Jarl’s Nerve Cell Threads Electronics: An Album Review
There’s a new album out from Swedish musician Erik Jarl (known simply as Jarl) on the Polish electronic/industrial label Zoharum, titled Nerve Cell Threads Electronics.
For those who are unaware, Jarl’s work encompasses experimental electronic music, drone music, and ambient tracks. He is one of the most unique musicians I’ve seen in the ambient scene.
I first discovered him on the dark ambient/drone label Reverse Alignment with his 3CD masterwork “Symptoms Variation/Sensory Deprivation.” His sound consists of atmospheric synthesizer melodies that move at a glacial pace, layering and colliding to form intensely atmospheric soundscapes.
On Symptoms Variation, Jarl’s initially sparse melodies collide until they fill each track—the mood is quite mysterious and nocturnal, although at times, the melodies are a bit sparse considering how much they drone on. Nerve Cell Threads Electronics is immediately more accessible than that effort as the melodies are a lot more densely populated throughout the project.
The album consists of four tracks, all titled “Electrical Impulse.” The atmosphere throughout this record is consistent yet varied. “Electrical Impulse 1/4″ showcases a more cosmic, space-like brand of ambience, while “Electrical Impulse 3/4″ is darker.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this record, especially for new listeners to Jarl’s music—it’s a great new addition to Jarl’s catalogue, more accessible than a record like Symptoms Variation, so it might serve as a good first record for new fans (if 8-minute–20-minute+ songs aren’t a deal breaker), and it’s not as long as a behemoth like Symptoms.
Nerve Cell Threads Electronics is available digitally exclusively on Bandcamp via Zoharum Records
