JONAS PALM – Ze Wörmnest (Piglet, 1980) / De-compositions (Djuring Phonogram, 2011; recorded 1981)

Ze Wörmnest (Piglet, 1980)

Instrumental
International relevance: ***

Usually considered a synth/minimal artist, but there's really no reason why Jonas Palm shouldn't be included here. His main influences came from kraut bands, obviously early Tangerine Dream and less obviously Can, plus 70's ambient and 20th century composers like György Ligeti. He began exploring the possibilities of the synthesizer in 1975 but his only album release at the time was ”Ze Wörmnest”. It's close to Anna Själv Tredje's "Tussilago Fanfara", only with darker undercurrents. If Anna Själv Tredje is the sound of nature right before dawn, then Jonas Palm is the sound of nature by late dusk. Or perhaps the place where the city ends and a no man's land of the mind begins. A compelling album.

De-compositions (Son of Ze Wörmnest) 

(Djuring Phonogram, 2011; recorded 1981)
Instrumental

International relevance: ***

Palm's second album went unreleased for a full thirty years before industrial/darkwave/avant synth label Börft unearthed it and released it through their Djuring Phonogram subsidiary. The album is subtitled ”Son of Ze Wörmnest” and it is pretty much an extension of Palm's original album. It begins with ”Ängen är grön, ängen är giftig” (”the meadow is green, the meadow is poisonous”) with ”Zeit” era Tangerine Dream-like soundscapes illuminated by cold lights of unknown origins before slowly evolving into something even more sinister.

Sometimes ”De-compositions” sound like what I imagine Anna Själv Tredje spin-off Cosmic Overdose would sound like if they were all instrumental and had an even sparser sound. But when push comes to shove, neither of Jonas Palm's albums need any comparisons. They both stand tall in their own right.

Ze Wörmnest full album

"La Città Futura"