Title: S/T (The Crayfish) Artist: Olsson, Bjorn Label: Gravitation-gra014 Björn Olsson was a founding member of both influential Swedish Stooges-rock outfit Union Carbide Productions and The Soundtrack Of Our Lives. His tripped-out guitar-work and narcotic interludes made TSOOL albums like 'Welcome to the Infant Freebase' and 'Extended Revelation' such utterly mind-blowing affairs. In addition to his work with TSOOL and his previous solo releases, Olsson’s preternatural guitar skills have landed him in collaborations with Mark Eitzel, Spain’s Josh Haden and swedish band The Bear Quartet. Now we invite you to bask in the glow of Björn’s solarized Ennio Morricone-meets-Bo Hanson-meets-Pink Floyd instrumental psych-magick. Lush acoustic arrangements and warm analogue sounds flow through all the songs on this record. Piano, flute, guitar, harmonica, double bass, steel guitar and Olssons haunting whistling (hands down the whistling record of the year) coupled with a great sense of melody. Olsson has fused his spaghetti-western vibes with influences as diverse as Popol Vuh, Calexico, The Band, Bob Dylan, Bacharachian exotica…gracefully shading in some Herb Alpert brass, 70s Am Radio balladry, and the elemental mythology of traditional Nordic folkmusik (like the aurora borealis flickering between your headphones). Plus more whistling than you’ve heard on any other album this year! This is Olsson at his most hi-fi epic in the most cinematic sense of the word. Seafood series #2. (www.gravitation.nu)(www.parasol.com)