Exit!

fire! is a swedish trio comprising mats gustafsson (the thing), johan berthling (tape) and drummer andreas werliin (wildbirds and peacedrums). fire! orchestra takes the project to the next level: a sonic behemoth comprising 31 members that should be unmanageable, but turns out to possess the elegance and lucidity of the righteous free jazz big bands of the past. throughout both long halves of exit!, mariam wallentin and sofie jernberg chant ritualistic lyrics written by arnold de boer of dutch avant rock institution, the ex. the text, he explains, is about concrete and non-concrete space, 'and about the possibility of improvising in actual space, and the ties, ropes and teachers in many online spaces and programs. it's up to the various sorts of fire to define the real, irreal, surreal and unreal. exit! might be a monotonous monolith of repetitive beats, or a tornado-eye of wild solos, but it has a point to make.