Norvmbega elegantly and smartly move between multiple worlds and eras on their inventive and innovative new album Mons Moro — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A bold musical hybrid that deftly blends and balances a myriad of sounds, sources and styles — organic and electronic, classical and contemporary, familiar and avant-garde, soothing and suspenseful — the 12-track Mons Moro proves to be every bit as enigmatic and majestic as the Moon mountain that shares its name.
Helmed by the duo of Jon Hansen and Jono Hill and recorded in Paris, Brooklyn, Madrid, and Zurich, the ambitious album combines some of the finest classical players of Europe and North America with futuristic synth and found sounds to create an indie-classical cinematic soundscape all its own. From the glitchy grandeur of the album’s opening track Vienna to the hypnotic scales of The Juilliard Effect, the gravity-defying shimmer of the title track, the darkly alluring strains of Un Sospiro and the shape-shifting, multi-dimensional funkiness of closing track Konflux, Mons Moro weaves an enticing spell that draws you inexorably inward and gently guides you through a scenic, satisfying journey.
Fittingly taking their name from a mysterious mythical settlement off the coast of northeastern North America, Norvmbega’s north star is creating immersive music that juxtaposes new and old. After studying classically at USC, Juilliard and Yale — followed by stints with Odesza, Macklemore, countless orchestras, bands and work on dozens of film scores — Hansen and Hill decided to combine the sound of their experience to create musically anachronistic tapestries that evoke nostalgia, longing, and reflection.
Nowhere is this more apparent than on the gorgeous Vienna, illustrated in a video directed, shot, edited, and colored by Tristan Seniuk. “Transport yourself,” says the press release accompanying the video. “Feel the spirit of a majestic city before the Great War. Timeless sounds echo across the cobblestones. Music of found sounds — people, animals, and fireworks. Be enchanted and transcend the boundaries of time.”
Watch the video for Vienna above, and listen to (and buy) Mons Moro below.
