Leave it to the inimitable Is It Jazz? Records to release something as unique-sounding, musically adventurous, and relentlessly experimental as Suola Ja Noaidi by the intriguing collective of musicians known as Sex Magick Wizards. Not only is the name of this Norwegian-Sámi quartet quirky and appealing, but so is the actual music. Essentially a double album that merges free jazz, prog, and psychedelic rock with improv and intense jamming, this long-player is something else entirely and strikes a nice balance between being dense as hell and strangely seductive. It is arguably quite accessible despite the many curveballs that it throws up, but that probably depends on whether your mind is teetering on the brink of madness already or not.
Every instrument plays a key role here, and both the album’s musicality and atmosphere are channelled through a distinct Nordic lens, with tracks such as the hypnotic 18-minute ‘Without My Wings‘, the instinctively infectious album closer ‘Old Unbaptized Realms‘, and the barrage of dissonant noise that is ‘Transform‘ being great examples of the group’s impressive songwriting heft, ability to improvise, and willingness to throw caution to the wind in the most charming manner imaginable. It simply feels radical in all the right ways. A couple of compositions struggle to hold one’s attention and lack direction, which is somewhat understandable considering the length of the opus, but there is no mistaking the pure emotional depth of the song material throughout.
Sex Magick Wizards have done a marvellous job of crafting a deeply atmospheric, highly exploratory, and outright thoughtful hoot of an album that pulls off a plethora of welcome surprises. Despite it losing its momentum on a couple of occasions (the tracks ‘Murjjiid geđggiid rásiid‘ and ‘I Leave, I Return‘ come to mind here), it is without doubt an intoxicating listen, provided one is in the right frame of mind to digest and reflect on their transcendental compositions and words. For something completely different and original, try this one out and see how traditional joik elements blended seamlessly with explosive, inventive rock music suit you.
Suola Ja Noaidi is out now via Is It Jazz? Records.
