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An Interview with Tor Lundvall
Posted: Sunday, December 10, 2006
By: Matthew Johnson
Assistant Editor

Equally comfortable at the easel or the keyboard, Tor Lundvall is both an accomplished painter and a talented composer. His art, which at once evokes the dreamy landscapes of impressionism and the otherworldly colors and figures of expressionism, has adorned the albums of such artists as Sol Invictus as well as his own work. Lundvall's music, like his paintings, owes a great deal of inspiration to natural landscapes; his first four releases were based on the seasons, while his two most recent albums, Last Light and Empty City, captured the quietness of nighttime from a rural and urban viewpoint, respectively.

More organic than pure electronic composers, Lundvall's work lies somewhere between pure soundscape and the blurry instrumental arrangements of such artists as David Sylvian and Robert Rich. Play his albums quietly, and they blend gently with the background noise around you, creating a subtly different experience each time you listen. Play them more loudly, or listen to them on headphones, and you can't help but be drawn in to Lundvall's tranquil, lonely landscapes. Lundvall speaks to ReGen about his artistic process and the connection between his work and the natural world.

Tell us a little about your most recent album, Empty City. How does this album relate conceptually to your previous release, Last Light?

Lundvall: Empty City is basically my reaction to urban landscapes devoid of human presence, and how these environments interact with nature. I initially described Empty City an instrumental companion to Last Light, since some of the tracks were recorded during the same sessions. The albums turned out to be quite different from each other in the end, however. Where Last Light revolves around personal, human experiences, Empty City sees inanimate objects and the landscape itself taking center stage.

Last Light was your first album to feature prominent vocals, while Empty City is a return to primarily instrumental music. Who were your inspirations as a singer for this release?

Lundvall: Actually, there are vocals on all of my releases prior to Last Light; however, this was the first release where the vocals became more dominant and were pushed to the foreground. I'm not really influenced or inspired by a specific singer or style of singing. My inspiration simply comes from my own experiences and my style is my own.

Was incorporating such lyrical elements a positive experience for you? Do you plan to do it again anytime soon?

Lundvall: I enjoy recording vocals and feel that the more song-based tracks work well alongside the instrumental pieces. At the moment I feel I've expressed just about everything I've wanted to lyrically, but this view is constantly changing. I already have an album in progress which consists of nearly all vocal tracks, but I am still deciding what form this album will ultimately take.

Your music has a real organic feel that's not often present in ambient music. How do you create your sounds? Are they done electronically, or do you also use real instruments? In a similar vein, what was the source of the footsteps, bells, and other percussive effects on Empty City?

Lundvall: Although I rely heavily on electronics, I always try to use the equipment in an organic way. I despise pre-programmed synth and sampler sounds. They do not interest me at all. Nearly all of my sounds are created from scratch, usually from objects around the house and from acoustic instruments such as the guitar. My microphone stand and shortwave radio are two of my favorite sampling sources. Many of the percussive effects you hear on Empty City come from banging on my equipment stands with a drumstick, or sometimes simply from clapping. Most of these samples are heavily treated, however, and are sometimes distorted beyond recognition.

Before Last Light, you released a series of concept albums based on the seasons. What is it about these sort of extended conceptual meditations that appeals to you, rather than just releasing one-off albums?

Lundvall: I've always found that my surroundings have a tremendous impact on my painting and music. The music I recorded for my four season-based albums is strongly linked to the seasons in which they were written. It's difficult for me to listen to these pieces during any other time of the year. The same is true with some of my paintings, which is why I usually group certain paintings together in a series.

Do you have a new series in mind for your next set of releases? Will there be more albums linked to Empty City and Last Light?

Lundvall: In many ways, all of my musical releases and paintings are linked together as a continuing story. In terms of an immediate series, however, I believe there will be one more album tying together Last Light and Empty City.

You're also an accomplished painter, and your albums are accompanied by original paintings that are tied to the music. Are these paintings inspired by the music, or vice-versa? How do these two media relate to one another?

Lundvall: Both my painting and music are strongly connected and are constantly feeding off of each other. Usually the paintings develop first and influence the music, although this is not always the case. During the recording sessions for The Mist, for instance, the music strongly influenced the grey-toned paintings which appear as the CD artwork.

In addition to your own albums, your artwork has adorned a number of releases by other artists, most notably Sol Invictus and related projects. How did you come to work with Tony Wakeford? Do you have a particular favorite album cover?

Lundvall: I first discovered Tony's music back in the early 90s while still in college. There was something about the mood of his music and images he was evoking lyrically that spurred me to send him some drawings. Tony liked what he saw, and asked if I would be interested in creating the artwork for his King and Queen album. I readily accepted, and things developed from there. I am most fond of the In the Rain album artwork, in spite of the fact that apparently some Sol Invictus fans found it to be 'not dark enough,' whatever that means.

You've also collaborated musically with Tony Wakeford on Sol Invictus's In a Garden Green album and your own release, Autumn Calls. Do you have any other collaborative projects planned? How does collaborating with other artists affect your style of recording?

Lundvall: Tony and I have discussed working together again, and we have even started sending each other a few rough ideas. Apart from this, there is nothing else planned at the moment, as I am too busy concentrating selfishly on my own work. I am not particularly fond of collaborations in general, although working with others can sometimes push the music in interesting directions you might not normally discover on your own.

Your paintings have also been featured on several albums from Blue Note, including a Miles Davis boxed set. Are you a jazz fan?

Lundvall: Apart from a few exceptions such as Bobby Hutcherson, I'm not a big jazz fan. I did study jazz piano for a few years back in the mid-1980s, and I'm sure it has had an impact on my recordings to some degree.

Your music is very evocative of specific settings, whether it be your home at night on Last Light or abandoned urban areas on Empty City, and you've mentioned before that the most important element of your paintings are the landscapes, rather than the figures. What are some of the most inspiring locations you've visited? What places would you like to see that you haven't had the chance to visit yet?

Lundvall: The most inspiring places I've visited have been those in the eastern USA, particularly the mountains of Vermont and Virginia in the autumn. I always find some special, hidden landscape or location wherever I go, however. I would like to visit the polar regions some day. I visited Sweden once when I was a child, and I'm longing to return.

Can you tell us a little about what you're working on at the moment, whether it's a recording or a painting?

Lundvall: At the moment, the chill weather has inspired me to start working on some instrumental recordings. I'm going to head up the street to the bay this week and record some of the distant ship bells in the harbor. I'm also working on a few autumn landscapes devoid of figures, although they are sure to creep in sooner or later.