Ballrogg began life as a duo: somewhere between Paul Bley and Eric Dolphy, on the one hand, and Morton Feldman on the other. The arrival of guitarist Ivar Grydeland (of the act Huntsville, formerly on Rune Grammofon but now also signed to Hubro) introduces a hint of Americana – also suggested in the album title and in ‘Swedish Country’, the opening track. It might sound a strange mix, but bassist Roger Arntzen is also a member of In The Country, who themselves combine worship of Bley and Feldman with an equal love of Ryan Adams. Country music might be the home of the song, but there's no singing here; it's country on clarinet, less Taylor Swift than Nels Cline or BJ Cole. And Americana is only one influence at play; at other times, the record calls to mind neo-classical acts like Clogs, Yann Tiersen, Hauschka and Philip Jeck. This is panoramic music, restrained and expansive: maybe it doesn't matter if the landscape it overlooks is coated in sand or in ice.