Every now and then, this happens: a drummer releases an album of music. This doesn’t meet most listeners’ expectations, as drums are more often associated with background noise than with richly expressive music. Far from it! The list of impressive drummer albums ranges from Jost Nickel to Simon Phillips to Jack DeJohnette, and in between there are plenty of other musicians who, incidentally, can also play the drums. With the Norwegian Skage Larsen, however, it’s simpler: He plays the drums. And he plays the vibraphone. And on *Indus*, his newly released album, he limits himself to the latter.

Larsen is not entirely unknown and has, among other things, accompanied Marius Neset. His focus, however, lies in the Norwegian music scene, where he is very active and involved in many projects. This may also shed light on the selection of fellow musicians: Sondre Moshagen on piano, Tarald Kronshaug on bass, Steinar Heide Bø on drums, and Kristi Huke on vocals.

Indus is a pleasing, atmospheric jazz album that brings together nine tracks with a total running time of 43:39 minutes. It is both beautiful and entertaining. Its opener, “Relief,” is very melodic; the following track, “Fouler,” begins with vibraphone and drums, but as it progresses, the surprisingly melodic opening gives way to a jazz standard—technically polished, but without surprises.

“Light Blue” is a calm, jazzy ballad framed by Kristi Huke’s vocals; she lends her voice to a total of three tracks. This is followed by “Inspiration,” which has a light up-tempo and brings a lively boost to the musical flow. And for those who enjoy guessing time signatures, “Joy” is worth a try—with its… I won’t give it away, but it’s intriguing.

Acoustically, Indus is well-balanced. Even though the arrangement is compact at its core, it remains perfectly clear. It’s easy to pinpoint who is producing which sound and to locate them clearly on the club-like stage. Plus, the instruments sound refreshingly natural.

All in all? A fine acoustic experience. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Skage Larsen Quartet:
Skage Larsen, vibraphone
Sondre Moshagen, piano
Tarald Kongshaug, bass
Steinar Heide Bø, drums