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CD
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SONIC 026CD
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The Lost follows and expands on Otto A. Totland's intimate debut solo piano album Pinô from 2014 (SONIC 019CD/LP). Once again several days were spent in Nils Frahm's legendary Durton studio to lay down both composed and improvised pieces of quiet beauty. While mostly residing in a small Norwegian coastal town, Otto has been trying to escape the constant movement towards fast-paced, polluted lives, where it seems like sounds and impressions never stop. The Lost can be seen as a countermovement towards this development -- something genuine and personal. There's a lightness felt while listening, and yet an overwhelming feeling of melancholy and nostalgia captures you through the length of the album. It could be described as pure timelessness captured with the best vintage recording technique available, opening up to a new wider scope and detail while keeping the intimacy as if it would be played right beside you. The humming of the world and the warmth of the piano shines through like a natural accompaniment as they enthrall from beginning to end. Leaves are falling and times are changing. The horizon seems dark. Otto seems to capture both the questions and feelings we have about our surroundings. Not judging them, but easing his listeners into a mindset that feels hopeful. A sort of quiet relief that things might actually work out, no matter how dark it can look. CD version comes in handmade cardboard artwork.
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LP
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SONIC 026LP
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LP version. Full tone cover artwork; Includes printed inner sleeve; Includes download code. The Lost follows and expands on Otto A. Totland's intimate debut solo piano album Pinô from 2014 (SONIC 019CD/LP). Once again several days were spent in Nils Frahm's legendary Durton studio to lay down both composed and improvised pieces of quiet beauty. While mostly residing in a small Norwegian coastal town, Otto has been trying to escape the constant movement towards fast-paced, polluted lives, where it seems like sounds and impressions never stop. The Lost can be seen as a countermovement towards this development -- something genuine and personal. There's a lightness felt while listening, and yet an overwhelming feeling of melancholy and nostalgia captures you through the length of the album. It could be described as pure timelessness captured with the best vintage recording technique available, opening up to a new wider scope and detail while keeping the intimacy as if it would be played right beside you. The humming of the world and the warmth of the piano shines through like a natural accompaniment as they enthrall from beginning to end. Leaves are falling and times are changing. The horizon seems dark. Otto seems to capture both the questions and feelings we have about our surroundings. Not judging them, but easing his listeners into a mindset that feels hopeful. A sort of quiet relief that things might actually work out, no matter how dark it can look.
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LP
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SONIC 019LP
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2021 repress. LP version. Otto A. Totland's modern compositional elements are most widely-recognized as half of the Norwegian duo Deaf Center, where his melancholic, intricate piano work provides haunting relief to the beds of noise and deep strings from Erik K. Skodvin. Pinô is the first full-length release by Totland, though his solo work has been released once, as the five-minute A-side of Sonic Pieces' 7", Harmony from the Past. Otto's previously brief vignettes are now expanded into a fully personal realization of his own style. Initial track "Open" fills itself with heavy, knowing pauses that quickly become overwhelmed with the desire to understand what's to come. Each silence leads into quick flutters of keys, preparing the listener for a vast terrain of giddy beauty, bleak depths, and true contentedness. Pinô quickly recalls deep winter; in front of a fireplace for days on end, you lose how far along you've ventured into the 18 tracks without any idea how far is left to go. The experience feels inevitable, with no other option but to curl up somewhere cozy and appreciate the sense of timelessness that Totland has created. His album is a haunting modern compositional treasure, expressed through instrumentals completely unique to Totland and captured masterfully by Nils Frahm at Durton Studios. With Pinô, Otto A. Totland appears out of the Norwegian landscape, sharing an achievement that will provide relief during the brooding winter darkness. Though a highly personal endeavor, the recognizable continuation of Totland's compositions will attract fans of Deaf Center, and the cinematic and classical components of his solo work will hold sway for those familiar with Harold Budd or Dustin O'Halloran.
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CD
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SONIC 019CD
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Otto A. Totland's modern compositional elements are most widely-recognized as half of the Norwegian duo Deaf Center, where his melancholic, intricate piano work provides haunting relief to the beds of noise and deep strings from Erik K. Skodvin. Pinô is the first full-length release by Totland, though his solo work has been released once, as the five-minute A-side of Sonic Pieces' 7", Harmony from the Past. Otto's previously brief vignettes are now expanded into a fully personal realization of his own style. Initial track "Open" fills itself with heavy, knowing pauses that quickly become overwhelmed with the desire to understand what's to come. Each silence leads into quick flutters of keys, preparing the listener for a vast terrain of giddy beauty, bleak depths, and true contentedness. Pinô quickly recalls deep winter; in front of a fireplace for days on end, you lose how far along you've ventured into the 18 tracks without any idea how far is left to go. The experience feels inevitable, with no other option but to curl up somewhere cozy and appreciate the sense of timelessness that Totland has created. His album is a haunting modern compositional treasure, expressed through instrumentals completely unique to Totland and captured masterfully by Nils Frahm at Durton Studios. With Pinô, Otto A. Totland appears out of the Norwegian landscape, sharing an achievement that will provide a relief during the brooding winter darkness. Though a highly personal endeavor, the recognizable continuation of Totland's compositions will attract fans of Deaf Center, and the cinematic and classical components of his solo work will hold sway for those familiar with Harold Budd or Dustin O'Halloran.
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