Christian Wallumrod - Speaksome (2021)

For as long as I can remember, Christian Wallumrød’s piano touch has done something to me. We met early. The peculiar and surprising, but still somewhat self-evident, melodic twists. Not to mention the far above average well-weighted ornaments. He manages to create completely unique universes, either with his own ensemble or alone. In recent years, he has also returned to electronics and he treats them with a gentle rawness.
There has always been something historical to the music of Christian Wallumrød. And something futuristic. I listen to Speaksome and I feel carried both to the past and the future. I have no idea where I am or when I am. I am flung forwards and backwards.
Speaksome is subtle and playful, and the measures are full of power. Maybe because they are few, but rich in nuances? The music is so unmistakable. Nevertheless, Christian Wallumrød manages to invent new mutations and new music just before we think we have heard it all before.
The album has an intimate soundscape that suits the music. We stay close, although both “Treeline” and “Zitternpappel” take us beyond. He’s right over here. And what he shows us is episodic and liberatingly unresolved. Part of me travels to Berlin, Laurel Canyon, Mississippi, Hallingdal, Leipzig and Vienna. But first and foremost I am here, by his piano stool at Hovseter in Oslo. Or else he’s here. In my living room. Anyway, I can hear the strings breathing, the electronics breezing.
-- Ivar Grydeland, Nesodden, September 2021