Various

Rune Gramofon is one of the few music labels that make physical objects worth owning. This combination book/double CD was supposed to be a second edition of their fifth anniversary project but turned into something almost entirely new. Most of the fresh content is represented by a top-notch survey of the diversity and depth of music on the label. Certain artists, like Food and Supersilent, record sparingly and fans will welcome any new additions to their catalogues. The two discs chronicle a label that has evolved far beyond its reputation as a 21st century ECM. Twenty-five tracks segue from caustic noise into more placid terrain, with varying degrees of pop and improv ideas giving shape to each song. It's a good soundtrack to the book, which is fun to read, given its mismatched paper stock, wild graphic collisions and insightful essays. Altogether, this package features a tightly coherent graphic concept and a superior musical survey of the most forward thinking music that Scandinavia has to offer.