While walking down the street on no particular day in his hometown Leeuwarden, it was the discovery of a single feather that brought back memories from days of youth and long forgotten scenes from early childhood.

After more than 30 years, the feather triggered Gert Boersma – aka SILMUS – to go back to a little place at the IJsselmeer, a closed off inland bay in the southside of Friesland, the North of the Netherlands: Laaksum. It was the perfect picture to the sounds he would later create.
The cold and grey days with nothing but the sound of crows and herons in bare trees, somehow reflected beauty. He remembered his strolls around the old pier, the smell at the waterside and he found himself back collecting feathers of swans and geese.

All the memories melted together perfectly into new songs with the spherical abstraction SILMUS is known for. At the same time, the post-rock vibe is still there when the beautiful guitar melodies dance on a bed of soundscapes with the melodical stillness inspired by the land and sea.

With the help of befriended musicians like Jan Theodoor Borger (piano), Minco Eggersman (drums) and Guy Gelem (cello) it took SILMUS three years to finish Laaksum. Call it an ode to this place and memories of youth. The special artwork (designed by Daniel Thomassen) adds to the music and creates a bigger picture. Like with his previous album Shelter there is a limited edition (35 copies) that include a feather, hand selected by SILMUS. The beautiful illustrations of the area that are based on SILMUS’ original photography add to the story and complete Laaksum as a whole.

Laaksum invites you to pick up the feather and revisit your own memories. It invites you to be part of this musical journey where you may find yourself on the top of the pier, with the water lapping over the stones, and the geese travelling above your head …