Organ Mug – What the Hell Is “Solastalgia”?
Well, firstly, “Solastalgia” is the title of the new album from Organ Mug. It was released on 22 October 2021 by Irascible Records. More complex is the definition of the actual word. It is a neologism, according to Wikipedia, derived from the Latin “solacium” (comfort) and the Greek -algia (plain, suffering). Put together, it “describes a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change”. The suggestion that this definition might mean that “Solastalgia” was a stormy and difficult affair could not be farther from the truth.
“Solastagia” is Organ Mug’s third album, and it marks a radical change in direction for him. Previously the purveyor of dreamy, if darkish, electronica, the sonic palette of this new work is based much more on organic instruments and field recordings. They range from rattling typewriters and plucked bicycle spokes to any other object he could find in the farm in rural canton Vaud where “Solastalgia” was recorded. These, together with his own super-soothing voice and a tinkling old-fashioned piano as well as vocal and instrumental contributions by guests including the singer/songwriter Emily Zoe and the composer Hugo Lippens, combine to a weave a playfully ethereal meditation on the meaning of the word “Solastalgia” within our own awareness of our environment, past, present and future.
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