Needlepoint Stream Walking up That Valley in Full; Album out Friday
Posted in audiObelisk on January 26th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
The fifth full-length from Oslo’s Needlepoint, Walking up That Valley, is set to release this Friday, Jan. 29, through Stickman Records. It is a graceful offering and finds the central four-piece not only indulging their own multi-instrumentalism, with vocalist/guitarist Bjørn Klakegg taking on flute, violin and cello, bassist/producer Nikolai Hængsle adding guitar, and David Wallumrød adding an entire piano-store’s worth of keys and synth to go with Olaf Olsen‘s drums, but branching out with guest percussion and backing choral vocals as well. Classically progressive — or is that progressively classical? — the album comprises eight songs and runs 43 minutes of mostly serene, jazzy and richly melodic fare, consciously drawing elements from British folk and Scandinavia’s own broad history of nature-worshiping creation. Songs like “So Far Away” or the midsection of “I Offered You the Moon” bring a gentle touch, but there’s almost always subtle movement happening underneath, be it in bass, drums, keys or guitar behind the softly-delivered vocals, and Walking up That Valley isn’t without its moments of push, it’s really just a question of how hard the band is willing to shove the listener in those stretches.
Not very, is the answer, and for Needlepoint — whose very moniker evokes images of precise, hand-crafted work — that’s clearly the intention. “Rules of a Mad Man” starts the record at a decent clip, though, and is one of the more active inclusions. Even so, what’s more striking is the level of detail in the song itself. The changes from one keyboard to another, the intricacy of the rhythmic patterning and the melody that seems to rest so naturally on top of it. Maybe this isn’t too much to ask for a band on their fifth LP, but that doesn’t make it any less engaging. “I Offered You the Moon” puts the drums forward at first for a bit of jazz-poetry and adds flourish of keys and bass, dropping to a field of flowing folk before picking up gradually again, keys and drums and percussion gaining volume and intensity over the next couple minutes until the vocals return, the bass beneath doing jabs to dare the guitar to join, which it does. It’s a freakout by the end, and it leads to the relatively subdued “Web of Worry,” with acoustic guitar and flute 
and keys, handclaps and ghost-note snare popping behind, sweetly melodic and a step en route to “So Far Away,” which is about as close as Walking up That Valley gets to ’60s folk, with violin joining in the second half to bolster the already organic spirit.
I’m not sure if “Where the Ocean Meets the Sky” is the start of side B, but it would make sense either way, and honestly, by then, the fluidity of Needlepoint‘s craft is such that if you’re in, you’re in for the duration. In any case, the song leads with vocals in a kind of purposeful semi-contrast from the end of “So Far Away” before it and works around a solidified drum line that takes off into a short solo with some more rhythmic urgency as it moves toward its midpoint, keys assuring the melody isn’t lost before things calm down again. Walking up That Valley never quite goes full-bebop, but one can see where Needlepoint might have in the jams these songs are built from. Vocals again begin “Carry Me Away,” free of effects but not at all dry, over a deceptively quick drum tempo building to an entry of organ and a wah-laced electric guitar solo in the second half — a bit of Hendrix to run alongside the keys. It works well and is no less classy than anything that surrounds as it leads to the arrival of the choral vocals, which feels like an arrival indeed, the lyrics depicting the scenario from the album’s cover in singalong-ready fashion. That burst of energy gives over to the penultimate “Another Day” which starts out stripped down and works its way up but never quite reaches for the same heights as the song before it, and fair enough for that, since there’s still the 10-minute closing title-track to come.
“Walking up That Valley” begins to take shape around vocal lines and spare guitar, with keys farther back in the mix and drums making their way in patiently behind the story being told, only to take a more forward role after four minutes in. An all-go jam ensues, with flute, and percussion and drums, guitar, bass, keys, and so on building to a fervent head until, a little past the nine-minute mark, the vocals return. The vitality of that jam isn’t totally gone — the drums are still there, the keys, the vocals are layered, etc. — but the final showcase of symmetry underscores the purposefulness writ large throughout Walking up That Valley, as Needlepoint cap with an electric solo on a somewhat surprisingly quick fade as though one is waking up from a dream when it’s over. I don’t doubt that there are “happy accidents” that came up during the recording process as they inevitably do, but every change/movement here feels, if not directed, then at very least considered. In its most lush and minimal stretches, Walking up That Valley shows itself to be the output of a group well aware of who they are and what they want to do, who are nonetheless not at all restrained by that self-consciousness. There is an escapist element, to be sure, but met consciously, the songs are all the more gorgeous.
You’ll find Walking up That Valley streaming in full below, followed by more from the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
Needlepoint is a Norwegian group based in Oslo that straddles the border between jazz and prog in a unique and timeless way. Based around the renowned guitarist Bjørn Klakegg, the band is rounded out by a veritable who’s-who of the Nordic jazz and rock scene, including members of Elephant9, Møster!, Bigbang and others.
Their first album The Woods Are Not What They Seem was released in 2010, followed by Outside the Screen (2012), Aimless Mary (2015) and The Diary of Robert Reverie (2018). Their upcoming album entitled Walking Up That Valley is slated for release in fall 2020.
The band says the following about their new record:
Nikolai and Bjørn have cooperated in the making of all the albums, from Bjørn’s ideas being captured on his phone up until their journey’s conclusion up on the record’s grooves. Bjørn considered himself a jazz musician when he first met Nikolai, but his old British heroes from the 70s such as ELP stepped out of the fog in the musical company of the now Needlepoint bassist. Olaf Olsen and David Wallumrød were Nikolai’s unconditional choices to fulfill the lineup.
Needlepoint started as an instrumental band, but when the second album was almost finished, Bjørn and Nikolai had a talk that lead to Bjørn’s first steps towards an identity as a singer. That talk also changed the identity of the band.
It was never really a conscious choice of style by the band, but Needlepoint is now considered a prog band by many listeners, and it’s a pleasure having such an addicted audience by their side. Many people mention the Canterbury Scene to describe the bands profile, and Robert Wyatt, Sid Barret, Caravan, Camel and even King Crimson and Yes are also mentioned to place our musical identity.
The last album is absolutely connected to the previous ones, but there are also new sounds to be heard. Bjørn has picked up his flute and violin, so there is a strange little orchestra appearing here and there in the album. Olaf is accompanied by Erik, who plays percussion on the album, and their fun together is audible on the album, while David treats his collection of beautiful vintage keyboard instruments like no one else. Everything is supervised by producer and bass player Nikolai Hængsle; his bass playing as powerful and brilliant as always, and Bjørn’s vocal are more present than ever in this production. In some of the tracks the band is touching new areas, but absolutely without losing its identity.
Needlepoint is:
Bjørn Klakegg : lead vocals, guitars, violin, flute, cello
David Wallumrød : hammond organ, clavinet, rhodes, harpsichord, upright piano, prophet-5, arp odyssey, arp solus, minimoog
Nikolai Hængsle : electric bass, backing vocals, guitars on «Rules of a mad man» and «So far away»
Olaf Olsen : drums
Special guests: Erik Nylander : percussion
The «Carry me away»choir: Indra Lorentzen, Camilla Brun, Maria Vatne, David, Nikolai, and Bjørn
Words and music by Bjørn Klakegg
Arranged by Bjørn Klakegg and Nikolai Hængsle
Produced by Nikolai Hængsle
