Fresh off Memory Constructions and its companion piece Memory Reconstructions, Jakob Lindhagen has tackled an even more ambitious project. Stages of Change teams the composer with fellow musician and video artist Sofia Nystrand (Vargkvint), a former label mate and one of the contributors to Reconstructions. The video EP uses abstract, stop-motion shapes and images to illustrate the already colorful music.
The EP travels a great sonic distance in a short period of time, from solo piano to string quartet to electronic infusion, echoing the theme. Yet there’s also a subtle disconnect, since the music is meant to reflect both personal and global change, specifically the changes in the composer under the threat of pandemic and international conflict. The world has gone one way, but it seems that Lindhagen has gone another; or at least has imagined forward progress despite outward events. This hopeful trajectory lends the set a sense of buoyancy.
The ambient opener, “Initiation,” also recalls ~ perhaps wistfully ~ a peaceful past. This minute-long starting point represents the memory of a better time (recalling the earlier project), yet may not be entirely accurate, as humanity tends to regard the past through rose-colored glasses, each subsequent generation thinking it’s “the worst it ever was,” even though history proves this to be untrue. “Reaction” is a lovely solo piano piece, with stops and starts for reflection. The best title is “The Temporary Normal,” a riff on the oft-used pandemic phrase “the new normal.” The tone is poignant, even tragic, emotions borne by the string quartet, so heavy it seems they may drop their instruments. A downward turn is evident in the titles “The Fade” and “Memorial & Celebration,” although the latter hints at a turnaround. “The Fade” actually grows in density as it progresses, a thick wind bearing snippets of voice that carry into the next piece. In deference to a memorial service/service of celebration, backwards, “Taps”-referencing trumpet personifies the manner in which the mind travels back and forth in time. The open-ended title “The Altered Future” leaves the listener to ponder not only how much the world has changed, but how they have changed in the past few years, and if the future is really altered, or just one’s attitude toward it. On this EP, there are six stages of change; in some lives, there may only be one. The EP ends in a hush of piano, which some might interpret as a return, others a reassessment.
Vargkvint’s visuals are verdant and lush, comforting in their simplicity. In the beginning, a curtain is opened to what seems like a sunrise, but turns out to be an earthrise, a nod to the famous Apollo 8 photo. The planet becomes mini-planets, clouds, and dominos that fall not only down, but up. Is the world still fixable? Flowers grow in the pandemic piece, indicating that it may be so. Rain falls to water the earth. In “The Fade,” images begin to repeat and combine, forming a series of jumbles that beg to be untied. The earth sets; the earth rises again; little earths dot the countryside. Stark outlines fill in with color. The curtain closes at the end, the theme conveyed. In Vargvint’s vision, each stage is higher, fuller, more vibrant. One can only hope that life might proceed in such a fashion. Visions such as these encourage us that it may yet be so. (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 