Mesmer - Terrain Vague II [Arbitrary 025]

Released via the Danish Arbitrary imprint on April 24th, 2k26 is "Terrain Vague II", the most recent album outing by Emil Jensen, Victor Dybbroe and Anders Filipsen which form the electro-acoustic trio named Mesmer. With nine tracks structurally based on a set of Field Recordings captured in various locations around the country, reprocessed and accompanied by electro-acoustic improvisation the trio serves a sonic of roughly 31 minutes total playtime, starting from an angle of playful, seemingly modular percussions reminiscent of Felix Raeithel's 2024 album "Dance With Uncertainty" before decaying into brittle arctic winds with "Lodsbad" whereas the subsequent "Vind & Maskiner" brings forth a combination of slow and sluggish Industrial-informed Downbeat x Illbient structures and calm, almost angelic pads and sounds later subdued by a heavy crescendo leading straight into a giant abrasive swarm of metallic "Insekter" attacking from a realm in between interdimensional realms. With "Sejlturen Til Laesø" Mesmer explore tectonic low end movements in conjunction with unidentified surface noise scraping, surprisingly tender piano tones, elegic sustained saxophones and what seem to be rather unprocessed Field Recordings, bird sounds included, whereas "Salt & Kompressor" harks back to friendly, at times tongue-in-cheek and certainly tentative modular micropercussions backed by occasional dry rhythmic quasi drum hits before suddenly turning towards crystalline and festive church organ emulations with "Fløjten" following up with fast and fluttering noise rhythms, dramatic quasi Jazz fanfares and retrofuturist synth hoverings. Furthermore we see "Budolfi" fusing electro-acoustic melancholia, classic Ambient dreamscapes and world shaking waves of subsonic bass emerging from the vast nothingness of space contrasted by the raw, echoing and heartfelt deep alpine forest romanticisms of "Trompet & Propeller" whilst "Under Limfjorden" waves goodbye on a rather sub-aquatic tip with the sound of gurgling underwater movements interrupted by sci-fi pings, digital glitches, small clanging metal pieces and a beautifully lonely little melody wandering through the sonic realm before disappearing on the far side of the sonic horizon. Deep Listening Music at its best. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!