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Where do we begin with this album? Current 93 and its grandmaster David Tibet have been a unique presence in the alternative music scene since the 1980's, first coming from an experimental industrial direction, but in the early 90's changing its style and including more and more influences from (traditional) folk music, thus becoming one of the main figures of the neofolk movement. All the while, David Tibet has never really conformed to any aspect of a certain scene or movement, and continues to find new ways of expressing his incredibly rich inner world.
It is regular practice for Current 93 to collaborate with many other artists, but David really went all out on this album. Among the supporting artists are Michael Cashmore (Nature and Organisation), Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), Antony (Antony & the Johnsons), Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Shirley Collins, and many more. All these outside influences have been moulded into a unique whole, the songs showing many different faces.
Thematically this album is about a dream David Tibet had, where Black Ships entered the sky in preparation of the second coming of Christ. This theme is combined with the poem "Idumæa" by Charles Wesley, which is interpreted nine individual times by the different contributing artists. All of the themes are beautifully worked out in both the music (mainly written by Cashmore and Chasny) and lyrics, as well as in the voluminous book(let) and the "hallucinatory icons and paintings", which were provided by little Seth and Anna Cox-Dorée.
It's a bit pointless to try and list highlights for this album for it is very engrossing from the entire 75 minutes that this album lasts. Each version of "Idumæa" is very well done and differ immensely from eachother, and the other individual tracks are also very diverse. Some tracks are very serene acoustics, such as Baby Dee's and Pantaleimon's interpretations of "Idumæa", and "Why Cæsar Is Burning Part II", while others are very intense, such as the noisy title track. But the main feeling of the album is ominous, threatening and apocalyptic, and all songs together form a perfectly whole, and conceptually sound album.
Black Ships Ate The Sky is one of the best Current 93 albums so far, and definitely one of the best albums 2006 will see. Highly recommended to any fan of original and intense alternative music.
O.S. & D.M.K.
It is regular practice for Current 93 to collaborate with many other artists, but David really went all out on this album. Among the supporting artists are Michael Cashmore (Nature and Organisation), Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), Antony (Antony & the Johnsons), Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Shirley Collins, and many more. All these outside influences have been moulded into a unique whole, the songs showing many different faces.
Thematically this album is about a dream David Tibet had, where Black Ships entered the sky in preparation of the second coming of Christ. This theme is combined with the poem "Idumæa" by Charles Wesley, which is interpreted nine individual times by the different contributing artists. All of the themes are beautifully worked out in both the music (mainly written by Cashmore and Chasny) and lyrics, as well as in the voluminous book(let) and the "hallucinatory icons and paintings", which were provided by little Seth and Anna Cox-Dorée.
It's a bit pointless to try and list highlights for this album for it is very engrossing from the entire 75 minutes that this album lasts. Each version of "Idumæa" is very well done and differ immensely from eachother, and the other individual tracks are also very diverse. Some tracks are very serene acoustics, such as Baby Dee's and Pantaleimon's interpretations of "Idumæa", and "Why Cæsar Is Burning Part II", while others are very intense, such as the noisy title track. But the main feeling of the album is ominous, threatening and apocalyptic, and all songs together form a perfectly whole, and conceptually sound album.
Black Ships Ate The Sky is one of the best Current 93 albums so far, and definitely one of the best albums 2006 will see. Highly recommended to any fan of original and intense alternative music.
O.S. & D.M.K.