The Journey Tapes Ed Carlsen

• 1 Close 04:29
• 2 Cage 04:52
• 3 Grey 04:02
• 4 Rain 04:33
• 5 Loose 03:52
• 6 Far 07:15
• 7 Hundrede Traeer 04:42
• Total Runtime 33:45

Info for The Journey Tapes

„Ed Carlsen‘s The Journey Tapes is not a series of tapes, but a CD. From this we understand that the journey is symbolic. The bittersweet nature of these compositions (whose titles include “Cage”, “Grey” and “Rain”) leads us to believe that some sadness may have been involved. Perhaps a relationship ended; perhaps the artist left his home. Along the way, he played these tapes in his head, over and over, attempting to salvage some modicum of happiness from the sorrow, some gratitude from the despair. It was not all bad, was it?

The opening track, “Close”, is particularly mournful, with hints of birds and children, happiness to be found somewhere, close. But how close? On the album’s only vocal track, Julia Krog Jensen sings, “only wanting to be held … still kept in the blind.” But she also sings, “Now I’m learning.” We can learn through our losses, but we don’t always do so. We can miss our childhood, or be thankful that we were once children, and are now old enough to watch over children of our own. Whenever Carlsen integrates the sounds of cutlery, shells and chairs (shades of “Hyperballad”!), his childlike nature shines through: he hasn’t left it all behind, and nor should we.

But as much as we tend to idealize childhood, we forget that it is often melancholic, as represented by “Rain”; one imagines a sad face, pressed against the rain-streaked pane, mourning the opportunity to play outside. It’s difficult to break out of such a mood, and Carlsen leaves himself little time to do so: only two tracks on the main release. The strings seem unable to escape the downward tug, even as the bass and percussion attempt to lift their spirits. The closing piece starts with a sigh before moving into wistful, wordless song. The artist’s intention is to move from black to white, but he succeeds only in moving from darker grey to lighter grey. Still, such encouragement is realistic: the idea of moving forward in increments, rather than in leaps. This journey is far from over.“ (Richard Allen, www.acloserlisten.com)

Ed Carlsen, piano, guitar, keyboards, programming
Julie Krog Jensen, vocals
Mattia Melis, bass
Bryony James, cello
Sophie Ryan, violin

Recorded by Ed Carlsen in London
Mixed by Ed Carlsen
Mastered by Francesco Donadello at Calyx Mastering Berlin

Ed Carlsen
I'll tell you what, never in my life I thought I would be releasing my own music. Until 2015, when I was so amazed by the live shows of Steven Wilson and Nils Frahm and I realised that music was the way to go. I composed all songs over the summer 2015, inspired by the fairytale landscapes of Ravnholm Skov, in Denmark.

Music was my first and greatest passion; I started playing instruments when I was only 6 and I was into artists such as The Beatles and Eagles. I've been playing the guitar for almost 20 years, exploring many genres. I've learnt the technique by studying other artists and my life was mostly about playing in cover bands.

Recently, I started teaching myself how to play the piano; this time, instead of learning through the study of other artists, I decided to follow a different approach that led me to acquire the instrument technique by composing my own songs. At the same time, I have found an interest in sound design and the creation of diegetic sounds, by listening to real life objects and understanding how they might fit into a musical composition.

I see music as an inspiring form of art, where the beauty of the imperfections and spontaneity of a performance meet the perfection of a thoroughly planned production. This is why, in 'The Journey Tapes', you will hear electronic sounds and orchestral arrangements, mixed with the cracking of the mechanical components of the piano and whatever goes on in the room during the recording.

This album contains no booklet.