Reviews RLP2050
Something very special can enter your life if you move quickly. Norway´s stunning and unique Rune Grammofon celebrate their first eight years and 50 releases with a limited edition set of 5 x 10” vinyl records, in gorgeous, quasi-marbled sleeves and set box designed by Kim Hiorthøy, the subtle genius who designs the digipaks for all their releases. And once again they have proved themselves the jewel in Oslos´s widely revered musical crown. The feng shui feel of the design and the flow of the music pamper and entice you into a spacious, spellbinding world, like a great novel, and you find yourself bathing in a carefully crafted and considered musical suite that follows the contours of the musical landscape the label has explored. Better get it while it´s fresh and available, people, this is going to be a revered treasure.
Straight No Chaser (UK)
Unbelievably lavish box set. If ever we've listed an unmatched object of desire, this is it.
Boomkat (UK)
It's hard not to be partial to a label like Rune Grammofon, whose consistency of quality and form is astonishing even by the standards of the most jaded aficionado of Scandinavian and experimental music. The label is similar, and perhaps comparable, to Munich's esteemed ECM Records, a label that specializes in Scandinavian jazz and also issues releases of considerably high quality and consistency. ”Until Human Voices Wake Us and We Drown” sounds simply gorgeous on vinyl and, for those who still have access to a turntable, serves as an excellent and beautiful introduction to the Rune Grammofon label.
Tinymixtapes (US)
The translation (from CD to vinyl) is a success: the sound retains its vivid Arctic Circle clarity, and Hiorthøy´s visual aesthetic also makes the transition unscathed. As a tribute to the label´s steadfastness and artistic vision, it´s a fitting monument.
The Wire (UK)
Kim Hiorthoy's instantly identifiable design and illustrative work has always been a critical component of the Rune Grammofon aesthetic and nowhere is that more evident than in the remarkable “Until Human Voices Wake Us And We Drown”, a 19-track collection celebrating the label's 50 releases. Each of the set's five 10-inch discs is encased in a full-colour slipcase, then housed within a sturdy box and accompanied by a 16-page booklet displaying the label's catalogue to date, the presentation alone making the purchase worthwhile.
Textura (US)