HATCHLING

[Originally published as a mini-review at The Progressive Aspect]

From the opening notes, Hatchling reveals itself to be a very different beast from Mythopoeic Mind's debut. Mythopoetry was a thoroughly enjoyable and melodic, jazzy and symphonic album that was relatively accessible and mainstream. While the tracks often betrayed the avant RIO and Canterbury influences of the band members, the songs were almost radio-friendly. I absolutely loved the album, and was quite excited to hear the next instalment. But while Mythopoetry was immediately enchanting, Hatchling took more than one listen for me to appreciate. There's nothing wrong with that, there are plenty of albums in my collection that I adore, that I was not so fond of on first hearing. Sometimes it takes a few listens to get an album.

For me, Hatchling is somewhat of a misnomer. To my ears, Mythopoetry was the hatchling, and Hatchling is the fledgling. The band has grown enough to begin experimenting and take flight, in a half awkward and half endearing way. Hatchling comes across as far more spontaneous and improvised, and while it never strays into real avant territory, the hints of RIO are far stronger than in the more symphonic Mythopoetry. The introduction to Fear Fiesta is pretty much avant chamber prog, before the beat kicks in and the fiesta becomes funky. And then come the idiosyncratic vocals of Veronika Hørven Jensen. Yes, this is definitely a different sound from Mythopoetry. If I didn't know, I might not even realise it is the same band. Yet all the named members of Hatchling, apart from Veronika, were in the band that created Mythopoetry.

Ok, maybe I am over-emphasising the difference, but I just want to portray how surprised I was when I first heard this, and how unsure I was about how much I liked it. So the key question is, what do I think now? The answer is that I now love this album, and more so than its predecessor. So, if you like a bit of angular and edgy music, this is for you. Trond Gjellum absolutely shines on the drums. (I'm a big Trond fan!) Ola Mile Bruland not only complements Trond beautifully with fretless and double bass, but plays the euphonium. When it appears, it's a fantastic sound, an instrument too rarely played, as far as I'm concerned, so it's great to hear it. And, of course, the sax of leader Steinar Børve's is always prominent. Throw in the trumpet of (keyboard player) Pål Selsjord Bjørseth, and then a pinch of bassoon on the the title track, from guest Lars-Jarand Bakkelund, and you have a magnificent recipe for musical greatness.