Drone Jazz and Doomy Metal from Norway’s Splashgirl

For this DJ Pick I’ve chosen one the most exciting trios in Norway over the last 10 years – Splashgirl.

The group consists of Andreas Stensland Løwe on piano and electronics, Jo Berger Myhre on doublebass and Andreas Lønmo Knudsrød on drums.

Their fourth album is called “Field Day Rituals.”

Splashgirl’s music is not easily classifiable.

Obviously, there’s a foundation of jazz in the trio’s sound — but traces of Scandinavian folk music, contemporary classical and experimental drone music are bustling underneath throughout the album.

Melodically, there are even occasional hints of doomy metal as well, which may not be as surprising as it seems, given that their producer Randall Dunn is perhaps best known for his work with high concept metal bands such as Sunn O))), Wolves In The Throne Room and Earth.

When all of these influences pull together in the same direction, the results are mesmerizing.

There’s a somber, sometimes threatening quality to Splashgirl’s sound.

The stark, minimalistic approach is balanced by both beauty and dissonance, and there’s a lot going on in the spaces of these songs.

Most of them do require dedicated listening before evolving into their full, complex beat, but the effort is most certainly worth it.