Acustic Debris liner notes

My new solo album follows a simple rule: only recordings made on my Martin D25K acoustic guitar are allowed here. Everything was recorded at Under Oak Studio (which sounds more impressive than saying "in our house"). Three of these tracks first appeared as Bandcamp singles during 2025–2026.

The music wanders from acoustic ambient territory to sudden eruptions of almost aggressive sound, then off again into melodic, fabulatory detours. If any of these improvisations seem to hint at a blues, or even Norwegian folk music, or other musical languages, that is probably because they have become part of my musical reflexes over the years. Nothing was planned. Everything was improvised.

But why do this at all?

It's a question I've occasionally been asked by honest people with enough courage to overcome their conflict avoidance and challenge me. It isn't a bad question. For some, "everything was improvised" may explain everything and create the expectation of something worthwhile. Many others—perhaps most—will wonder why, whether they dare ask the question or not.

Why make an album that combines melodic improvisation, more or less recognizable references to existing musical styles, and something approaching "non-idiomatic" music?

My answer is short, but problematic: I wonder whether Homo sapiens and planet Earth are a good idea or not.

As I lift my eyes from the screen where these words are appearing, I can see a tree covered in green leaves, a mother thrush searching for worms while her hungry, still-dependent chick hops after her, demanding food. In the shade beneath the tree (thrushes hop; starlings stroll). Fifty yellow hawkweeds nod in the wind on their long stems. Yesterday I saw a badger nearby.

At the same time, the atmosphere is bursting with carbon dioxide. In East and West, despots sit calculating whether throwing a medium-sized nuclear bomb might gain them ten percentage points in the polls, while other bastards shoot children or drive vans into people enjoying an ice cream in the town square.

So my answer to the question "why?" is twofold:

I don't know.

But this is the only thing I can do. 

Listen/buy at https://tellefogrim.bandcamp.com/album/acoustic-debris