Splashgirl - More Human [LP]

Hubro

£25.18

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: HUBROLP3660
Barcode: 7033661036609
Release Date: 24 May 2024
Genre: Jazz

The seventh album from Splashgirl, “More Human” is made in collaboration with singer/sound artist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, and producer Randall Dunn. The album title, "More Human," explores the role of humanity in a society increasingly reliant on technology, where artists face direct competition from artificial intelligence. What is the difference between what humans create and what machines create as technology becomes more sophisticated? And how can we preserve the genuinely human in music produced by live musicians coming together to create music? As everything was set for recording at Ocean Sound Recordings in the fall of 2021, Americans Lowe and Dunn were denied entry to Norway under the prevailing COVID restrictions. Plans were quickly revised, and Splashgirl planned to record at Ocean Sound Recordings on Giske while Lowe and Dunn recorded at Circular Ruin in New York. An important aspect to make this more than just a file exchange across the Atlantic was that the recording took place within the same limited timeframe both teams went into the studio on Monday, November 29, 2021, and worked until December 5. The process, in broad strokes, unfolded as follows: Team A recorded a piece of music, which was then sent westward for processing and overdubs by Team B. The order was reversed every other day. Some tracks were improvised based on instructions about tempo, mood, mode, or key from producer Dunn, while others were composed in advance by Myhre and Lowe. The second track on the album is a cover of "Taphead," a song from Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden," an album that served as a guiding star for the entire project. The fifth track on the album, initially titled "Dear Rob" during the studio sessions, was composed with the idea that Lowe would sing his own lyrics over it. The result is the song "Afterlife Like," composed by Jo Berger Myhre, with lyrics by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe. Collaborating with Lowe has infused the music with a touch of mysticism, mostly due to his vocal approach. The idea for the project originally came from Randall Dunn - he has worked with Splashgirl and Lowe separately for years and saw an opportunity for a fruitful exchange of musical ideas and a chance to create a unique album where both voices are prominently featured. Andreas, Jo, and Andreas of Splashgirl have known each other since 2000, and the band played their first concerts in 20 04. Their debut album, "Doors. Keys." (AIM Records), was released in 2007, and in 2009, Splashgirl released "Arbor," which became Hubro's first release. Since then, the band has released albums like "Pressure" (2011), "Field Day Rituals" (2013), "Hibernati on" (2015), and "Sixth Sense" (2018) on the same label.