Blog: PopMatters

Opsvik's latest constructs a strange path that's as rewarding as it is surprising. Bassist/composer Eivind Opsvik's fourth album in his Overseas series shows his art music continuing to pull from jazz, classical, and popular traditions while shifting away from the atmospheric sound of its predecessor. While drawing from quite a few traditions, the album develops in a reasonably linear manner. The first half of the disc takes the majority of its cues from the classical tradition, going back to the Georgian era. While the harpsichord fades out, the...