Blood Music and the stunning emotional travelogue of "Reluctant Dreamers" (instrumental version)

 

"expansive daring movements compositionally as if something larger is at play"

There are passages of music that if you close your eyes will take you on a trip and the cinematic trip of "Reluctant Dreamers" (instrumental version) by Blood Music certainly does this and does it 10 fold. The emotional sweep expresses in surprising tonal shifts has you sailing on a ship one second and dancing in a stranger's wedding the next, and running through hidden parts of a city in a foreign land next. 

This sweeping sensation and the ability to transcend through joy to brooding sadness is a testament to the power of instrumental music done well.  "Reluctant Dreamers" (instrumental version) is just one sliver or frame of the massively shaped and drawn 2 album set "Instrumental songs (part I and II)", a sort of pastiche of Blood Music's discography with the vocals pulled out. The ostensibly indie pop / folk music project is helmed by Swedish singer songwriter / composer / multi-instrumentalist Karl Jonas Winqvist (who is Blood Music plus some steady crew of friends) and founder of the DIY record label Sing a song fighter. 

Winqvist shares:

"I have lived with these songs as instrumentals way longer than the released album versions with vocals on. Because this is how the songs were recorded at first. Then I listened to them in headphones while out endlessly walking, before recording the vocals.

And while I might have written some decent lyrics to some of them and some invited guests added stellar vocals on a few of them...If I have to go back and listen to these songs, sometimes I prefer the instrumental versions."

and he shares more on the "why / why not" seeds:

"It's not like I have drowned in letters and e-mails from people yearning for a 2-lp album like this, but I I remember getting an e-mail from someone in France, perhaps 6-7 years ago. The person asked if I could send him an instrumental version of "Play this at my funeral".as he wanted to sing it on a special party (not funeral).

I meant to send him a mix, but something came in the way and I lost the e-mail somehow. Now, if he would need it, 6-7 years too late, for a new party, it is finally here!"

In listening to  "Reluctant Dreamers" (instrumental version) often, at first I thought the cement that ties the song together is the violin but it is not, it is, however the expansive daring movements compositionally as if something larger is at play, maybe a secret hand, an utterly ID approach, improvisational ghosts to be chased down a dozen rabbit holes. It is just remarkable. 

"Instrumental songs" (part I and II) drops on all platforms the 27th of Oct 2023.

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://www.facebook.com/thefireandtheflame

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2skSP4pjVsOwUv1aX4O42C

https://www.instagram.com/karljonaswinqvist/

https://singasongfighter.bandcamp.com/album/instrumental-songs-part-i-and-ii



One man DIY pop band Blood Music is Karl Jonas Winqvist. plus a steady stream of friends and guests.

Karl Jonas is also founder of the Swedish label Sing a song fighter who has released an impressive amount of unique and exciting artists/bands in all kinds of genres, from afro to classical solo piano to jazz to Swedish prog etc.

He was also in the cult band first floor power who released their first album, "there is hope", twenty years ago (2001).

And besides running the record label and recording music under the name of Blood Music he is also heavily involved in the side projects The Second hand orchestra and the hope singers.

Plus he recently formed a new band while visiting Senegal: Wau Wau Collectif (album debut coming late February 2021 on US label sahel sounds).

Karl Jonas is also busy producing other artist's albums now and then. The latest ones are James Yorkston's new album "the wide, wide river" on domino records and Wau Wau Collectif's forthcoming album "Mariage".

Blood Music Discography: 2005 "Sing a song fighter" (album) 2008 "Don Quite" (album) 2012 "The fire and the flame" (album) 2015 "The light of the future (dark of the past)" (album) 2020 "Numbers -dec 2020 version" (single) 2022 "(Sometimes we need) A new beginning" (album)

Upcoming. There might be an album released in the near future full of instrumental versions of really old and quite new Blood Music songs.

Blood Music, artist, singer songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, Karl Jonas Winqvist, Sweden, pastiche of songs as instrumentals, 2 album set "Instrumental songs (part I and II)", folk indie pop,