Firmament, by Dim Gray

Firmament

by Dim Gray

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Carsten Pieper I've been listening a lot to their debut, Flown, last week, after it had gone down somewhat underheard in my collection after acquisition. After having rediscovered this great album, this Bandcamp Friday offered a welcome opportunity to buy the 2nd album by this splendid Norwegian trio. Probably it's even better then Flow. Gazpacho may still be a first reference point, but there's so much more in their music. Gentle prog, art/post rock, whatever... Favorite track: Mare.

JC C’est le dernier morceau de Firmament, ‘Meridian’, qui a tout d'abord fait vibrer mes enceintes.
Un croisement improbable entre la musique de Vangelis avec une orchestration symphonique et la voix d’Oskar. Favorite track: Meridian.

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1.	Mare 03:58	lyrics	buy track
Dazed I walked Slipped, tripped and woke up I looked back in fear Trees had changed Naked pines had turned to shades How long was I away And where are you now Are you still out there somewhere Dreams untrue Are keeping me in solitude When will I shake my mare A blaze of light Falling from abandoned skies Was that you I saw Had to be Nothing here makes sense to me All I knew is gone Where are you now You’ve got to be out there somewhere I can’t tame The violent winds that howl your name When will I shake my mare Once I get out of here Then I will know where to begin I’ll cross the sea I know what I’m seeking Once I get out of here Then I will know where I am bound I finally Know I am leaving I don’t know where you lie Glimpses of quiet lights Down in the doldrums A shimmering ocean Loss of sight I’ve waited for a long, long time Thought that you were here Dark and bent Shades swing from end to end Will I see you again
2.	Ashes 03:13	lyrics	buy track
Just a matter of minutes until dawn Just a matter of minutes until we awake Just a matter of minutes until dawn Just a matter of minutes until morning breaks Here it comes You sense there’s something wrong Here it comes The sunrise like a bomb Here it comes I had things going on Here it comes Here it comes Strike me right down Blow me to pieces Ashes rain down Falling to peace on the earth Looming silhouettes in twilight They were looking at me, their eyes were glowing The endless fear of the finite And the dams that we built were overflowing Here comes the sea change, the high tide I can but wait as the seething hate intensifies On the horizon, the sunrise Just a matter of minutes left to wonder why Here it comes The new sun rising up Here it comes The rays pierce flesh and bone Here it comes And you, where have you gone? Here it comes Here it comes Strike me right down Blow me to pieces Ashes rain down Falling to peace on the earth Just a matter of minutes until dawn Just a matter of minutes until morning breaks
3.	Undertow 02:48	lyrics	buy track
Toy boat downstream Tumbling free Caught in riverbank Stick tore a hole Me on the stern Singing as it sank Water felt quite warm And as I was drifting I thought of home Tried to stay afloat But some foul undercurrent grabbed a hold of me Tossed like a doll Caught in a sprawl By the undertow Gathering speed I need to breathe But I’m dragged below Struggling on my own Nowhere is solid Nowhere is home Now I’ve learnt the rules My burning lungs shall have their way or down their tools
4.	Avalon \| The Tide 04:11	lyrics	buy track
Backwater silent A pocket of peace Driftwood floats by me With the raging sea In little glimpses It comes back to me Rushing sensations As they come, they leave Sometimes I can forget Sometimes I sing to myself Ooh I will reach your shore, Avalon Nothing matters more, Avalon Where the ocean meets the sky I know that’s where you lie In a place where memories wane As they wash with the tide Breaker on breaker Removes every trace Wish as they might, but even kings can’t Push back the waves Sometimes I’m gone for long Sometimes my nights filled with song Ooh I will reach your shore, Avalon Hear your silent call, Avalon ‘Cause where the ocean meets the sky I know that’s where you lie And I know all things in time Will wash with the tide I will reach your shore, Avalon Hundred years or more, Avalon Where the ocean meets the sky I know that’s where you lie I will know that I’ve arrived When I wash with the tide
5.	52~ 04:19	lyrics	buy track
Waterproof Camera is rolling Sinking slow Floating, falling Shafts of light Blurred and wobbly Pulsing waves Low frequency rumblings Down under the waves there’s no harm Nothing to upset, no alarms I can sense the beat of your heart Even though we’re oceans apart I’ll wait this out Until it blows over They won’t think To look underwater Deep in blue I hear you beckon Fifty-two Cycles per second Down under the waves there’s no harm Nothing to upset, no alarms I can sense the beat of your heart Even though we’re oceans apart
6.	Abalus \| In Time 03:54	lyrics	buy track
Waves roll in under arc light Something glints in the sand Carried on tidal currents To an alien land Strewn on the ground like marbles Lie the parts of my mind Frozen like bugs in amber Each a moment in time Flicker sudden I caught a glimpse of you Under empty skies Silent as stone Sable and starless Vacant and blind Pieces of us Abalus harvest Unstuck in time Foiling the total darkness False and radiant sights Wheels spin in reels and riddles Tunnels burst from pale eyes Now I see strangers far away I don't know what they say Or where they are Flicker sudden I caught a glimpse of you In oppressive night Silent as stone Sable and starless Vacant and blind Pieces of us Abalus harvest Unstuck in time
7.	Long Ago 04:07	lyrics	buy track
I can see you I can see you Lingering in veiled periphery A hazy shroud of shade Far away I can hear your Lonely echoes Singing in my ears from long ago And in the fading light You come alive Evening It’s so good to see you again Your shades turn to shapes of thoughts I thought was lost From long ago I can hear my mind running away Close my eyes, why should I look Shades escape and now I have to wait All I want is to see you again Wish I could be miles away Can’t even see what’s in front of me Wish I could leave and find my way All my years are dwindling memories I am chasing shadows From long ago You can tell them You can tell them You can tell them, dear I could find no reason to stay
8.	My Barren Road 03:17	lyrics	buy track
A flickering glow Faded into the frost Lost in the fog Trapped like a ghost In an ashen flake of snow Caught and carried within Someone who knows Day turned to night In the empty dark A beating heart I think of you You’re the one I can’t lose Under endless skies Morning arrives Like an arid stream Unveils a trail You showed me where to go Now I must walk alone On my barren road Gray light of dawn The blind dogs of the sun Mindlessly run They chase you and I Borrowed world and borrowed time And our borrowed eyes Sorrow the sight Like an arid stream Unveils a trail You showed me where to go Now I must walk alone On my barren road
9.	Cannons 03:42	lyrics	buy track
I’m lost in between Dreams and memories I’m falling down Wherever I may be Darkness follows me No way out Light the evening sky With cannon fire Clouds collide, blazing bright Let cannon fire end the night I saw a ray of light Something from the sky Falling down Whoever you may be I would do anything To see you again Light the evening sky With cannon fire Clouds collide, blazing bright Let cannon fire end the night
10.	Iron Henry 03:20	lyrics	buy track
Enchanted puddle Sit down and rest a while Whisper your promise Rid me of my disguise Open the door Remember from before The fountain cool in the greenwood shade The sky above is with me and always will be Woods frozen over I have nowhere to be Our concrete castle Seems to cave in on me Sever our bond I’ve fallen in the pond No golden ball and no prince enthralled The sky above is with me and always will be
11.	Firmament 02:45	lyrics	buy track
Soft morning glow Let the light in slow I have woken from a troubled sleep Breeze strange and warm Carrying skylark’s song With the curtains drawn I finally see Underneath the arching of an unrelenting sky Time will pass you by Always in denial No reason, no rhyme In my sleep You were there with me And you said the words that no one would speak You’d lift your curse And the mist would be dispersed And the sky would tear and I’d be set free Underneath a firmament of little things unseen I will soldier on Clinging to the song That you passed on to me
12.	Meridian 04:56	lyrics	buy track
We Out to sea Waves roll by Easily We In blue-green Below us The unseen We Hewn from stone Water breaks Upon our bones We Sinking slow Doing What we know Throwing rocks Throwing rocks May the sea Part for me We Are in deep Weightless And oblique Screaming Our lungs out In protest Against the endless Throwing rocks Throwing rocks May the sea Part for me

about

Following in the wake of their critically acclaimed 2020 debut album Flown, Norwegian art rockers Dim Gray return with its follow-up, Firmament. Consisting of twelve direct, vivid and melody-driven songs, it is a record bursting with life and colour, making for an engaging and constantly surprising journey as it weaves a route from strings-infused chamber pop, through evocative indie-folk and lush electronics and into grandiose art rock.

An ambitious artistic statement, Firmament will appeal to fans of artists such as Radiohead, Susanne Sundfør, Steven Wilson, Beach Boys and Agnes Obel. Thematically, Dim Gray further explore the landscape of loneliness and melancholy that was introduced on Flown, but this time those sensations are contextualised in the depressions of the modern world juxtaposed against romanticised ideas of "simpler times" through childhood memories interspersed with myths and superstition.

The trio who comprise Dim Gray come from different places, both musically and geographically, with all three – guitarist Håkon Høiberg, singer/keyboardist Oskar Holldorff and drummer Tom Ian Klungland – moving from different parts of Norway to Oslo a decade ago to study. Having found each other, they soon began playing together. The three members have contrasting musical backgrounds in genres as diverse as black metal, progressive rock, blues, folk and film music, but in fusing these together they began to develop their own distinctive sound.

The outset of the global pandemic saw the band issue several singles prior to the digital release of Flown. A concept record with intertwining songs structured like one continuous story, it relates a vivid tale of loss and loneliness that constantly twists and turns, with intimate and spatial moments offset with massive and colourful soundscapes. It was issued on 2xLP and CD formats in 2021 to rave reviews.

Having issued Flown via their own Grim Day label, Firmament will be released on English Electric Recordings, the label run by UK prog titans Big Big Train. Greg Spawton of BBT states that “we are delighted to announce that we have signed Dim Gray. Until now, the label has just been a vehicle for Big Big Train and BBT band members’ outside projects. We’ve been interested in expanding the label’s activities for some time but only wanted to do so when we came across a truly exciting band that we felt had something new to offer musically. When we were introduced to Dim Gray, we saw that the band has enormous potential and were very keen to sign them.” 

Dim Gray supported Marillion in Stockholm in May, and went on tour as support for Big Big Train this September.

credits

released September 2, 2022

Dim Gray is:
Håkon Høiberg – electric and acoustic guitars, mandolins, lead vocals on 9 and parts of 1, 6 and 7, backing vocals
Oskar Holldorff – vocals, keyboards, electronic percussion, programming, orchestration
Tom Ian Klungland – drums, acoustic and electronic percussion, backing vocals

With:
Ellen-Martine Gismervik – cello
Hanna Nicoline Krohn Moland – violin
Halvor Rollag – electric bass
Guro Røvik Marstad – flute on Avalon | The Tide
Grégoire Blanc – saw and theremin on Iron Henry

Recorded in and around Oslo in 2021
Violin, cello, drums, grand piano and electric guitars recorded at Stable Studios, engineered by Leif Johansen
Upright piano recorded at Vaterland Studio, engineered by Petter Stubberud Tysland

Produced and arranged by Dim Gray
Edited by Oskar Holldorff and Håkon Høiberg
Mixed by Anders Bjelland
Mastered by Espen Høydalsvik at Oslo:Fuzz
Artwork by Linnea Vestre
Dim Gray are managed by Kingmaker Management

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about

Dim Gray Oslo, Norway

Following in the wake of Flown, their critically acclaimed 2020 debut album and their second album Firmament, Norwegian art rockers Dim Gray return with their latelst single, Murals!

‘Well-written and superbly performed material that stays with you’ – Guitarist

Having supported Marillion and Big Big Train throughout Europe in 2022-23, Dim Gray are back at work recording their third album. ... more

discography

Murals

Mar 2024
Firmament

Sep 2022
Flown

Jun 2020

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