detailed info: discogs.com

It’s been a year or six since the last proper Sol Invictus album, and we’ve had to turn to Tony Wakeford‘s consistent work on various side projects (The Triple Tree, Orchestra Noir, Grey Force Wakeford) [...]]]> artist: Sol Invictus
release: The Cruellest Month
format: CD
year of release: 2011
label: Auerbach
duration: 56:50

detailed info: discogs.com

It’s been a year or six since the last proper Sol Invictus album, and we’ve had to turn to Tony Wakeford‘s consistent work on various side projects (The Triple Tree, Orchestra Noir, Grey Force Wakeford) and solo works to follow the man’s current musical directions. Nevertheless, it seems he’s gathered enough inspiration from all these endeavours to infuse Sol Invictus’ seminal neofolk with some new influences.

As has been the case with practically all albums by the band in the almost 25 years of its existence (an impressive datum in itself) there is some recycling of themes, melodic motifs, and composition structure. What fascinates me is that despite of this, and with the help of a varying and ever-changing musical arrangement, most of these albums are still interesting and fresh enough, and The Cruellest Month is no exception. Tracks like “Something’s Coming” and “Toys” (though the latter is lyrically very enjoyable) have perhaps a bit too much of that “heard this before” feeling, but overall, there is a lot of variation. Andrew King‘s rendition of traditionals (“Edward” and “Cruel Lincoln”) differ from his solo works in the addition of the Sol Invictus band, and practically embody the part of neofolk that is rooted in folk balladry. Tracks like “Stella Maris” and “Fool’s Ship” tackle a more expansive sound and nautical theme where the rich arrangements for flute (Guy Harries), dulcimer (Reeve Malka) and violin (Renee Rosen) truly shine. The same point applies to the brilliant instrumental “April Rain”.

Another selling point of The Cruellest Month is the collection of series of tracks that have been all over the place, except together on a definitive Sol Invictus studio album: “To Kill All Kings”, “The Bad Luck Bird”, “The Cruellest Month”, and “The Blackleg Miner”. All are live staples, typical anthems, or at least bound to become one, so it’s good to have them all here. I must say that a bit more fire could have gone into the delivery of these here and there, but overall, these are solid tracks, and more examples of what has kept Wakeford’s compositions interesting throughout the years: a strong sense of rhythm, song structure, and memorable melodies.

The first couple of drafts of this review in my head compared The Cruellest Month to side project albums that have impressed me the past few year (Ghosts by The Triple Tree, Marble Heart by Grey Force Wakeford, Not All of Me Will Die by Wakeford solo). The greater degree of experimentation that Wakeford displayed on such albums is in some sense laudable, and part of me wishes a bit more had trickled through into this one. All the same, this is a Sol Invictus album, and another part of me realises that staying relatively faithful to the song-based tradition of neofolk is what keeps the band on track as a project. In that light, the balance struck between tradition and more loose composition and instrumental play on The Cruellest Month is excellent. So, it’s a new album by what stands as the mainstay band of the neofolk genre, and though it’s not a thoroughly surprising one, I’d say it’s exemplary and at the top of what the genre has to offer.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Raining In April (2:34)
2. To Kill All Kings (4:50)
3. The Sailor’s Aria (1:38)
4. Fool’s Ship (4:24)
5. Toys (3:20)
6. Edward (5:36)
7. The Bad Luck Bird (4:14)
8. April Rain (5:33)
9. Cruel Lincoln (7:59)
10. Something’s Coming (4:11)
11. Stella Maris (3:26)
12. The Cruellest Month (5:45)
13. The Blackleg Miner (3:23)

The subgenre of dark acoustic or dark folk keeps fascinating me endlessly. On the one hand, it harbours some of the most direct and and powerful musical expressions of romanticism, melancholy and nature mysticism that [...]]]> artist: Various Artists
release: Whom the Moon a Nightsong Signs
format: 2CD
year of release: 2010
label: Auerbach/Prophecy
duration: 1:44:23

The subgenre of dark acoustic or dark folk keeps fascinating me endlessly. On the one hand, it harbours some of the most direct and and powerful musical expressions of romanticism, melancholy and nature mysticism that can be found in popular music. On the other hand, it is a horribly limited and stagnant musical idiom that can annoy as much as delight with its pathos. Prophecy, with essential artists of the genre as Empyrium and Tenhi in its stalls, is of course the label to expect a compilation like this one from, and as can be expected, it is in its own way an admirable piece of work. This 2CD collection contains rare and unreleased track selections from a slew of more or less important artists in the dark acoustic spectrum, embellished with fine cover art by Les Discrets‘ Fursy Teyssier, and no doubt more of his fine illustrations to be seen in the digibook when it comes out end of October 2010.

One of the main attractions of this compilation will for many be the return, after eight years, of Empyrium. Personally, I found a great part of the band’s output to have aged less than gracefully compared to e.g. Ulver and Tenhi, but let’s put that aside for a moment. “The Days Before the Fall”, their new track, and presumably a portent of an upcoming album, is a fine track, somehow drawing both upon their last album Weiland and their earlier work on Songs of Moors and Misty Fields. The first part is richly orchestrated with guitar, drums, percussion and strings, and the joint vocals (chant and classical) of Schwadorf and Helm. The second half suddenly launches into a return to the metal style of the early albums, not jarringly so, but still surprising considering the mostly acoustic nature of their last two albums.  On the whole the track is certainly classic Empyrium, an amalgam of all their stylistic qualities so far, but it is also a bit on the slick side, a bit overpolished and… well… by the book. It’s sure to delight many, but I’m afraid it hasn’t completely stirred anew my interest in the band.

Of the other artists featured here, a number come out of the woodwork quite nicely. I’ve never hidden my admiration for Vàli‘s subtle layered guitar work, and his return here with new material (albeit only two short tracks) deserves to be heralded as much as Empyrium’s. October Falls is serene and subdued as always; a nice listen, but nothing we haven’t heard before. The inclusion of the two Les Discrets tracks is also very nice, not in the least because he is an artist of a new generation, having shown on the recent album Septembre et ses Dernières Pensées to be able to mix shoegazing metal and neofolk in a way that goes a bit beyond the paradigm of more traditional artists in the metal/folk crossover. The short but sweet “5 Montee des Epies” is a stronger track than the second one, though, which is bogged down by the muddled vocal harmonies of the band. Musk Ox is another one of those younger artists who have emulated the instrumental dark acoustic style to perfection, and always a pleasure to listen to. “Solstice” is a wonderfully calming track that is hopefully also a precursor to upcoming works.

There are a couple of noteworthy tracks on disc 2, as well, not in the least the rerelease of Ulver’s hard-to-find 1996 track “Synen”. Released originally on the strictly limited Souvenirs from Hell compilation, it was something that always wandered around the net and on tapes, never again finding an official home, until now. And deservedly so. 14 years after, the track shows that if we’re totally honest, many have attempted to take this original style of dark acoustic music further, but few have been able to equal Ulver’s level back then with Kveldssanger, and indeed, with “Synen”, which is a masterpiece of that style, combining powerful vocals in Norwegian, guitar, cello, and percussion. “Kausienranta” is an equally marvellous track – I’ll refer again to the brilliant video here -  and Tenhi is easily one the most original and refined of all bands present here. The only pity is that this is not a new track, and that while new material by this band would be more than welcome. Some of the – for me – newcomers on this disc also present nice material. The moody piano opener by Nhor, for example, as well as the sparse acoustic meanderings of “Krähenkönigin III” by Nucleus Torn. A final mention goes to Syven, a brand new project by A. Tolonen of Nest (also featured on disc 1 with an acoustic version of an older track) and Andy Koski-Semmens, a former vocalist of Pantheist. The epic 14-minute “How Fare the Gods?” is very nice, a brooding dark piece based on tribal percussion, faint kantele melodies, thick synth drones and a selection of ritual and classical vocals. A touch more stately than Nest, and sure to appeal to a wide audience.

So, what verdict to slap on a chimeric release such as this? Let’s start with what this album is not. It’s not the holy grail of dark acoustic, to give this “unnamed genre” a moniker, nor is it even a best-of. The song choices lean in various directions, not all of them geared simply toward quality. Neither is it a true rarities collection, as these songs are not all hard to find or unreleased. And if you’re looking for the cutting edge of the genre, if there is any, you won’t find it in large quantities here either, as a significant part of the tracks is quite old, and most others just rehash the same old style. To reiterate my feelings from the opening, over the course of this release, I find that the genre is a difficult one, and the balance between captivating romanticism and overblown cheesiness is a very fine one, or perhaps they are two sides of the same coin.

That doesn’t mean that it isn’t any good, of course. For all its indecision, Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings is on the whole a very pleasant and listenable collection, where the idea is not to try and find any line in the selection, but just to listen and see what you like, and there is enough to like for a broad range of listeners. Combined with lovingly made artwork and a very fair pricing, that makes this compilation worth the effort of pursuing anyway.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Vàli: Hoestmelankoli
2. Empyrium: The Days Before The Fall
3. Nest: Summer Storm (acoustic)
4. Nebelung: Ich würd es hören
5. October Falls: Viima
6. Ainulindalë: A Year Of Silence
7. Les Discrets: 5 Montee Des Epies
8. Les Discrets: Apres l’Ombre
9. Musk Ox: Solstice
10. Havnatt: Dagen Og Natta
11. Dornenreich: Dem Wind Geboren
12. Vàli: Haredans I Fjellheimen

1. Nhor: Upon The Wind Its Wings Beat Sorrow Into The Stars
2. Ulver: Synen
3. Neun Welten: Pan
4. Tenhi: Kausienranta
5. Bauda: Ocaso (acoustic)
6. Orplid: Stille (Demo)
7. Nucleus Torn: Krähenkönigin III
8. Lönndom: Språnget Ur Ursprunget
9. Syven: How Fare The Gods?

detailed info: discogs.com

It’s been quite a wait, but after almost five years, 2010 sees the release of new Sol Invictus studio material. A full-length album is upcoming on Auerbach/Prophecy, but this 7″ is the [...]]]> artist: Sol Invictus
release: The Bad Luck Bird
format: 7″
year of release: 2010
label: Auerbach / Prophecy
duration: 7:14

detailed info: discogs.com

It’s been quite a wait, but after almost five years, 2010 sees the release of new Sol Invictus studio material. A full-length album is upcoming on Auerbach/Prophecy, but this 7″ is the first taste of what is to come on The Cruelest Month.

And that is, not surprisingly, classic neofolk as it is not often made anymore these days. Mainstays of the genre like Current 93 and Death in June have moved into different territories or relative silence since the early and mid-nineties, which can be considered the heyday of this particular sound. And as for later bands, we’ve seen some quality material here and there during the past ten years, but on the whole, the genre seems to be in low gear.

Who better than Sol Invictus would come with new material to celebrate this traditional neofolk sound? The A-side is a rousing and swooping song with strong percussion, a guitar chord base, and lead roles for flute, violin, and cello. The track is a logical but more powerful continuation of sounds from 2005′s The Devil’s Steed, and pretty much embodies the side of neofolk dedicated to grandeur and martian feelings. “Stella Maris” explores the calmer, more mysterious side of the music, without letting go of the full instrumentation.

If this style is any indication of what will feature on the upcoming album, it is something to look forward to, especially if you have a soft spot for Sol Invictus‘ particular neofolk style. I must say that I was a bit disappointed by the overly modest packaging and layout of this limited 7″. In this digital age, vinyl buyers like to be rewarded with a dash of colour, a gatefold, or even an insert or inner sleeve would’ve been nice. Apart from that though, this is a very enjoyable single that shows Mr. Wakeford and his merry band have still got it.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

A. The Bad Luck Bird (Single Version) (3:37)
B. Stella Maris (3:37)

detailed info: discogs.com

This is the second Tenhi release of 2006, but a misleading one, as it was already released in 2004 under the artist name of Harmaa. The album was originally conceived as a side [...]]]> artist: Tenhi (Harmaa)
release: airut:aamujen
format: CD
year of release: 2004, 2006
label: Utustudio (2004), Auerbach (2006)
duration: 52:16

detailed info: discogs.com

This is the second Tenhi release of 2006, but a misleading one, as it was already released in 2004 under the artist name of Harmaa. The album was originally conceived as a side project to continute the saga that started with the airut:ciwi EP. Apparently the band decided it would be proper to rerelease it under the Tenhi name. It think it’s a good decision, as it will bring more attention to this excellent album.

airut:aamujen is different from other Tenhi material, because of the stripped down instrumentation. This album is played solely on drums, bass and piano, though with the trademark vocals, here and there supported by the female singer Janina Lehto. Needless to say, the piano plays a leading role on this album, and in that respect it is similar to some tracks on Maaäet. It doesn’t really sound like a musical sequel to airut:ciwi, though, except perhaps to the beautiful “Kielo”, which featured on that release.

Besides this, it is the familiar Tenhi style. Idiosyncratic tracks with some folk influences, but most of all, a rich, sometimes dark atmosphere. While some artists have the power to accurately depict certain moods or stories, Tenhi always sounds more abstract. To me, it doesn’t conjure up any particular images. Instead, the music speaks to me directly, which is touching all in its own way. Because of that, Tenhi is comparable to only a few other artists. All tracks on this album are very strong, but I like “seitsensarvi”, “kuvajainen” (a great instrumental experiment) and “hiensynty” in particular.

airut:aamujen shows that Tenhi, in between the two wonderful Väre and Maaäet albums, had enough inspiration left to produce this little gem. An excellent album by one of my favourite artists of today, and recommended to all lovers of original acoustic music.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. saapuminen (2:24)
2. seitsensarvi (4:35)
3. lävitseni kaikkeen (5:44)
4. luopumisen laulu (5:39)
5. kuvajainen (7:01)
6. oikea sointi (4:12)
7. kahluu (8:18)
8. hiensynty (7:34)
9. läheltä (6:49)