Tor Lundvall (born 1968 in Wyckoff, New Jersey) is a painter and musician who is based out of East Hampton, New York.
Lundvall graduated in 1987 from Saddle River Day School[1] He has a B.A. in studio art with a minor in literature from the American University in Washington D.C. (1991).
His oil paintings are quite vivid and luminous due to his use of vibrant colors and the strong tension created between light and shadow. Lundvall's imagery is mostly inspired by rural northeastern American landscapes which he inhabits with imaginative figures and isolated individuals. His canvases often depict serene environments with an underlying sense of menace.
Tor first came into the public eye in the early 1990s through his art exhibitions in New York and after creating the CD artwork for various musicians, including several projects for Tony Wakeford's dark folk group Sol Invictus (band).[2]
Lundvall has also produced cover art for Gonzalo Rubalcaba's "Solo" CD (2006) and Miles Davis's "The Blue Note and Capitol Recordings" CD box-set reissue (1993), both released on Blue Note Records. His paintings have also been featured on the covers of the March 2007 and July 2008 issues of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
A resident of Wyckoff, New Jersey, Lundvall is also a musician, and his compositions are often described as Dark ambient.[3] His first album, "Passing Through Alone" (1997) was co-produced with his brother Kurt Lundvall and could be categorized in the Industrial music genre, as it shared little in common musically with subsequent releases. At the time "Passing Through Alone" was only available at Lundvall's gallery showings, but is now available again through his website.
Lundvall's music came to prominence with the release of "Autumn Calls" (1998), a collaboration with Tony Wakeford released on the now defunct British record label World Serpent Distribution. Three solo albums followed, continuing the seasons-themed concept: "Ice" (1999), "The Mist" (2001) and "Under the Shadows of Trees" (2003).
After the demise of World Serpent in 2004, Tor Lundvall released his recordings through the American label Strange Fortune until November 2008. His major releases for Strange Fortune included "Last Light" (2004), "Empty City" (2006) and the "Yule" EP (2006). "Empty City" featured Lundvall's first attempt at an instrumental approach for an entire album. In 2009, Tor began working with another American label Dais Records, which released his albums "Sleeping and Hiding" (2009), "The Shipyard" (2012) and "The Park" (2015) in vinyl format. Dais Records also released three CD box sets by Lundvall, "The Seasons Unfold" (2011), "Structures and Solitude" (2013) and "Nature Laughs As Time Slips By (2016). All of Tor Lundvall's recordings are mastered by his brother Kurt Lundvall.
Tor Lundvall's music has evolved over the years from early pop songs, to a more ambient sound, which he personally finds difficult to describe or categorize.
"I suppose one could call it 'ghost ambient'! I approach my music in a visual way, starting with a very basic idea and slowly building on it. The tracks are essentially paintings with music and their titles usually reflect the contents. I have also gained a new respect for the piano over the past several years, which plays a major part in my recordings. Although I tend to use electronics and samplers, I always approach music in a natural, organic way. All samples are created at home, usually in the bedroom. I loathe patch presets and use them only rarely. In fact the process of recording is so complex, that the 'equipment used' section printed in my CD booklets is basically useless.I find that my recent recordings are becoming progressively more instrumental and ambient in nature, although the music still retains a strong sense of melody. As with my paintings, my music has always existed in a private world of its own."[4]
| Year | Title | Format | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Passing Through Alone | CD | Private release of early 'pop' material. |
| 1998 | Autumn Calls | CD | Collaboration with Tony Wakeford. |
| 1999 | Ice | CD | Winter installment of the seasons-themed albums. |
| 2001 | The Mist | CD | Spring installment of the seasons-themed albums. |
| 2002 | Evening / Leaves | 7" Picture Disc | Limited edition of 500 copies. |
| 2003 | Under The Shadows Of Trees | CD | Summer installment of the seasons-themed albums. |
| 2004 | Last Light | CD | Limited edition of 955 hand-numbered copies. |
| 2006 | Empty City | CD | Limited edition of 955 hand-numbered copies. |
| 2006 | Yule | CDEP | Limited edition of 333 hand-numbered copies. |
| 2007 | The Seasons Unfold Sampler | CDEP | Promotional sampler for forthcoming 4xCD box set "The Seasons Unfold". |
| 2008 | Winter Song / The Watchers | 7" | 1st release in the label's Mizuko Jizo 7" series. Limited edition of 350 copies on violet vinyl. |
| 2009 | Insect Wings, Leaf Matter & Broken Twigs | CD | Early Ambient Recordings: 1991–1994. |
| 2009 | Sleeping And Hiding | LP | Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies in foil-embossed sleeve with full-color insert. |
| 2010 | Ghost Years | CD | Retrospective featuring tracks from compilations, vinyl and unreleased material. |
| 2011 | The Seasons Unfold | 4xCD Box Set | Contains remastered and expanded editions of "Ice", "The Mist" and "Under the Shadows of Trees" plus a 4th bonus disc entitled "Turning" which features the basic ambient tracks for "Autumn Calls" plus unreleased material from the period. Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies. |
| 2011 | Field Trip | Cassette EP | Limited edition of 46 hand-numbered copies with silk screen printed artwork. |
| 2012 | The Shipyard | LP | Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies in matte sleeve with gloss-overlaid artwork and full-color insert. |
| 2013 | Structures And Solitude | 5xCD Box Set | Contains remastered and expanded editions of "Last Light" and "Empty City" plus the CD editions of "Sleeping And Hiding" and "The Shipyard". The 5th disc entitled "Night Studies" consists of 18 instrumental vignettes recorded between April and August 2013. Limited edition of 500 copies. |
| 2014 | Ibis / Quiet Seaside | 7" | Collaboration with Leila Abdul-Rauf. Limited edition of 300 copies. |
| 2015 | The Park | LP | Limited edition of 300 copies. |
| 2016 | Nature Laughs As Time Slips By | 5xCD Box Set | Contains the CD edition of "The Park", "The Violet-Blue House" (new), "Rain Studies" (new), an expanded CD edition of "Field Trip" and a second volume of "Insect Wings, Leaf Matter & Broken Twigs - Early Ambient Recordings: 1991-1994". Limited edition of 500 copies. |
| 2018 | A Dark Place | LP | Limited edition of 500 copies (400 black vinyl / 100 transparent purple vinyl) in foil-embossed, reverse board sleeve with full-color inner sleeve. |
| 2019 | A Strangeness In Motion | LP | Early Pop Recordings: 1989–1999. Limited edition of 1000 copies (500 black vinyl / 400 clearwater blue vinyl / 100 clear with yellow swirl vinyl) in matte finish sleeve with gloss-overlaid artwork and full-color inner sleeve. |
| 2020 | Yule | LP | Vinyl edition of the Holiday album released as a limited edition CD in 2006. Limited edition of 2000 copies (800 black vinyl / 600 clear red vinyl / 400 clear green vinyl / 200 peppermint vinyl) in foil-embossed sleeve with full-color inner sleeve. |
| 2021 | Beautiful Illusions | LP | |
| 2022 | Forget It! | LP | |
| Year | Song Title | Compilation | Format | Special Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Ghost Years (alternate version) | "On Magazine" | CD | Original version released on "Passing Through Alone". | |
| 1998 | The Big Nowhere | "What is Eternal" | CD | Collaboration with Tony Wakeford. | |
| 1999 | The Falling Snow (remixed edited version) | "Eisteddfod" | CD | Full length version released on the "Yule" EP. | |
| 2000 | My Weakness | "MM" | CD | World Serpent promotional compilation. | |
| 2000 | 29 | "Ostia" | CD | Identical to version released on "The Mist". | |
| 2002 | Tears and Rain | "Sol Lucet Omnibus - A Tribute to Sol Invictus" | 2xCD | ||
| 2002 | Treetop | "Songs for Landeric - Music for a New Born Son" | 2xCD | Recorded during the "Under the Shadows of Trees" sessions. | |
| 2005 | Aliénor | "Songs for Aliénor - Music for a New Born Daughter" | 2xCD | ||
| 2007 | Birds Asleep | "Dream Magazine #7" | CD | Out-take from the "Under the Shadows of Trees" sessions. | |
| 2010 | The Shipyard In Winter / Safety In Grey | "With Friends Like These" | 2xCD | Out-takes from "The Shipyard" sessions. | |
| 2014 | Orange Leaves | "Ethereality: A Radio Mystic Compilation" | free digital download | Identical to version later released on "Rain Studies". | |
| 2016 | A Room By The Sea | "Where Words Fail, Music Speaks - A Compilation For Ania Mehring" | digital download | Out-take from the "Rain Studies" sessions. |