#42 - Ryan & Steve

Ultralyd

Conditions for a Piece of Music

2007

This is the third record put out by Ultralyd and is their first on the Rune Grammofon imprint. Prior to this release, this Norwegian outfit was primarily dedicated to pure improvisation. However, after losing their founding member, Frode Gjerstad, the band has dramatically mutated into an organism that has mastered their art-form of musical fusion in a very unique Norwegian scene.

Norway may be known for its notorious black metal shenanigans, but the far more interesting artists at work are those like Ultralyd that craft their music with an amalgamation of jazz, improvisation, and even metal. Ultralyd, however, operates with a more controlled chaos unlike similar artists such as MoHa! and Conditions for a Piece of Music is driven onward with a funk-like beat, creating an interesting juxtaposition with the various metal stylings of the album. While their third album is not purely improvisation like their cleverly named, Chromosome Gun, one wonders if the more composed songs on their third album have an improvised foundation. While listening to Conditions for a Piece of Music, I still get lost in its control and restraint trying to distinguish between methodical calculation and extemporization. -R.C.

I would LOVE to watch someone do an interpretative dance to this album! The instrumentation is so many things – scary, exciting, uncomfortable… – that what one person gets out of it could be completely different than someone else. For me personally, I feel similar listening to this album as I do when listening to Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Maybe I should see if this record synchronizes with The Wizard of Oz! - Phil