Opsvik & Jennings

Commuter Anthems
2007 Rune Grammofon

Fløyel Files
2005 NCM East

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Rufs (compilation cd) 2006, Fenetrê Records

06/06/08: LIVE IN OSLO
O & J will participate in a concert series at Henie Onstad Art Center in Oslo, Norway on Sunday August 31st at 3pm.

01/06/08: BEST OF 2007
The American magazine Downbeat has included Commuter Anthems on their list of the Best CDs of 2007

09/14/07: RUNE GRAMMOFON NIGHT IN NYC
On Thursday December 13th at the Cake Shop in NYC (Lower East Side) Opsvik & Jennings will play a doube bill with Huntsville, also on Rune Grammofon.

06/12/07: GUEST PLAYLIST
We've been asked to put together a guest playlist for the Discollective website, it's now up on their site >>

06/03/07: NEW YORK TIMES
O & J featured in the NYT column: Playlist, along with artists such as Jim O'Rourke and Porter Wagoner. Compiled by Ben Ratliff >>

04/26/07: REVIEWS
Reviews of "Commuter Anthems" are now starting to appear; newspapers, magazines, blogs, record stores etc. Check out the Review Section a few columns over. It will be updated as new reviews come in.

04/02/07: PURCHASE
Commuter Anthems is now up for sale on

Amazon worldwide
Barnes and_Noble
Thrill Jockey
Other Music
Insound
Post Everything
vh1shop
Small Fish Records
BoomKat
plus a plethora of other record stores both online and real.

02/27/07: COVER
Click here to see the cover for Commuter Anthems, designed by Kim Hiorthøy

02/05/07: MARCH 26 RELEASE
Rune Grammofon has set the release of "Commuter Anthems" to March 26th in Europe and Asia, April 17th in the US and Canada

01/13/07: RUFS
Opsvik & Jennings' tune "Self" is part of a new compilation cd called "Rufs" on the new Norwegian imprint Fenêtre Records. www.fenetrerecords.com

01/13/07: RUNE GRAMMOFON
We can now confirm that our next record; "Commuter Anthems" will be released on Rune_Grammofon this spring. CD was mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge in New York.

12/01/06: iTunes
Fløyel Files is now available on iTunes

04/12/06: OSLO JAZZ FESTIVAL
Opsvik & Jennings confirmed for this years Oslo Jazz Festival in Norway. We’ll be playing on Thursday August 17th at the club Blå

03/12/06: MY SPACE
Opsvik & Jennings has a myspace.com page. myspace.com/opsvikjennings

03/05/06: FF IN JAZZTIMES ARTICLE >>
"It's difficult to parse the various sounds on the recording or even to distinguish between digital and acoustic components. And that seems to be the point. Like the best electronic music - or at least, the stuff that tends to draw me in- Fløyel Files places emphasis not on algorithms but rather lyricism, texture and mood. It's an intimate and introspective album, imbued with a stripped-down pop mystique." Nate Chinen for JazzTimes

02/22/06: OJ LIVE IN NYC
Opsvik & Jennings are playing two dates live at Mundial in the East Village of NYC. Monday April 17th and Monday May 1st, starting around 8pm. on the 17th we will be joined by Rich Johnson on trumpet and computer.

01/19/06: BEST OF 2005 LIST >>
Fløyel Files is on the japanese website grinningtroll.com’s list over the top ten CD’s of 2005

01/15/06: FAMOUS FOR 15MB >>
O & J featured on the newly launched website
Famous for 15mb “A completely new space for deserving artistic talent. In 15 easy to use spaces, we offer you the cream of all the under-booked and possibly overlooked musical and audiovisual artists from around this small planet. As this is not MySpace.com, not everyone who submits gets to be featured on Famous For 15mb.” check it out >>

10/15/05: FLØYEL FILES RELEASED
Our debut cd: "Fløyel Files" is now out on the Brooklyn-Seattle based label NCM East

The Pendler
From "Commuter Anthems" on Rune Grammofon

There's a few more tracks from Commuter Anthems on our myspace site >>

From Fløyel Files:
Thread

Other tracks :
Self
from "Rufs" - compilation cd on Fenêtre Records

Video to Luminosity (from Fløyel Files) by Marc Boutges

The Last Country Village

photo: Michelle Arcila. click on picture for hi-resolution version

click on picture for hi-resolution version

click on cd cover for hi-resolution version

photo: Michelle Arcila

2008

Saturday October 4th 6pm at Brooklyn Museum, NY

Sunday August 31st 3pm at Henie Onstad Art Center, Oslo, Norway

Tuesday May 6th 8pm at Monkey Town
58 N 3rd St (btw. Kent & Wythe) Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Friday March 28th 8pm at Knitting Factory, (old office) 74 Leonard Street, double bill with peter o hanna

2007

Wednesday December 19th ArtPartyNYC at Galapagos , 70 North 6th Street btw Kent and Wythe, Brooklyn

Thursday December 13th 8pm at Cake Shop, NYC, Rune Grammofon Night:
Huntsville and Opsvik & Jennings

Sunday November 18th 10pm at Lucky Cat, 245 Grand Street, Brooklyn

Wednesday November 7th 8.30pm at ReBar, 147 Front St. between Jay and Pearl St., Brooklyn

Friday September 14th, 9pm at Goodbye_Blue_ Monday, 1087 Broadway, Brooklyn

Saturday June 16th at Nublu (62 avenue C, NYC) 9pm

Friday May 11th, 9pm at Goodbye_Blue_ Monday, 1087 Broadway, Brooklyn: Opsvik & Jennings with guest Noah Phillips

Tuesday March 27th at Nublu (62 avenue C, NYC) 10pm

Tuesday February 6th at Nublu (62 avenue C, NYC) 9pm - 11pm

2006

Saturday November 11th at Cake Shop, NYC

Thursday August 17th
Oslo Jazz Festival
at Blå, Oslo, Norway

Monday May 1st
8pm at Mundial 505 east 12th street, NYC

COMMUTER ANTHEMS (2007)
Review Excerpts :

August 07: DOWNBEAT >>
"The digitally tweaked arrangements are constantly in flux, adding new wrinkles with each chorus, so even as the music’s tunefulness lodges in the memory, fresh, shifting details emerge continuously. The album is way too good to fuss over how it should be categorized." 4 out of 5 stars

July 07: TINY MIX TAPES >>
"Lorinda Sea” acts as the album’s centerpiece, with its fractured Tin Pan Alley instrumentation, trademark lap steel courtesy of Jennings, and eerie celesta figures, and it generates a dreamlike atmosphere that seems to evoke the sordid underbelly of the Midwestern United States."

July 07: POP MATTERS >>
"Vocals don’t play a huge role, but are introduced as layered ‘Ah’s over “Port Authority“‘s soft train-horns and busy jazz guitar accompaniment – a perfect sound-painting of a busy station at peak hour. And things even veer into gentle, old-movie sountrack sounds on the sawed strings, triangle and banjo sound of “Ways” – which morphs easily into a Matthew Dear-esque haunted electronic groove. Throughout, Opsvik & Jennings demonstrate considerable command of instrumentation and inventive composition, and an impressively wide-ranging interest."

July 07: COKE MACHINE GLOW >>
" “Lorinda Sea” folds out layers of shifting orchestration that forms melodies out of panned instrument notes. The production is stellar, allowing you to infer implied melodies by connecting the dots between notes from entirely different instruments"

June 07: PITCHFORK >>
"To their credit, Opsvik & Jennings take care throughout to de-emphasize their composing and recording process, and they partner their individual styles so seamlessly that the album can often seem as a dream-wave transmitted directly from a single conjoined imagination.
...On the hypnotic "Ways" the duo take a break from forward momentum altogether, settling into one of the album's richest melodies with banjo and theremin for an idyllic respite amidst the tempered commotion. Here, as on the lyric "Lorinda Sea", the additions of banjo, pedal steel, and/or trumpet cast a wistful, rural glow that sways and hovers like pollen on a lingering summer breeze, only to soon be scattered by a shuffled rhythm or electronic edit."

June 07: VITAL WEEKLY >>
"they succeed from their various inspirations and experiences to create a very original musical universe, that result in a very satisfying musical experience... A great album."

June 07: IT'S A TRAP >>
"Akin to the soundtrack of a Charlie Kaufman film, "Commuter anthems", the second album from the Norwegian-American duo Opsvik & Jennings, is a bizarre concept album exploring the in-between world one enters when traveling from the realm of their personal lives towards the structured environment of a professional existence; in many ways it's an exploration of being nowhere in particular."

June 07: MILKMAN >>
"Ways is a superbly evocative composition, with a clear cinematic feel. As the track unfolds, it goes through surprising transformations, evoking in turn early twentieth century music and orchestral grandeur before gently fading away in a circling melody.
... The pair crafts beautiful melodies set in delicate yet complex soundscapes, creating often poetic compositions. Ultimately, Opsvik & Jennings defy classification with playful spirit and panache and present a truly enjoyable record."

June 07: ALMOST COOL >>
"Their home-base locations may be at least partially responsible for their sound, which like many releases on the Rune Grammofon label, is hard to categorize. The instrumentation (which includes guitars, organs, double bass, concertina, lap steel, banjo, and lots of subtle electronic manipulation) is just as varied as their styles of music, and its just as easy to hear folk and country sounds alongside some downtempo jazz (which the two members both have backgrounds in). There's also a sort of rural pastoral feel that helps keep just about everything on the same page over the course of the ten track, forty-five minute release. "

June 07: THE LAMP >>
"What you get is a unique mix of electronics smeared with acoustic instrumentation. Their fresh ideas of composition/improvisation are creatively presented with a wiz-tech mix of samples, loops, and programming; packaged into creative and ambient soundscapes."

June Issue 07: PLAN B >>
"..Commuter Anthems takes those cherished sounds and distils them into perfectly formed instalments."

June 3rd 07: THE NEW YORK TIMES >>
New York TImes Playlist by Ben Ratliff: Opsvik & Jennings
"Here’s a report from the era of the tiny statement in jazz, “Commuter Anthems” (Rune Grammofon), the second album from the duo of Eivind Opsvik and Aaron Jennings. Mr. Opsvik is an excellent young Norwegian jazz bassist who has been playing in New York since 1998, and Mr. Jennings is a more all-over-the-place kind of musician. They make small, shrewd and catchy songs, using Americana signifiers like banjo and lap-steel guitar alongside the gurgle and crunch of laptop electronics. They’re tidy and sweet, calling attention to their design, but they don’t want to be understood too easily."

June 07: DISCOLLECTIVE >>
"The closest I can come to classification would be “Music for Films.” Commuter Anthems is a would-be wet dream for the music supervisor of any indie art film. It’s almost as if it is the score to some yet to be released Sundance favorite—covering the breadth of emotions from playful to dark and menacing. This is music to imagine well composed moving images to."

June 07: E/I MAGAZINE >>
"This consistently tight relationship between the compositional dynamics and nature of the instruments used is rarer than any of us should like to confess, and Opsvik & Jennings prove to have both the ear and the technique to articulate the deeper reaches of the way in which the inflections of an instrument benefit and contribute to the compositional and harmonic content, and vice versa."

May 07: DUSTED >>
"it is one of the more pleasing excursions into the realm of instrumental music that I’ve encountered in some time.
...Musical elements that don’t necessarily have a proven history together – like, say, pedal steel and “software” – can be found here changing lanes and merging with one another while demonstrating equal parts style and efficiency."

May 07: BBC >>
"The boys have interrogated the commute, that journey from one life to another where you aren’t really anywhere, and dissected the soundtrack, replaced it with mimicked sounds: strings being car horns; lap-top pops and shudders reminiscent of transit. ... The good songs are plotted like mini thrillers and the record as a whole is populated with instrumental characters and motifs that show an impressive depth.
...placing the sounds and the instruments and thinking about what they are doing there is a brilliant game, and one that will reward repeat listening. Not something you should tire of easily, this might well ease a particularly rough route in one morning."

May 07: FOXY DIGITALIS >>
10 out of 10
"The combination of jazz, electronica, folk and post-rock structures might read as a standard description for much modern music, yet their marriage in the hands Opsvik & Jennings is anything but predictable. “Commuter Anthems” is a beautiful record.
... A willingness to follow a narrative to wherever it might lead makes many of these songs tackle intricately winding paths, and it does credit to Opsvik & Jennings that they stay true to their ideas right to the end. “Commuter Anthems” can thus be considered a genuine description of the music held within." 10/10

May 07: CYCLIC DEFROST >>
"Commuter Anthems is cloven with effulgent elements pursued through minute variations, fashioning a detailed diorama such that listening to the work suggests the experience of actually being in the environment, of listening to it breathe, lay still and shift around.
...The final few compositions even offer slightly atonal counterparts, where taut syncopated rhythms unfurl against a banjon-drum-theremin crunch. Asides from swimming through a summer evening with delicate ease, stylistically and technically, Commuter Anthems is a wholehearted success."

May 07: ALL MUSIC >>
"...creating an understatedly captivating album that might be the best late sixties Beach Boys tribute yet recorded. This might sound like this reduces Commuter Anthems to the realm of simply aping a sound but this isn't Elephant 6-style hero worship at play. Rather, the duo deftly suggest the sonic fantasias conjured up by Brian Wilson and his bandmates post-Pet Sounds, stripped of familiar vocal harmonies and uptempo deliveries in favor of bubbling arrangements and elegant, jazz-tinged breakdowns, creating a new and often strikingly beautiful approach"

May 07: THE WIRE
"Their vision is odd, combining jazz and pop, melody and whimsy with a dollop of kitsch, but it is done with such delicacy and tenderness that this is an album one could fall in love with. On later tracks, they even start to let their hair down: “I’ll Scrounge Along” is harmonium partying with string bass. Who could ask for more? "

May 07: ALL ABOUT JAZZ >>
"Augmenting the core song forms with squirrelly electronic textures, atmospheric drones, shimmering vibes and mellifluous brass, they reveal melodies every bit as catchy as those penned by indie rock heavy weights like Tortoise and the Sea & Cake."

May 07: EU Reviews
Kinda Muzik (Dutch)
Alternative Nation (German)
Heaven_and_Jazz (Dutch Magazine)
Goddeau.com (Dutch)
Interfase.es (Spanish)
Pyramid.cz (in Greek)
Blog New Music (in Czech)
Digg (Dutch Website)

April 07: AUDIVERSITY >>
"Think The Books elaborating on a Boats song as played by The Cinematic Orchestra: sparse, patient, melodious, buoyant and freewheeling. I do not listen to music during my morning commute (I mean c’mon, I’m surrounded by it constantly and need at least a few moments to enjoy the natural sounds of the world), but if I did have a pair of those white earbuds, Commuter Anthems would be a charming and relaxing introduction to the day ahead"

April 07: BOOMKAT >>
"A sprightly tunefulness runs through the entire record, and that even extends to the more processed-sounding, abstract works here like the celeste-mangling ‘Lorinda Sea’ or the gorgeous, string-sampling ‘Ways’."

April 07: SMALLFISH RECORDS >>
"A mixture of lively rocky sounds but with a Post-Rock feel to the arrangements, it's a blend of Jazz, Folk and myriad other genres that all combine to give a breezy, very likeable and surprisingly accessible sound. That's not to say it doesn't have slightly more challenging moments, as it does, but they're crafted in an expert fashion and guide you willingly through"

April 07: NORWEGIAN REVIEWS
Bergens Tidende
TV 2 Nettavisen
Oslo Puls
Dagbladet
Dagsavisen
Universitas

March 07: MILK MILK LEMONADE >>
"While sorting through numerous artists from what some would still refer to as the experimental genre, I am usually surrounded by blips, bleeps and an overwhelming bass rhythm. That's perfectly fine with me, but when I find something that is warm and organic I usually stay interested quite a bit longer. Today's featured track is beautiful in it's beginnings with a sound I would liken to early Dirty Three or an orchestra warm up. From there, it builds out of it's disheveled dirge state with layers of multiple instruments and more pronounced percussion"

....................

FLØYEL FILES (2005) - review excerpts:

February 06: THE WIRE >>
“Fløyel Files sounds as if shimmering strands of silky acoustica have been delicately embroidered onto a layer of soft electronic velvet. Which is perhaps not surprising - 'fløyel' is Norwegian for velvet, after all.
What may be more surprising, however, is that neither of the musicians behind Opsvik & Jennings is the laptop tweaker you might expect from an initial hearing of this disc. Instead, this collaboration is between Eivind Opsvik, a bass player from the underground jazz scene in Oslo and Aaron jennings, a guitarist from Oklahoma, both of whom are now based in New York.
They're clearly used to exploring other instruments and musical directions, however, using a plethora of sounds wrought from banjos, concertinas, theremin, and lapsteel, as well as the expected guitars, bass and software. These fragments are then snipped, looped and lovingly stitched together. Tangled concertinas, muddled keyboards and dappled drums make their tentative way into foamy opener "Thread". "Aaron's Hat" contains layers of mournful cello, fretful bass and a broken typewriter tapping curiously underneath. "Cut Up Clocky" revels in exploring and arranging a mosaic of sounds, with no driving melody to speak of. And the album closes on "Luminosity", an aching spiritual organ chorale. Ambient without wandering, sweet but not sickly, quirky yet never wacky, this is a beautifully paced piece of work”

March 06: JAZZTIMES >>
"It's difficult to parse the various sounds on the recording or even to distinguish between digital and acoustic components. And that seems to be the point. Like the best electronic music - or at least, the stuff that tends to draw me in- Fløyel Files places emphasis not on algorithms but rather lyricism, texture and mood. It's an intimate and introspective album, imbued with a stripped-down pop mystique." Nate Chinen for JazzTimes

February 06: MILKFACTORY.CO.UK >>
“Brought together by a common musical vision, Norwegian bass player Eivind Opsvik and American guitarist and multi-instrumentist Aaron Jennings have produced with Fløyel Files a delicate and enduring piece of work.
.... Tracks such as Thread, which opens the album, Aaron’s Hat, Still The Tiger Town or Mello Vibro are incredibly detailed, luxurious and evocative.
Often juxtaposing upbeat moments and more introvert structures, the pair appear to build a narrative theme over the course of Fløyel Files, with each track in some ways relating to another elsewhere on the record, often by way of soundscapes echoing each other or close melodic patterns. Yet, each track shows new layers of complexity and intricacy and opens up new grounds. The combination of various sonic elements manages to convey subtle changes in mood, often on one track, and demonstrates a great ability at forging subtle sound structures.
.....Although this first collaboration was recorded during a long period of time, the result feels extremely coherent. Clearly defined on paper, the individual inputs are often hard to dissociate on the records. This undoubtedly contributes to Fløyel Files’s consistent tone throughout and ensures a definite lasting appeal.” Read whole review here >>

February 06: HISSIG.NO
If you're fluent in Norwegian check out the review >>

December 05: FLY.CO.UK >>
"The result is a right experimental ambient electronica mix that would satisfy fans of Brian Eno to Daedelus....Good to see the spirit of experimentation is alive and well"

November 05: JUNKMEDIA.ORG >>
"...More languid and ambient than anything off Opsvik's solo records, the pieces here flirt with chill room delicacy, while still being rooted in pop song melody. Those seeking glitch oriented soundscapes with a harmonically complex palette will find much to enjoy in this duo's excursions."

November 05: SONICCURIOSITY.COM >>
"...Strings (both rock and orchestral) wander through the pieces, pulsating and grinding and swaying with innovative abandon. Keyboards filter in, accompanied by cafe style percussion, producing a serene temperament that is suitably violated by unexpected turns and surprise outbursts of easygoing passages. A certain toylike quality is present in conjunction with a resolve for weirdness. Chittering electronics seek to fuse unlikely riffs into a Zappaesque pastiche of musique concrete and jovial tuneage.
This intriguing mixture of conventional and experimental is more enjoyable than most chaotic structures, this success definitely attributable to the musicians' desire to enliven the simplicity with complex elements."

November 05: ALL ABOUT JAZZ >>
"... Together their new recording consists of unique compositions that are crafted with a variety of moods and odd sound textures with an emphasis on melody and ambience. The blend of electronics and acoustic music is seamless as the instruments are woven into the layered fabric of each composition.
Like fractal art, the music is mathematical, strange, and beautifully seductive with hypnotic and intricate rhythmic patterns rather than sonic barrages of bass and drum beats. The sampled sounds of everyday life are transformed into lyricism on “Loyal Retainer” mimicking ship horns, creaking doors, water facets, and other strange sounds that are sure to keep the listener guessing. Opsvik incorporates his acoustic bass in some of the loops such as his bow string work on “Aaron's Hat” behind a slow and metronomic rhythm. Whether it be the toy like syncopation on “Mello Vibro,” or the atmospheric and calming ”Fløyel Fil” the music is interesting, mesmerizing, and always in flux." (Mark Turner)

Commuter Anthems

Amazon worldwide
Barnes and_Noble
Thrill Jockey
Other Music
Insound
Post Everything
vh1shop
Small Fish Records
BoomKat
plus a plethora of other record stores both online and real.