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May 2011 Short Reviews

admin — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:40:56 +0000

Aderlating – Spear of Gold and Seraphim Bone Part One [discogs]

Spear of Gold and Seraphim Bone Part One

Delectable darkness comes from Aderlating recently, a project by Mories of Gnaw Their Tongues and Eric of Mowlawner. Not surprisingly, the album mixes dark ambient and drones with obscure black metal outbursts to create a dynamic set of compositions. Naturally, these styles mix well in creating a dark and oppressive atmosphere with occult undertones. The proportion between more and less intense pieces is balanced very well, with a good variance between pure abstract soundscapes, all-out black metal fury, and wild noisy parts with free drums.

All in all an excellent album for those particular moods, and a nice supplement to what I’ve already heard from Gnaw Their Tongues. The noisy ritual atmosphere on Spear of Gold... should appeal to lovers of experimental black metal and occult drones and ambient alike.

Cubs - The Whispering Woods [discogs]

The Whispering Woods

The second Cubs release again features a long list of figures from Irish and British freefolk, collaborating on a series of mostly instrumental tracks. Prominent are lovely (semi-)improvised guitar and violin arrangements, use of samples and electronic effects, exemplifying the experimental folk sound of today. On the whole this album is a very pleasant, relaxing listen, particularly tracks like “Fortis Green”, “Hidden Valley” and “Frozen Lake”, alternating melancholic and more upbeat moods. Another nice track is “Blackberry Lane”, which also has a decidedly cute video by tinyEPICs.

The Whispering Woods is not as strong as it perhaps might have been if you look at individual talent of some of the people involved (Aaron Hurley, David Colohan, Michael Tanner, Vicky Langan, James Rider, etc.). Not all tracks are equally captivating or involved, and the vocals are a bit lacklustre at times. Nevertheless, this is recommended listening for everyone with an ear open for experimental and freefolk, and only the latest of many fine such releases on Rusted Rail and Deadslackstring, who co-released this one.

Dementia ad Vitam – De Gaia, le Poison… [MySpace]

De Gaia, le Poison...

French project Dementia ad Vitam focuses on rather heavy kind of neoclassical music the combines mostly piano and violin-based melodies with at times bombastic compositions, and some vocal outbursts here and there. At the same time, there are quite a few calm moments and gently flowing classically-inspired waltzes. Most of the tracks on this album are relatively short, allowing an interesting spectrum of different moods. Sometimes, a bit more time is reserved, such as for the acoustic guitar-based “A Présent Si Triste”. The variation between such tracks and the shorter impressions is pleasant, and makes the album flow quite nicely, even though it is over an hour long.

Musical inspiration or distant parallels may be found with artists such as Elend, Dargaard, and Arcana , though the moods and compositions on this album make Dementia ad Vitam stand apart more than enough. Although I must say this album leaves me relatively untouched emotionally, the compositions and atmospheres on De Gaia… are rich and interesting, and definitely worth checking out for anyone with a soft spot for high-strung and lush neoclassical works.

Szymon Kaliski – For Isolated Recollections [discogs]

For Isolated Recollections

Young polish ambient artist Szymon Kaliski impressed quite a few folks with his release Out of Forgetting in late 2010. Now he’s back with a second EP on Hibernate that delivers more of the same delicate drones and ambient pieces. Kaliski’s tracks are minimal, sparse compositions, relying on little glitches, noises and melodic loops. Most of the melodies have a piano-like tinge to them, and the general atmosphere of these quartet of tracks is that of someone sitting at a piano in a dusty room, keying out little pieces of memory. There’s something spacious and contemplative about it that makes For Isolated Recollections an extremely pleasant and calming listening experience.

So far, Kaliski hasn’t greatly astounded me with his music, but little works like this one are sure to find their way into the playlist of many ambient lovers, and I for one look forward to hearing more subtle and gentle recordings like this one. Promising work!

Review: The Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree – The Soup & The Shilling (2010)

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:15:59 +0000

artist: The Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree
release: The Soup & The Shilling
format: 2xCD
year: 2010
label: Deadslackstring / Deserted Village
duration: 74:58

detailed info: discogs.com

It’s been a wait of over five years, but for those who’ve – like me – been looking forward to a re-release of the first two EPs by The Magcikal Folk of the Faraway Tree, the moment is here. Even better, we get a whole new album thrown into the bargain. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, it’s best introduced as the traditional folk outlet of the good people from the Deserted Village collective in Ireland. It’s a bit vague who the exact contributors to the band are, but it’s clear that Deserted Village mainstays David Colohan and Gavin Prior are among them.

CD 1 contains the aforementioned EPs, The Mildew Leaf (2003) and The Cat’s Melodeon (2005), both of which were highly limited releases. Separating the two is the beautiful “Being Here Has Caused My Sorrow”, from the Gold Leaf Branches compilation put out by Digitalis a while back. Both contain a very nice selection of (mostly) British and Irish traditional folk tunes, performed as if straight from some countryside pub, which isn’t even that unlikely considering the nomadic characters that generally make up Deserted Village. The performance isn’t perfectly polished everywhere, but that has never been something to daunt genuine folk enthusiasts. Among the many great tracks on these EPs are some beautiful Gaelic songs (“In Aimsir Bhaint An Fhéir”), rousing battle anthems (“Trelawny”), sea shanties (“The Mermaid”), and tragic ballads (“Daybreak”).

The second half of this release contains fourteen unreleased tracks, basically in the same style as what we’ve heard before. The selection of songs is excellent, and contains a mixture of moods comparable to that on the EPs. “An Bhanaltra” opens with soft guitar and flute lines and Gaelic text. Some more uptempo work is also found, such as “Locks and Bolts” and especially “Up to the Rigs”, a scoundrel anthem if there ever was one. On the other hand, the melancholic and reflective side of folk music represented by beautiful tracks such as “Going to Mass Last Sunday” and a touching rendition of “My Lodging it Is on the Cold Ground”.

Apart from the rather sober presentation – the cover drawing and pictures don’t really come out well – this release is filled with loveliness. There’s a perfect balance of different kinds of folk songs that should appeal to any lover of traditional interpretations, with a lingering presence of the experimental tendencies of the Deserted Village collective.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

The Mildew Leaf
1.1 In Aimsir Bhaint An Fhéir (2:41)
1.2 Spencer The Rover (3:43)
1.3 Le Bon Marain (3:35)
1.4 The Blackthorn Tree (2:09)
1.5 Twa Corbies (1:40)
1.6 Is Iomaidh Coiscéim Fada (3:23)
1.7 Time To Go Home (1:54)

1.8 Being Here Has Caused My Sorrow (4:25)

The Cat’s Melodeon
1.9 Trelawny (4:07)
1.10 The Mermaid (1:56)
1.11 Caol Is Eadar Mí Is Iain (0:41)
1.12 Daybreak (1:52)
1.13 Donal Óg (3:29)
1.14 Mrs Cudmore’s Air (0:44)
1.15 Here’s A Health To All True Lovers (2:44)

2.1 An Bhanaltra (4:50)
2.2 Cambourne Hill (0:49)
2.3 Trois Jeunes Tambours (2:14)
2.4 I Binged Avree (1:00)
2.5 Blackbirds And Thrushes (2:16)
2.6 Locks And Bolts (2:28)
2.7 She Was A Rum One (3:00)
2.8 My Lodging It Is On The Cold Ground (3:09)
2.9 The Summer Will Come (1:16)
2.10 Going To Mass Last Sunday (3:19)
2.11 The Deluded Lover (3:09)
2.12 Up To The Rigs (2:29)
2.13 The Cat’s Melodeon (2:27)
2.14 The Haselbury Girl (3:29)

Review: Richard Moult – Ethe (2010)

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:37:35 +0000

artist: Richard Moult
release: Ethe
format: CD
year of release: 2010
label: Deadslackstring
duration: 53:26

detailed info: discogs.com

In the barren days of the present many of us look around for art that is serious without being pretentious; that is beautiful without being kitsch; that is challenging without being alienating; that is autonomous without being egotistical; that is melancholy without being self-indulgent. And we usually look in vain, because such art is no longer wanted in the modern market place where art itself has become a branch of the entertainment industry, designed to elicit shallow responses and provoke false outrage. In this cultural desert, the seeker after true art will see the work of the English composer and painter Richard Moult as a welcome oasis.

Richard’s new album, Ethe, is one musical manifestation of a wider project that also encompasses poetry and painting. This new phase represents something of a departure from Richard’s earlier work. As a painter his mature work began with a series of landscapes, mostly of the Welsh Marches. These works conveyed such a lucid apprehension of the landscape that they seemed to be direct expressions of the essence of the natural world, rather than mere depictions of it. They conveyed to the viewer something of the secret soul of nature as experienced and mediated by the artist in his relationship with his environment. In these paintings the world of nature was not some external thing that the artist tried to frame, or master; instead she was an intimate ally who was worshipped.

Increasingly, figures began to appear in the landscapes: birds; young girls; statues; foxes. And then, as these elements began to form a coherent and unique artistic perspective, there came the appearance of some surreal and idiosyncratic devices: figures formed in the clouds; sinister children dressed in outdated clothing. Throughout all of these explorations there was a strong sense of style and vision that remained consistent. Whatever the subject matter, there was always a clarity to the execution of the work and an accessibility of form that made the paintings come alive.

A few years ago this carefully developed style was put aside and the mysterious Ethe paintings began to appear. These pictures seemed to signal a complete break from what had gone before. Abstract, dark, and formless, the Ethe paintings suggested that the artist was retreating completely into a world of interior symbolism, and that the clarity of vision that had applied itself so successfully to the world of nature would now be turned inwards. The Ethe paintings are dark, cloudlike, with the occasional leakage of light pouring through. Where before sunlight had burst through clouds with violence and passion, seeding nature with its life giving power, now the light is dim, unclear, muted. In these new paintings, the clouds are dark and oppressive, the light, fugitive and weak. And beyond the interplay of the cold light and the cold darkness, there is nothing; no hint of landscape, no grounding in any recognisable imagery. What is clear from the Ethe paintings is that we are no longer dealing with art which attempts to mediate the artist’s vision through a shared landscape; these are raw and primal expressions of desolation.

Similarly, the album, Ethe, represents a new musical direction. Many of Richard’s previous compositions had been settings of poems in the song tradition of composers such as Schubert, Fauré and Finzi. These songs, many of which were settings of Mary Webb poems, were all composed with the intention of allowing the music to be subservient to the poetry. The role of the composer was to allow the inherent musicality of the poetry to express itself. In this sense, these were very conservative compositions. They eschewed modern conventions and refused to be platforms for the composer’s own intellectual ideas, or ego. But despite (or perhaps, because of) the conventional form these songs took, they were small masterpieces that were capable of conveying great emotional feeling through their melodies. Despite the superficially “old-fashioned” style, these were songs that could communicate directly with the listener because the musical vision was expressed with such clear intent and focused eloquence. Part of this eloquence consisted in the accessibility of the melodies which provided such a pleasing and appropriate reflection of the poetry’s form. With Ethe, this convention of form has disappeared.

The new phase was presaged with the release of the two limited edition CDs, Suite for Titouan and Suite for Hippolyte. These consist of solo piano pieces that are dark, brooding and less accessible than the earlier song compositions. The tone of intense melancholy is sustained throughout these suites, and is explored further and deeper with the music on Ethe. The outstanding moment from these Suites is the concluding movement from Titouan which begins with a sense of tidal ebb and flow and concludes with a brooding and introspective sense of irresolution. A storm is brewing, but will it break?

Ethe begins with a five part piece entitled “The Five Daughters”. This opens with a feel not too dissimilar to Satie’s “Gymnopédies”, but it soon reveals that its real intent lies, not in the imitation of earlier forms, and certainly not in the emulation of an intellectualised experimentalism, but rather in the expression of a deeply felt, intuitive, musical melancholy. Whilst this music is certainly darkly introspective and serious, it is nowhere unpleasant or disengaging. Indeed, when listened to superficially it can sound like a pleasing, if downbeat, impressionist work, in the vein of Satie or Debussy. But, like a river, the pretty surface conceals murky depths with dangerous undercurrents.

Much of the music on Ethe lends itself to comparisons with natural phenomena: rain; thunder; rivers. The comparison is important: this music expresses certain subjective emotions, but this expression is never allowed to become undisciplined and self-indulgent. Instead, the emotional power of the music is always commensurate to natural phenomena. Whether this is intentional or not, I do not know, but with repeated listening it becomes apparent that this music is measured against the slow changing backdrop of natural phenomena. The subject matter seems to be the interior emotional landscape of the artist himself, but the articulation of this interior landscape is certainly rooted in the natural world. This dialectical conversation between the interior and the exterior produces some masterpieces of understated beauty.

A couple of the pieces on Ethe, “Swaermian”, and “The Road to Strata Florida” I and II, utilise a technique referred to as ‘Lysergic Morphing’. As the name implies, this has a slightly hallucinatory effect, being a modulation of the piano music combined with an ominous sounding overlay of droning effects. The effect of this is to liberate the music from the confines of its own instrumentation and to achieve a transcendence to a more ethereal sound. This effect, I believe, is one that is intended by all of the music on Ethe. It is a desire to free the music from particular forms of association, and ultimately from form itself, so that the music will allow certain stilled, contemplative states to be gained.

We are used to hearing music that works in rather childish ways; that takes us by the hand and attempts to induce in us trite emotional states. It often creates a sense of yearning by juxtaposing certain notes or chords that create a certain resonance in the listener. These melodic references are often repeated or echoed throughout a piece of music. This has the effect of making the listener refer back to earlier parts of the piece, and anticipate forthcoming parts. In this way, we become used to a music that grounds us in a sense of temporal progression, and, often, emotional shallowness. On Ethe, there is a constant sense of yearning, but it is not experienced as a desire to refer back and forth to different parts of the music. Instead, there seems to be an intention to create a sense of yearning born in each moment of listening. The effect of this is to free the listener from the ebb and flow of temporal concerns, and to induce a state of being that is both calm and alert.

Something of this effect was hinted at in some of Richard’s earlier paintings. The diptych, Reckoning, shows a house seen across an overgrown meadow. Each canvas depicts the same scene viewed from the same perspective, but the first canvas is a daytime scene, the second, nocturnal. In the second, an owl is flying over the meadow. Other than this, there is little more to be said about what is contained in these paintings, but the effect of their juxtaposition is to inspire a sense of wonder at the often secret, hidden, world of nature, and of the altogether different way in which time unfolds in the absence of a human participant. This diptych makes us feel as though we have been permitted to see this hidden world of nature without unnecessary contextualisation. We see the inevitable alternation of night and day and feel a respect for the patient passage of time as it unfolds beyond human reckoning.

On Ethe, the music inspires a similar response. We become immersed in a sad and serious frame of mind but we begin to feel that we are dwelling contentedly in the moment rather than running towards some emotional peak or trough. We feel a calming sense of repose that is both psychological and physiological, and yet we remain fully attentive. The music is full of the transformations of nature, full of the tidal ebb and flow of powers greater than us, and the communion with such forces begins to induce in us a meditative state of being. This effect, of dwelling in the ubiquity of the present moment, has its parallels in other musical projects. Gurdjieff and De Hartmann collaborated on a series of sacred pieces for piano in the 1920’s. These works can provoke a stilled, meditative response in the listener, but they are largely derivative of the folk traditions that inspired them. Ethe seeks to achieve a rather more direct, unmediated, pathway to the transcendent.

The album feels as though it has no real sense of resolution. Such an imposition of form would contradict its intent. Instead, there is a calm unfolding that finishes with the artist reciting one of his Ethe poems. The voice has been modulated in a similar way to the Lysergically Morphed pieces, so that the words are lost in the timbre of the voice. As a musical interpretation of a poem, it is somewhat different from the earlier Schubertian settings, but in its own way, it belongs to that tradition, as it is neither arbitrary nor formless. Through its transcendent Etherisation it becomes an eerie evocation of something mysterious, and beyond form. It is a fitting end to this impressive piece of work.

Guest review by Chris Pankhurst

Tracklist:

1. The Five Daughters I (3:54)
2. The Five Daughters II (2:09)
3. The Five Daughters III (5:45)
4. The Five Daughters IV (1:51)
5. The Five Daughters V (6:47)
6. Swaermian (7:52)
7. Star Filled Tree, Blacksburg (4:11)
8. The Road To Strata Florida I (4:14)
9. The Road To Strata Florida II ( 16:43)

Review: Agitated Radio Pilot – World Winding Down (2007)

admin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:00:12 +0000

artist: Agitated Radio Pilot
release: World Winding Down
format: 2xCD
year of release: 2007
label: DeadSlackString
duration: 1:36:27

detailed info: discogs.com.

Released in late 2007, World Winding Down is Agitated Radio Pilot‘s first album on (non-recordable) CD, and a double one at that! It also might turn out to be David Colohan‘s masterpiece, because I would surely be intimidated if the project ever manages to create something even better. Little known though it is, I believe music like this is so much better than most of what gets released nowadays in related areas like folk and singer/songwriter. On this album, Agitated Radio Pilot takes elements from those genres and really pushes them beyond into brilliant new territories.

In a way, World Winding Down is a logical follow-up to 2006′s Your Turn To Go it Alone; the main emphasis is again on melancholic songs based on guitar and vocals. However, the role of instrumentals has become bigger, making this album the, for me, perfect synthesis of great songs and beautiful acoustic soundscapes and interludes. An impressive host of guest artists provides instrumental and vocal support to all of this; it would be a bit much to list all them – they fill up an entire page on the booklet – but some of the more important are Richard Moult (Far Black Furlong) on piano, Maja Elliott on keyboards and vocals, and Alison O’Donnell (Mellow Candle) on vocals. Another important element are the many field recordings (mainly by Gavin Prior and Anders Gjerde) and bird songs that are subtly woven into both the songs and the instrumentals.

Now, for a brief impression of the structure of the album. Not only is this a double album, there is also a very strong symmetry between Numinous Blues and Luminous Blues. Both have twelve tracks, to start with, and are about 45 to 50 minutes long. But the nature of the corresponding tracks on each half is also quite similar. The first track on both sides is an instrumental intro. The one half has a warm droning soundscape, while the other has beautiful short piano composition by Richard Moult with guest vocals by Larissa Pychlau (Cele) and added effects. The second and third tracks are all excellent examples of Colohan’s typical type of songwriting. Especially “All That Fall” and “Around Closing Time” display his undeniable talent for both song and lyric writing. The fourth tracks take this even further though; “Caroline Sings” and “Take Heed of Your Hurt” are both stunningly beautiful songs, each with backing vocals by O’Donnell and keyboards by Elliott. Tracks five are both interludes, and the sixes and sevens contain (what else) central tracks. The title track and “Another Day” (a Roy Harper cover) are both great, but the sevens must be some of my absolute favourites. On this pair, Richard Moult and David Colohan form the perfect duo, bringing two extraordinarily beautiful piano songs. I hope to hear these two together more often in the future! The symmetry is a bit less from this point on, but mention goes anyway to “Earthfasts”, another one of my favourite tracks. It’s the longest one, and a great exercise in freefolk experimentation. It starts off with some great bluesy guitar and strings work by Richard Skelton, and then moves into great modern folk piece, where most of the female guest vocalists join in as a choir, also featuring Sharron Kraus this time. The two by two times final tracks are again similar. The elevens are final pieces of regular song, while the two closing tracks take a laid-back ambient approach, ending both sides of the album on a moody, melancholic note.

Though the album is not without a few flaws (mostly to do with performance of some of the guest vocalists and some of the noisy guitar solos), if there’s any album that has enough merit to cover up tiny blemishes ten times over, it’s this one. The way already excellent songs are combined with the musical detail and depth of sound that we hear on all of these songs here is the mark of a true classic. In this way, World Winding Down transcends genre limitations and unites the best elements from different areas of music. Of course it still is, mainly, a ‘folk’ album, but you’ll soon discover that is also much more. Just as the basic melodies of the folk song become something more through the combination with soundscapes and experimentation, so do the lyrics, and a song which in other contexts would be ‘just’ about love and loss, becomes even more profound.

If it’s not clear by now that I’m enthusiastic about this album, you haven’t been reading very well. This is easily my favourite album of 2007, and one of those rare albums that makes me doubt whether I should break my rule of not giving higher grades than 9 when an album is just released. Enough talk – go out and give this one a listen, and spread the word. If Colohan doesn’t get any recognition for this, the world is a poor place…

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

I. Numinous Blues:
1. A Darkness Made of Beating Wings (4:16)
2. All That Fall (3:39)
3. Everybody Lives (Just This Once) (3:24)
4. Caroline Sings (5:33)
5. For Medb (2:32)
6. World Winding Down (5:43)
7. The Gathering Dark (2:28)
8. You Were Always in My Arms Forever (6:57)
9. The Life You’ll Leave Behind (4:05)
10. Mt Argus to Mt Jerome (1:57)
11. People Start Over (3:05)
12. Leave the City on Foot (7:01)

II. Luminous Blues:
1. On Cape Clear (2:07)
2. Around Closing Time (4:00)
3. An Ear to the River (4:14)
4. Take Heed of Your Hurt (3:06)
5. The Lamplit Wood (1:55)
6. Another Day (4:24)
7. Along the Trails of Midnight Deer (2:40)
8. Botanic Avenue (4:04)
9. The Awakening Clay (2:47)
10. Earthfasts (10:31)
11. Shorelines Clad in Snow (3:57)
12. Everything Ends (2:02)