amkosman – “comfort”
this is very special indeed, both aurally and visually. amkosman is the solo production project of adele kosman (hailing from stockholm, sweden, and formerly part of electronic duo, for bdk) and “comfort” is a sparkling piece of work. opening with ominously echoing strings, amkosman has deftly created an impressively immersive, glitchy and mesmeric soundscape akin to the likes of the knife, planningtorock, holly herndon, arca and anohni to name a few suitably associative luminaries.
it really is a stunning piece of multi-layered music production, and it manages to create a compelling duality that succeeds in both provocatively questioning and tenderly bathing you in its warm bath of comfort. the repeated single vocal stanza “i used to be sure, now i wonder what it was like, if it was comforting” begins its life in unsettling dissonance, operating almost in spite of the initial strings and spurred on by the spikily syncopated snatches of rhythm. but as we journey through “comfort” we find it evermore at home through a combination of the hypnotic repetition itself as well as the deceptively clever and moving instrumental modulations. the first shift at 1:15 is thoroughly inviting, the chords reaching out to the melody and the drums adopting a more supple and sympathetic marching snare in support. further swathes of complimentary synths, soothingly slapped bass-lines and generously conducive key changes welcome amkosman’s arresting and inquisitive voice yet deeper into the fold, and by the end of her five-minute excursion, there’s a real sense of acceptance and of her being far more at ease with herself than at the outset. from disconcertingly spartan and sporadic to delicately sheltered and sustained, you feel that kosman has somehow found her place.
visually “comfort” similarly juxtaposes an alienated, jittery and restless solitude with softer, more comforting, repeating kaleidoscopic patterns, and while the graphics are stark and more clinical in their application, there remains a genuine warmth to the movement and sentiment that lie behind it, not least of which, the lifeblood reds that occasionally infuse. vaj.power have succeeded in creating a striking visual self discovery to match the skilful audio convergence, and together they form a most transfixing and transcendental experience. it seems there is plenty to be excited about from both amkosman herself and stockholm’s wider cherish label right now.
