Joel Lindberg Release a Beautiful Set of Recompositions

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A breathtaking release from Joel Lindberg comes through with gorgeous layers of texture and tone that come together and create robust and moving atmospheres built from acoustic and electric instrumentation, from strings, musical saw, woodwinds, and more, giving off an orchestral and immersive soundscape that is rewoven and recomposed from original pieces originally created by Lili Boulanger and Alice Tegnér.

Silent Spring: Alice Tegnér & Lili Boulanger Recomposed is a unique release, simply because Joel was inspired to rework these pieces and give them some of his own personality. Obviously being moved by the works, Joel gave each piece a new breath of life, bringing together vintage composers and some newer approaches, fusing worlds together, and the result is something that becomes so emotionally backed that you can't turn away from it.

This is a record you listen to with headphones on. The reason for that is simply because not only do the pieces invoke these emotions, but again, there are gorgeous textures that are performing melodic progressions and changes that can sort of set your mind free.

The beauty of pieces like this is that each listener will interpret them a little differently. Yes, the mood and emotion are there in the melodies, arrangements, performances, and tones of the instruments themselves; however, each individual that hears it will take it in in a particular way.

It depends on their life, their experiences, and their personality.

We cannot deny the parts of pieces that feel melancholy, or bright, joyous, or dark. But we can understand that music like this will allow our minds to go different places.

When you listen to this record with headphones on, it's the best way to soak all of that in and just be a part of these pieces. They are inviting in that sense.

So, the way this works is that Joel took the works of Lili Boulanger and Alice Tegnér and combined them, in a sense.

For example, the first track, "Deep Calls," is explained by Joel himself as follows: "In ”Deep Calls” Tegnér’s Årstiderna (1897) encounters Boulanger’s Les Sirènes (1911). Tegnér portrays the changing seasons, while Boulanger evokes the sirens in the depths of the sea. Both works reflect on the cycles of nature: Tegnér from an everyday perspective, Boulanger from one that is more mythical and enigmatic. In this context, the sirens become a symbol of the forces that have contributed to today’s climate change."

So, you can see how he's bringing two different pieces together and creating something that reflects how both of them can connect.

The backbone of the songs is beautifully worked, and the compositions are amazing.

This piece features a lot of violins that are layered over each other and have a sort of overlapping effect that creates an ascending progression and melody, but it feels lush and full-bodied. Even though the instrument itself has a certain kind of thinness to it, the way they are layered and performed atop each other creates that thickness.

The song exhales down and becomes a little bit less intense, still keeping a lot of its warmth, and this brings in musical saw, which just has a very unique sound to it. This sort of breaks free of what you might expect to hear, but it works incredibly well.

This instrument brings a completely different tonality to the song and really lets it take a different shape when that section comes up.

As the track unfolds, you have woodwinds that come in along with the strings and musical saw, all coming together and bringing these different melodies together, and it's all something that has a unique way of wrapping itself around you and keeping you right where it wants to.

This, to me, was an amazing example of how Joel was able to bring his idea to fruition.

The whole record is like this. Each piece has a life all its own and brings something a little bit different to the table.

"Before Bloom" feels a bit more theatrical to me, mostly due to some of the changes in the song, but you do have this boisterous feel with layers and depth to it as well.

"The Forbidden Bouquet" brings a bit of a cinematic approach to the table, featuring that musical saw throughout its entirety, and between some pizzicato performances and intensity coming from the strings, this has an almost aggressive feel during certain parts.

Moreover, there is plenty of emotion involved here. This track delivers a bit of a strong range throughout its course. This piece is probably my favorite of all of them.

I found myself engulfed in a lot of this record. It's easy to get swallowed up by these pieces, and once again, whoever listens to it is going to soak it in in their own way. Their minds will go wherever they want them to; they may picture things in their heads, scenarios, images, whatever it may be, you're going to feel something as well.

"Cloudless" was also outstanding, as it brought on a bit of a fantastical underbelly.

It felt like what you would hear while you witnessed something you almost couldn't believe you were seeing.

It just has that vibe to it. This is also a great example of how some of these songs really put you in the moment with them.

So, this is its own thing. It's not just Joel's interpretation of each piece, but rather his way of leaving or interconnecting the pieces and movements together so that they breed something different.

Just the idea of bringing movements together the way he's doing it is something I can't even fathom.

Having been reviewing music for over 9 years, I honestly can't say I've come across such an idea, and trying to wrap my head around how Joel was able to bring this to fruition is kind of beyond me.

All I know is that as intensive an idea as this was, he pulled it off. And these pieces really speak volumes.

Beautifully performed, constructed, and arranged, this is a record that you cannot miss.

I would absolutely take a deep dive into this one. It consists of five pieces, once more bringing together works of Lili Boulanger and Alice Tegnér.

Upon listening to the record and learning about the whole idea behind it, I realized I wanted to have a chat with Joel to find out where it came from, what sparked it, and what may be coming up next.

So, while you listen to the EP, I have a read-through of our interview with Joel Lindberg below.

Remember where you heard it first.

This album is comprised of recompositions of works by Lili Boulanger and Alice Tegnér, correct?

Yes, that's right. Each track is based on both a piece by the French composer Lili Boulanger and a song by Swedish composer Alice Tegnér.

Reusing and reworking existing music has been part of music history in many different forms and under different names, for example, Romantic-era variations, jazz contrafacts, and hip-hop sampling. The term “recomposition” has been popularized in recent years, for example through Max Richter’s reworking of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

What triggered you to make this happen?

I wanted to explore how Alice Tegnér and Lili Boulanger could meet each other, as well as how they could meet my own musical voice.

In Sweden, Tegnér is best known for writing children’s songs in the late 19th century, many of which are still sung today. Boulanger died at just 24 years old, but during her short life she managed to compose several extraordinary pieces. They were contemporaries, and both wrote extensively about nature and the seasons. I wanted to bring these elements together into a contemporary commentary on today’s climate change.

The title Silent Spring is taken from Rachel Carson’s 1962 book and refers to the disrupted rhythms of ecosystems, where flowers bloom before bees awaken, and birds arrive too late in relation to the hatching of insects.

Are you heavily influenced by these composers? And what other influences do you have musically?

I’m definitely inspired by both of them, but not necessarily more than by any other composer or songwriter. My inspiration comes from all kinds of music and all kinds of styles. But I also draw a lot of inspiration from outside music. Everything I make is somehow an illustration of something; it could be nature, the ocean, the climate, northern Sweden, politics, or something else.

What are you performing on this release?

I play the electric bass. I’ve played bass in various pop and rock bands, while most of my composing is for orchestras and ensembles. With this project, I wanted these two worlds to meet: a distorted Rickenbacker bass blended with strings, musical saw, celesta, clarinet, bassoon, and cymbals. And on the last track, also ondes martenot and cittern, which I also play on the recording.

I’ve had this particular combination of instruments in my head for a long time. Each instrument has its own distinct character, and they complement each other really well.

All the musicians on the recording are close friends of mine. It was mixed and mastered by another close friend, and the cover art was created by my wife.

Do you also write 100% original compositions of your own?

Yes, that’s normally what I do. This recomposition project was something of a departure from that. I compose music for orchestras, ensembles, soloists, and choirs, among other things, but I also write pop songs.

Is there anything you are working on next?

Yes, I’m always creating something new, but I usually wait until something is finished before I talk about it.

Are there other musical projects you’re working on?

I’m in a band called Kalix Elektriska, which plays some kind of prog/psych/kraut music. We released our debut album in May. I also work as a freelance bass player in various contexts, teach songwriting, and do some arranging.

Did you record this at a larger studio, or was it a home DAW setup?

The music was recorded in six different studios. Where we recorded was largely determined by where the musicians were based, and sometimes by where the instruments were located. The celesta and the ondes martenot were recorded at the amazing studio Roth Händle, which is full of vintage keyboards.

What would you say people can expect from this record?

I think there are two ways of approaching the record. You can simply follow the music and explore the unusual combination of instruments and sounds; it’s a combination you probably haven’t heard before. Or you can follow the underlying theme, which is about climate change and a natural world that is increasingly out of balance. Or, of course, both.

For me, the music moves through different states of nature, from ocean depths and emerging spring to premature blooming and scorching summers. But ultimately, I think the record is open to interpretation. You can just listen and see where it takes you.