Double Sun by Kanaan

The Oslo trio made up of Ask Vatn Strøm (guitars), Ingvald André Vassbø (drums, percussion and organ, also known for his live collaborations with Motorpsycho) and Eskild Myrvoll (bass, synth and guitars), envisioned this album as a narrative and sonic journey.  In fact, even though it’s a fully instrumental album, it’s a work able to tell a story through music, moving smoothly from desert rock to free jazz, from post-rock to heavy psychedelia, rich in fuzz.

2020 was an incredibly productive year for them. Just two months earlier, in February, they had released “Odense Sessions”, an album born from pure improvisation with Jonas Munk (guitarist of Causa Sui). Unlike its predecessor, freer and more spontaneous, “Double Sun” is a “completely different creature”.  

Returning to the sound of their debut album, “Windborne” (2018), Kanaan made the most of the possibilities of studio production, layering complex strata of acoustic guitars, analog synthesizers, percussion and Hammond organs to create incredibly dense soundscapes. 

Among the guest musicians who collaborated, played or co-wrote the tracks are some of the most important names in the Norwegian psychedelic rock, stoner and jazz-rock scene. Hallvard Gaardløs, a leading figure in Norwegian rock, co-wrote the monumental suite “Mountain”.  He is best known as bassist and singer of the renowned heavy-rock/hard-rock band Spidergawd, bassist of the historic rock band Orango, and founder and member of other alternative projects such as Svankropp and Woodland.  Vegard Lien Bjerkan, keyboardist who took part in writing “Mountain”, is a key member of Wizrd, a highly regarded Norwegian prog-jazz-rock band nominated for the Spellemann awards (the Norwegian Grammys).  Finally, Bjørn Klakegg, a guitar veteran who embellishes the title-track “Double Sun (Pt. 1 & 2)” with his solos, is the mind and leader of Needlepoint, an outstanding Norwegian psychedelic prog-folk/jazz-rock band.

It opens with “Worlds Together”, a track of almost three minutes that evokes pastoral landscapes and psychedelic atmospheres, thanks to warm, dreamy guitar chords that recall the spacey experiments of the ’70s. Next comes “Mountain”, an imposing, powerful suite of over twelve minutes, born from the collaboration with Hallvard Gaardløs and Vegard Lien Bjerkan.  This piece is marked by heavy riffs and an acid organ that recalls the style of Hawkwind. “Öresund”, a hypnotic eight-minute track, acts as a bridge between the different moods, with the bass-and-drums groove supporting majestic walls of sound. “Worlds Apart”, just over three minutes, mirrors the opening track, creating a more ethereal, evocative transition moment. 

The album closes with the monumental title-track “Double Sun”, split into two parts for a total of about thirteen minutes.  On this track stands out the contribution of the well-known Norwegian jazz guitarist Bjørn Klakegg, who delivers unique, distinctive lead-guitar solos, pushing the record’s finale into realms of pure cosmic exploration. Excellent production.

Double Sun represents one of the peaks in Kanaan’s career, a record in which the band finds the perfect balance between its two souls: jazz-fusion and psychedelic rock.  

The album is incredibly well structured, and its 39 minutes flow so well that you immediately want to listen to it again.  

The alternation between moments of delicate acoustics, powerful walls of fuzz guitars and cosmic rides is handled with great mastery.  Unlike previous works, more spontaneous and born from live improvisation (which I’ve always appreciated for their genuineness), here you can feel a notable effort in the production phase. 

The atmospheric details created with synths, organs and acoustic guitars add remarkable depth to the record.  The individual performances, in particular Vassbø’s overwhelming drumming and Myrvoll’s hypnotic bass lines, show how the three musicians’ jazz background allows them to play heavy rock with exceptional fluidity and dynamics. Excellent!

My Vinyl Version

Label: El Paraiso Records – EPR058LP
Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition
Country: Denmark
Released: 18 Apr 2020

My CD Version

Label: El Paraiso Records – EPR058CD
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: Denmark
Released: 24 Apr 2020

Tracklist

A1        Worlds Together 2:48
A2        Mountain 12:20
A3        Öresund 8:00
B1        Worlds Apart 3:03
B2        Double Sun Pt.1 5:24
B3        Double Sun Pt.2 8:02

Lineup

Ask Vatn Strøm – Guitars

Eskild Myrvoll – Bass, synthesizers

Ingvald André Vassbø – Drums, percussion, organ

With:

Bjørn Klakegg – Lead guitar

Vegard Lien Bjerkan – Organ, synthesizers

Hallvard Gaardløs – Bass

Here is the biographical sheet The incredible Jamming-Fuzz-Psychedelic world of Kanaan