Swedish duo Gidge return from their 2014 debut record ‘Autumn Bells‘ with a collaborative project that combines both film and music.
Ludvig Stolterman and Jonathan Nilsson aka Gidge, released last week their two track LP ‘Lulin’ on Atomnation records, a conceptual project, that draws influence from their home near the Scandanavian forest of Umeå. Notably to this project, Lulin is a combination of film and music. The LP itself, derived from a story of the pair spending a cold autumn night in a cabin in the woods. The sounds and movements instilling emotions within them that have directly translated into this project. The project, that would combine 42 minutes of cinematic audio, with a 24-minute film – intertwine into a multi platform, self-perpetuating narrative.
“The strange noises frightened him (Ludvig), but he was all alone and simply had to deal with it. If you see or hear something that is unexplainable, and you have no one there to share it with – what do you do? This slowly grew into an idea, and a mystical being called Lulin.”
The pair of tracks, 20+ minutes long each, are cinematic renditions that try to capture those jarring emotions felt in the woods that night. Hon “luls” you in, with slow drifting blankets of sound, sprinkled in complex percussive elements that flirt with your senses. Its character grows, continuously evolving, along with your sense of anxiety. Seductively drawing your focus inwards and outwards. Even without watching the accompanying film, we can picture the crisp lonely forest within which these sounds emanate. 12 minutes in, and a pure voice comforts the listener with familiarity, as she then takes centre stage on a grand piano, that you may expect to find at your grandparents house. It’s all imagery here, and you can really make this music your own. The inclusion of percussive drums towards the latter half of Hon render some clarity to the soundscapes offering a departure from the overture.
The second track ‘Byn’ has a catholic start point, with organs and a choir singers building a sense of nostalgic spirituality. But this familiarity is soon washed by a gauntly shower of towering abyss. A creature begins to grow, like an uncontrolled spectre. It’s percussive elements adding rhythmic posture, all the while building in suspense. Lulin, a story which is based on the conecpt of an unknown, mystical being, feels like it is with us at this moment in time. But is something you can neither quite see, nor understand. Byn has elements of Burial and Brian Eno, in the way it conjugates isolated soundscapes, with complex percussion. The natural sounds, the reassuring grand piano, the nordic female vocalist. It is a body of work that is as bold as the concept itself.
And of course the film. The story revolves around a man (played by Victor Lindgren) who isolated in his cabin, is confronted with an unfamiliar being, that he sees in the depths of the distant woods. The narrative follows this mans battle to confront what this creature is, utilising the haunting film score sparingly, to create suspense and fear. Written, directed and edited by Ludvig Stolterman (Gidge) himself, it is a real indie-flick, with cinematography and production by Martin Gärdemalm (Lampray), lighting and further production by Linus Andersson (Lampray).
Lulin’ was released March 18 through Atomnation on the digital & 12″ format.
Watch the full version of the film below.