Folklórica

Folklórica is a dispatch from the world of Danish experimental guitar. It contends that the instrument has under-explored potential, which Bech Pilgaard demonstrates using a range of experimental techniques. He begins by bowing the guitar, summoning portentous drones and unsettling wails. These early pieces hint at activity just outside the aural frame, akin to watching a fishing rod strain with the violence of a submerged struggle. ‘Dancers’ marks a shift to ‘prepared guitar,’ which Bech Pilgaard taps enthusiastically like Van Halen at a thumb piano. There is more room for groove here, with ‘11°11’N 4°17’W’ alluding to West African guitar styles (the coordinates lead to Burkina Faso). The record’s folk throughline is unbroken by a final phase featuring electric guitar, which is skilfully reconstituted as something closer to a church organ. An avant-garde intrigue.