Håkon Thelin is a generation-defining double bassist whose exuberant musicality and high-level technique have been heard in a wide array of album releases and concert performances over the past 25 years. Known both as an interpreter of contemporary music, where the notes resemble mathematical equations with both 8 and 9 unknowns, the musically omnivorous three-headed troll POING with Frode Haltli and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, and as a composer of both solo and ensemble works, it is as a folk musician, or should we say fiddler, that he makes his mark here.

When two become one. A cliché from romantic texts, perhaps, but also an apt saying for the duo that has created the music on this album. They come from different backgrounds and traditions but have both found ways to break free from those conventions without making an ostentatious break—instead, it feels entirely natural and deeply organic. A new realm has opened up for us and for them, where their strings intertwine like a shared climbing plant, forming a sound sculpture that can be heard, seen, smelled, and felt. A sound corpus, if you will.

Joel and the Neverending Sextet, led by cellist Joel Ring and consisting of a cohesive group of musicians from Sweden and Norway, takes the listeners on a musical journey through the borderlands of avant-garde jazz. Following their critically acclaimed debut album "Pouring Textures" (2021), the sextet is now releasing their second album, "Marbled," on Motvind Records.

Emmeluth has based this piece on Irish mysticism, specifically the figure of the Banshee, who, through the use of a loud voice, comes with a warning of death and grief. At first glance, this may seem somewhat frightening and disturbing, but death must not be taboo, because death reminds us of life.

This duo is an example of how different voices can converse if the starting point is open and built on mutual respect. The music has been, is, and will be, it's just a matter of picking it down when the opportunity presents itself.