About "The Seasons Unfold"
Tor Lundvall’s three thematically season albums representing Winter, Spring, and Summer which were respectively titled Ice, The Mist, and Under the Shadows of Trees were original released on Tor’s own Eternal Autumn Editions label, with distribution World Serpent over ten years ago and slowly fell out of print.
The Seasons Unfold box set collects these albums as remastered and repackaged artifacts with 10 unheard bonus tracks across all three. Also included is the new Autumn collection, Turning, which features the ambient tracks from his "Autumn Calls" sessions plus six unreleased pieces and alternate mixes recorded between 1992 and 1993.
Matte finish box with gloss-overlaid artwork containing liner booklet and 4 CDs with 83 tracks in total. First 50 mail order copies included an original hand-painted oil study by Tor Lundvall.
The individual albums are available digitally on all streaming platforms, and Bandcamp.
Ice
"I consider Ice to be my first true solo album. Musically, it is a more spontaneous and experimental work recorded using minimal equipment, primarily my friend Christine's slightly out-of-tune Winter piano (yes, the maker is really called "Winter"!) and my trusty reverb unit.
I recorded the first three tracks one grey November day in 1995 using only the piano, a makeshift microphone constructed from a pair of broken headphones, my reverb unit and a 4-track. I placed the microphone at various distances across my living room which played a large role in establishing the atmosphere of these early pieces.
I eventually added more equipment and electronics as the album progressed. I regret not documenting the recording process more thoroughly, as some of the techniques I used resulted in some incredibly strange and unique atmospheres. Tracks 8 through 12 were recorded late at night, in the dead of winter, and still capture those moments in time perfectly. I still remember the thin crescent moon shining through the icy window while I recorded these tracks.
Ice will always remain very special to me. I crawl into its delicate and mysterious world every now and then, still captivated by the freedom, spontaneity and purity of the recordings."
Tor Lundvall, November 16th, 2006 (Amended March 2018)
Bonus tracks on the 2011 Dais reissue:
'Blankets of Snow' is one of my earliest recordings from the "Ice" sessions. I still can't figure out how I got the piano to sound like a distorted guitar on this track. 'Broadcast on Open Streets' is an odd little piece which was constructed by playing a 4-track master tape in reverse. The re-recorded version of 'Another Evening' is set against the ambient background from the 7" vinyl version of 'Winter Song'."
- Tor Lundvall, November 7th, 2010
The Mist
"This album started out as a few song titles jotted down in my notebook one rainy Spring day in 1998. My plan was to continue where my previous album, Ice, left off. The first six tracks were recorded between March and May 1998. I was considering releasing these tracks as a mini-album called "Dead Tree" further down the road, so the music was shelved for about a year and a half. The project was rekindled after a late night walk in November 1999, when I saw the pale moon hanging cold and lifeless over the harbor near my home. 'Dead Moon' was my response and things developed from there.
The Mist is my reaction to the Springtime and how I perceived life at that time. As the title implies, the atmosphere is rainy and grey. Like my previous album, Ice, the music is arranged as a continuous chain and flows like an unfolding story. Several of the vocal tracks, such as '29', 'The Hollow' and 'Grey Life', are about being lost, emotionally and spiritually.
My paintings and music complimented each other well during this time period. Three paintings appear on the CD edition and depict, among other things, the landscape and forests near my home on eastern Long Island."
- Tor Lundvall, February 5th, 2001, (Amended March 2018)
Bonus tracks on 2011 reissue:
"The out-take, 'Distance', is a personal favorite. I originally felt this song was too overpowering for the album, however I've changed my mind in recent years. 'Earth's Answer' was originally intended for a William Blake compilation that was shelved due to the collapse of World Serpent Distribution. Another minor addition to this reissue is the reinstated ticking intro to the track '6:00 AM'."
- Tor Lundvall, November 7th, 2010
Under the Shadows of Trees
"The title of this album came to me one Summer afternoon in 1999 while sitting on a bench facing an old graveyard in Amagansett, New York. The sunlight flickered through the leaves, casting face-like patterns across the gravestones. In the distance, I heard a lawnmower droning quietly, mixed with the sound of children's laughter. I wrote down a few song titles and started working on some recordings, hoping to capture the strange, yet peaceful atmosphere of this moment.
The album follows the slow progression of a Summer day from morning through evening. While most of the tracks have pastoral themes, tracks such as 'The City' and 'Game Room' evoke memories of hiding out in air conditioned rooms away from the pounding heat, while digital clocks and video games blinked away in the cool darkness. Many of the songs were constructed around the after-effects of pure reverb, giving the music a soft and hazy quality. I encourage the listener to play this album outside when the Summer sun sets, just as the evening ghosts call softly from the woods."
Tor Lundvall, April 7th, 2003 (Amended March 2018)
Bonus tracks on 2011 reissue:
"'Green and Grey' and 'Treetop' have been inserted back where they originally belonged in the running order. I decided to cut these tracks from the World Serpent edition to accommodate a shorter running time, however I always regretted this decision. I've also reinstated the full-length version of 'Sinking Sun'. The long Summer day I originally set out to capture is finally complete."
Tor Lundvall, November 7th, 2010
Turning
