28 years after the wintry North, BJ Nilsen has released a surprise companion piece as Hazard. That’s a long time, but as one looks back, one gains perspective on earlier works. Winter is approaching in the Southern Hemisphere, which makes the release date fitting for these regions ~ even if these sounds of snow, ice and wind come from the Arctic north.
The title, Pre-Lapsarian, refers to the time before the Fall of Humanity, when everything was innocent and pure. Regardless of one’s theology, it’s easy to hear the Arctic soundscape as pristine and undisturbed, even if to human ears it may sound forlorn and abandoned. A soft drone and cold wind launch the recording into the frigid air. Nilsen’s footsteps can be heard amid the quiet rustle, crunching into the snow. Louder sounds in the fourth minute suggest snapping trees and an approaching storm, and as soon as the danger is registered, the pitch of the wind rises.
Many artists incorporate field recordings into their music or the other way around, but Nilsen is one of the masters. Allowing the natural sounds to dictate their counterparts, he creates passages that sound entirely organic, even when one knows they are not. Pre-Lapsarian conveys the stark beauty of the Arctic landscape while sculpting a sonic narrative: the distillation of a winter event. When the sound levels subside in the eighth minute, one feels as if one has survived a necessary foray outside one’s shelter and returned just in time. The weather remains frightful, but as the zipper to the tent is re-secured, the field recordist is again safe and sound. (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 