Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

Aksel Røed's Other Aspects Do You Dream In Colours? Review by Gary Hill On the one hand, this is a jazz album. On the other it is often insane and experimental. That earns it a spot in the progressive rock side of Music Street Journal. However you categorize this, though, it's an intriguing and always interesting album of music. There are times where it feels more mainstream, but other points where it gets into very challenging zones. It's all solid and effective, and this works so well as a complete album. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023 Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

Track by Track Review

Goiserer Jodler / To Whom This May Concerne This comes in with an intriguing horn only arrangement. After a time it works into more crazed stuff, particularly as the piano joins. This gets noisy, experimental and so weird in an artsy way.There are some intriguing twists and turns along this road. The cut gets into some driving jazz grooves further down the road, too. That gets incredibly crazed as it continues. The closing movement on this gets into more mainstream jazz zones, really bring it all home nicely.

I Usually Paint By Myself Moving through a number of different movements and sections, this is a bit less crazed and experimental as the opener was. It still gets into some challenging terrttory, though. The piano in particular gets pretty insane. The drumming is ever-present and on fire here.

Bergen Is The Prettiest In Blue This is perhaps more mainstream jazz based than the two preceding pieces were. it's absolutely on fire, too. It's one of the real standouts here, as far as I'm concerned. This things gets into such cool jamming and driving sound. At less than four-and-a-half minutes long, this is the shortest piece here.

Moonshine Movement I love the killer jazz groove that's on the menu here, too. The track works through a number of changes. It's more experimental than the last piece was, but less so than the songs that came before that one were. This powerhouse is another highlight of the disc.

When You Dream In Colours At over 12-and-a-half minutes long, this is the epic of the disc. The cut drives in with some killer jazz jamming at its heart. About a quarter of the way through it drops back to a spacey sort of movement. It eventually rises back upward as horn soloing really screams. It works through a number of changes before dropping back down after the eight-and-a-half-minute mark for a mellower excursion. A horn takes over by itself for a time. A more filled-out arrangement takes over after that to end the track and album in style.

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