Even from the time of Molvær's Khmer and Solid Ether from 1997 and 2000 respectively, when he burst onto the European jazz scene from his native Norway, there has always been a separation between his work in the studio and live performance (albeit with the exception of the live Streamer). At the end of the 1990s, Molvær's band with Eivind Aarset on guitar was the hottest on the European festival circuit, yet you'd never guess this from Khmer or Solid Ether – even though they were both best sellers. Molvær has always been aware that what can be achieved in live performance might not necessarily translate to telling effect on recordings, so he has increasingly exploited the studio as an instrument in its own right, seeking the greater depth and range of expressionism the studio permits (think Sgt. Pepper's as an example of a studio creation impossible to recreate live). Here, he has a band completely on his wavelength. Qvenild – a member of Solveig Slettahjell's Slow Motion Orchestra and formerly the Magic Orchestra with Susanna [Wallumrød], as well as leading his own acclaimed trio In The Country – is a master of electronic skullduggery. Molvær values space and well crafted melody and together with Sundstøl and Dahlen's understated yet essential contributions has produced a sometimes stark, often beautiful and certainly compelling statement that may be his best recording yet.