Lost fx - Pause...

April 9, 2021 - {int}erpret null

Lost fx is here with a bookend to the cold, a last look back at what was, a moment of stillness. The musician, who is based in Sweden, most likely has experienced a more nuanced transition into the warmer months than us on the US Eastern Seaboard, a (not so) wonderful land where temperatures shift up 30 degrees (fahrenheit) in a matter of days. This is not the time nor place for climate complaining though, but rather the time and place for calm contemplation. 

The project opens softly with ‘Snow Fall.’ Notes bubble up from deep within a lonely piano, bringing with them memory engrams from the wood, the strings, the felt, the metal. It’s a rich experience that feels as organic as it does practiced. The melody falls gently around itself, with notes seemingly choosing their own timing and length. At the same time, there is perceptible decision-making behind the patterns like curated wind chimes. The slow meandering of the piece feels cut short at its sub-three-minute runtime; I often found myself looping the track back to the beginning to continue to sink into the feeling of subtle amorphic nostalgia. 

‘Pause’ opens more sharply, with pink noise-doused-ambiance and swelling chords washing over the mind and calling up images of train stations, cold beaches, and low Earth orbits. Harmonic clicks and distortion weave together a patchwork of locations and emotions, a quilt of varied patterns that shifts with the temperature around it. As the tension slowly builds, the lonely piano calls out once again; a few soft notes teasing further sensibility in the cold night air.

Lost fx has presented a few moments of respite to hold on to as warmth and energy flow back into the colder regions. The pieces are deep and textural, with focus and decision and chance layering and blending together until they become one. It’s a welcome feeling. 🍍