Umbra

Description

The release of Umbra, the second album by Lumen Drones, represents a major event for the band. Indeed, it comes five years after a debut album that surprised everyone upon its release in 2015 on the ECM Records label. This anticipated follow-up marks a significant leap forward for the trio. Just as experimental and electric as its predecessor, but expressing its artistic direction in a more profound way, Umbra is a small masterpiece. Across nine tracks, Nils Økland (violin), Peter Steinar Lie (guitar), and Ørjan Haaland (drums) create a very convincing universe where the boundaries between different musical styles blur. The question of genre, style, or origin no longer arises. The musical experiences and influences of each member of the trio are highly complementary, whether it be jazz, experimental rock, or classical composition. Umbra is unlike anything else. It transitions from the delicacy of a solo violin prelude to powerful rock rhythms, all seeming to be part of the same piece. References to Joy Division, John Cale, Arvo Pärt, Dick Dale, La Monte Young, Paganini, etc., do not distort the band's sonic identity: Lumen Drones plays Lumen Drones. The sound structure is particularly refined on Umbra: while each track leaves a mark with its uniqueness, the overall aesthetic of the album remains coherent. From the introductory prelude ("Inngang"), where Økland's violin blends with the atmospheric hum of a roaring guitar, to the epic finale ("Etnir" and "Under djupet"), where the music seems frozen in ecstatic inertia, as if it could last forever: Umbra enchants us.