"six years have gone by since deaf center's "pale ravine" hit the shelves. in the time that's passed, the distinct melodies of erik skodvin and otto totland have become almost synonymous with a specific shard of mysterious imagery so it feels high time that the duo should return to add a new next chapter to their shadowy story. in contrast to their previous work, "owl splinters" was recorded in a studio setting, and the lo-fidelity, haphazard techniques of their early recordings are now all but gone. with the benefit of some high-end engineering and analogue equipment, skodvin and totland's murky compositions have been transformed from sketches into glorious widescreen spectacles. between these epic compositions, the two musicians take time to give their own solo instruments the time to breathe - totland with the piano and skodvin on the cello. everything slots into place on the album's centrepiece "the day i would never have" - piano and cello tumble into each other forming a dense, affecting cloud of sound. echoes of half-remembered horror movies, love songs and the dark arts come together in a norwegian cauldron to reveal something that at its heart is deeply moving and beautiful." (label info)