Music

Svaneborg Kardyb – Op

Exploring the musical dynamics between Danish folk music and jazz, Svaneborg Kardyb is a duo that can masterfully bend these genres into modern-day compositions that include elements of ambient, alternative, and more. There are ear-worm melodies in this music as well, such as Op (seen/heard here) which is from the duo’s latest LP, Over Tage (November 2022), and is a great introduction to their music, if, like Vodka, you have never heard of them before. Op is a wonderful, rhythmic tune that will set the tone for everything that follows.

As instrumental music goes, Svaneborg Kardyb’s approach is not to follow the constraints of a genre, effectively making their compositions a style in themselves, immediately allowing the duo to stand out in the crowd. Another quality that is evident in the LP is that these songs are not allowed to take on a life of their own, with song durations falling in the three to five-minute range. There are no epic-length over-the-top compositions that take up half the LP, allowing for each idea here to have equal weight. Each song has a simple beginning that then unfolds and expands. When you are listening for the first time, you will find that you need to pay attention and absorb, to let the music in. Personally, I found that these compositions each meant more to me on the second or third listening. For the most part, the instrumentation throughout the LP is limited to the duo, with the addition of trumpets from Jakob Sørensen and Jonas Scheffler on Fragt, Orbit, Island, and Everything Possible, and guitars from Sune Pors on Fragt, Orbit, and Over Tage.

The production here is largely handled by the duo and is well done. Recording levels are not pushed too hard, something that I care a great deal about when deciding on what to purchase with my limited funds. In fact, everything here is thoughtfully considered. 

Svaneborg Kardyb
Svaneborg Kardyb

Svaneborg Kardyb is Nikolaj Svaneborg (Wurlitzer, synth & piano) and Jonas Kardyb (drums & percussion). You can find out more about the duo by heading up to their nicely formatted website, which includes all of the social and purchase links you need. Pick up a copy of Over Tage from the website, or from their bandcamp.com site, which includes their two previous LPs, Knob (March 2019) and Haven (October 2020).

Check out this delightfully different duo now!