ALBUM REVIEW: Skördetid – Skuggkonungen

Sometimes you just need a lovely, calming record to lose yourself to. Skördetid by SKUGGKONUNGEN is exactly that. You won’t find complex melodies within this record. If you’re looking for that at all here, you’ve come to the wrong place. What you do have is sprawling ambiences that feel natural and delicate. SKUGGKONUNGEN makes emotionally and tactfully constructed music that doesn’t overwhelm, but does envelope you in its graciousness.

Den Sista Frosten feels very open and desolate, like looking across a tundra as the light falls low. A lonely mouthless call rings through, a twinkle of thin chimes feels offset in the distance. Egen Härd blooms at its end in a slow and easy way that’s almost unnoticeable, while Vilan is almost psychedelic with its stretched cassette tape soundscape; all beautiful in similar ways and yet all have a slightly different feel throughout.

Skördefest trickles by like a frozen stream, filled with twinkling octave shimmers and tiny fragments of melody. Grödor arguably is the most subdued track, which given the very nature of record is saying something. That’s not to detract from its pleasant nature, the low and wavering sounds lull you down into a calm and tranquil place. Skördetid is a soft record, one you can absolutely sit down with as a backdrop for an epic fantasy game or a deep, dark book. This is the kind of record that allows your imagination to take control, and adds a palette to the images you can conjure.

From luscious opener Skördetid to final Grödor, SKUGGKONUNGEN have created a genuinely beautiful, often haunting record. There’s little in the way of true structure, but a natural movement that feels like listening to nature as the world calms and slows.

Rating: 7/10

Skördetid is set for release on March 8th via Fiadh Productions

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