The group sounds totally comfortable together—tuned-in to each other in a way that makes the music feel inevitable rather than arranged.
April Records
Rasmus Oppenhagen Krogh – electric & acoustic guitar; Lars Greve – reeds & effects; Simon Toldam – piano & synths; Anders Christensen – electric bass; Victor Dybbroe – percussion; Jakob Høyer – drums
Rasmus Oppenhagen Krogh’s Pillars feels like walking through early morning fog, when everything is calm and the world hasn’t quite woken up. The outlines of melody and rhythm appear gently, one by one, until you realize you’re surrounded by sound. It’s an album that invites you to slow down and listen closely.
Following his 2023 release Until Then, Krogh reunites with a core group—Lars Greve on reeds, Simon Toldam on piano and synths, Anders Christensen on bass, Victor Dybbroe on percussion, and Jakob Høyer on drums—to create music that moves fluidly between jazz, ambient, and minimalist textures.
What stands out most, though, are the melodies. Krogh is a master at dressing them up — layering percussion, synths, and subtle effects around the guitar until they shimmer with detail. The impression emerges that he starts with something simple and beautiful, then keeps testing it against different textures.
“Sooner or Later” feels like watching the first ripples spread across still water — long, drawn-out sounds and slow guitar phrases that hang there before melting away. Then “Pillars” steps forward, all clear melody and insistent rhythm, with Krogh picking each note as if he’s testing how much space it can fill.
After the meditative opening stretch, “The Bell on the Hillside” feels like sunlight breaking through. Krogh switches to acoustic guitar, his notes ringing clear against quiet percussion and a few faint synths. There’s a folk quality to it — listen closely and imagine Pentangle playing something like this, with that same mix of grace and gravity.
“Summit” floats in the opposite direction, colder and more spectral. Krogh’s electric guitar chimes against soft sax lines and a hint of wind-like synths. It’s fragile music, built on air.
Then “Hope” ties everything together, starting simply — just piano, guitar, and a steady bass — before swelling into something quietly triumphant. The sax steps forward, the volume rises, and for a moment the haze lifts.
The group sounds totally comfortable together—tuned-in to each other in a way that makes the music feel inevitable rather than arranged. Krogh’s guitar leads the way, but nobody overplays or tries to prove anything. They just let the songs unfold at their own pace, finding beauty in all that open space. This is music for early mornings or late nights, for listeners willing to meet it halfway. If you’re in the right frame of mind, Pillars will reward that patience completely.
