Sweden's latest instrumental brainchild is the Bluebridge Quartet, a four-piece from Jönköping. While I find myself unable to reel off bands from Jönköping, it's no secret that the route between Stockholm and Göteborg is littered with talented instrumental artists, and even some non-instrumental ones as well. For the most part, the area is highly influenced by classical music and the electronic post-rockers of the 90s, carving out biting and epic monuments to the past. It is a bit surprising to see a band like Bluebridge Quartet appearing out of the blue, for they have little in common with their peers and immediate neighbors.

In a different world, Bluebridge Quartet would be making pretty standard instrumental music, but it's evident that the band had bigger plans than that. Originally started as an electronic trip-hop project, Bluebridge inevitably developed its jazz roots and made an about face with respect to the music being created around them. Scandinavia is full of laptop electronic artists, and Bluebridge was not content to be just another face in the crowd. This boundless pastures that had attracted the band to the electronic realm began to refocus into the jazz world, where improvisational techniques rose to the forefront of their repertoire. The variety of instrumentation widened, as more and more sounds were needed to construct the band's new vision with pinpoint accuracy.

Adjusted for Low Noise Tape, a four track EP, emerged out of Bluebridge's new sound. Natural comparisons point towards the work of Tortoise and its sea of followers, but Adjusted is predominantly planted in the jazz world, as electronic nuances make infrequent contributions. Although the attentiveness to space is still a top priority in Bluebridge's work, the act separates itself from the pack by taking an interest in textures that arise out of the various instruments. The goal isn't to explicitly create these textures, but rather to clean up the messy presentation that accompanies much of modern experimental jazz music as much as possible, without actually sacrificing these experimental tendencies (a trait which, I suspect, developed in accordance to the band's history). It's quite a great idea, and is executed rather astonishingly well throughout the EP.

As a twenty minute EP, Adjusted for Low Noise Tape is a great introduction from this promising band who makes a loud proclamation that it won't be adhering to expected norms of performance anytime soon. All four tracks hold their own ground and contribute to a larger piece, but the only complaint I can make of the CD is that there isn't enough of it. This is music we could soak up all day long, getting lost between the wavering saxophone and delicate glockenspiel. Bluebridge cautiously takes its first steps into the world; now that they have a solid footing, the next step should knock us off our feet. 

-Jordan Volz