:
“While we were on the boat I started to take the recordings, manipulate them and mutate them into drones or other types of musical functions — so we could use the sounds as instruments for building compositions. We decided, “Let’s try not to have them sounding too much like real sounds, let’s turn them into something else.” When I had done some drones, some long tones out of a bird or something, I gave it to Jónsi and he started to peel off certain types of melodious things, and then play it to me. And then we started to just throw the ball back and forth.”
To celebrate the new LP, Jónsi and von Hausswolff are scheduled to play a free album show in Venice’s Ocean Space museum Friday, May 10th. The duo’s music will also be showcased as an audio installation at the museum from May 7th through June 30th. For more information on both events, head here.
Next month will also see Jónsi and his partner/collaborator Alex Somers launch a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their collaborative 2009 album, Riceboy Sleeps. Following summer dates in the UK and Europe, the pair will then bring the trek to the US in October. Purchase your tickets here.
Dark Morph Artwork:
Dark Morph Tracklist:
01. SO(NG)QE
02. URA DARDANELLA
03. BEKA TOVUTO
04. TOVUTO
05. KAVURA
06. WAI
07. BANI MANUMANU
08. BEKA YALO
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