Lumen Drones - Umbra (2019) [Hi-Res]

The second album by Lumen Drones, ‘Umbra’, comes five years after the group’s startling, self-titled debut recording, released in late 2015 on ECM Records. The long-awaited follow-up marks a significant leapforward - it is no less experimental than its predecessor and certainly no less ‘electric’, yet in many ways a deeper and more profound expression of the trio’s interests.

Over nine tracks varying from two to six minutes in length, Nils Okland( fiddles), Per Steinar Lie (guitars) and Orjan Haaland (drums) create a completely convincing musical world where the conventional boundaries separating different styles seem to disappear. Each tune has a distinct identity of its own, and imprints itself on the mind very easily, as does the aesthetic unity of the album as a whole.

‘Umbra’ takes us far beyond the initial, shock-effect response to the first album, and the perceived incongruity of a musician schooled in folk and classical music collaborating with members of an experimental rock band, the guitarist and drummer from the influen al post-rock band The Low Frequency in Stereo. The strength of Lumen Drones seems to lie in the way the roles of the individuals are made to work within the demands of the ensemble, and in cooperation with each other.

Nils Økland: Hardanger fiddle and violin
Per Steinar Lie: Guitars
Ørjan Haaland: Drums