When Eivind Opsvik’s album Overseas III opens, it almost literally spreads into a somber June afternoon track, “Neil,” that blends lovely keys and sparse beats. Later on, it etches in a groove for catchy, jazz-influenced horns. The next track, more downbeat, more sleekly meditative, “Everseas” is much the same as the previous in its instrumentation. On “Silver,” there is a heavy slide guitar (brought in by Dylan session man Larry Campbell) before rising into a mid-tempo sax—again, with a summery demeanor, evocative of much older music. On the upswing, showing that Overseas III isn’t entirely downbeat, “Breath of Bork” focuses all the previously laid out elements into an exciting, upbeat song, crashing from all sides at autobahn speeds. There are only seven tracks, but they all beg some description.
Opsvik is Norwegian, late of New York City, where he is also part of Opsvik & Jennings, an avant-garde duo with two previous albums to their credit (2005’s Fløyel Files and 2007’s Commuter Anthems). Cutting his teeth in rhythm sections early on, first on drums then on bass, Opsvik’s newest album has an uncanny sense of pace and timing. It feels like an old jazz record, never becoming too clever or too much for its own good. It’s just a lot of good songwriting. While Overseas III isn’t an earthshaking record, there are moments where it’s filled with a rumble, apropos of itself: meaning it achieves what it promises to do and no more, remaining poignant, never needing to prove itself smarter or artier than the next guy.
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