Evening of Light » troy southgate

Review: Seelenlicht – Gods and Devils (2008)

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:00:09 +0000

artist: Seelenlicht
release: Gods and Devils
format: CD
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 55:15

Seelenlicht is a collaboration between Butow Maler (Kammer Sieben) and Troy Southgate (HERR). Gods and Devils is their first album, released by Cold Spring, where lush neoclassical compositions – with the odd neofolk and martial industrial touch – are combined with extensive spoken word and vocal parts where Southgate presents his views on various cultural phenomena.

Let’s start with the musical part, which is simply quite good. The neoclassical compositions are layered, varied, and very smoothly executed, and for once I don’t really mind the fact that most of it is generated electronically. Would that synthesised instruments always sounded this good! It is clear however that all these pieces are meant to function as accompanying music to songs and text, and that is how they are best taken in: in the background while paying attention to the texts.

As said, the lyrics are a mixture of song and prose, and the subject matter also varies from song to song. On the one hand, we have a combination of mythical and poetic themes, of which “Herne the Hunter” and the two parts of “Idle Thoughts on the Janus Shore” are my favoruites. The other part of the lyrics has a more concrete reference to cultural and historical subject matter. Of these, the witty “Valhalla” – accompanied by an excellent martial music theme – is my favourite. In this track, Southgate presents a list describing some of his (I presume) cultural heroes in an unorthodox way. Other pieces, like “The Modern Saxons” and “Diary of Desolation” seem more serious though, and contain a scathing criticism of the superficialities of our modern consumer culture and 9 to 5 drudgery work ethic. On the one hand, I share many aspects of the views Southgate presents here, but I don’t feel that this music is the most appropriate vessel for these cultural essays. In themselves, the these texts are legitimate pieces of criticism, but they are hardly original, in particular in this music scene. I can see that this might not bother many other listeners, but for me, it drags down the listening experience at times, when a more abstract or mystical theme might have had a different effect. The same goes for the murder ballad “Love’s Final Hour”, which for some reason seems in dubious taste to me, while I normally love most traditional murder ballads.

Taken as a whole, therefore, this is an album that contains parts that succeed in gripping me with rich compositions and inspiring texts, but also those that lack in originality or finnesse. The end result is then an above average release that will be practically essential for fans of related projects like HERR and Kammer Sieben, and interesting if you like neoclassical music in general. Otherwise, I’m not sure if Gods and Devils will do it for you.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Prelude (4:14)
2. Demian (3:38)
3. Diary Of Desolation (Part One) (3:56)
4. She Walks In Beauty (3:55)
5. Flamme (3:52)
6. Diary Of Desolation (Part Two) (3:08)
7. Herne The Hunter (4:59)
8. Valhalla (3:33)
9. Idle Thoughts On The Janus Shore (Part One) (3:45)
10. Idle Thoughts On The Janus Shore (Part Two) (2:49)
11. The Modern Saxons (4:31)
12. Love’s Final Hour (4:40)
13. Diary Of Desolation (Part Three) (4:32)
14. Seelenlicht (3:43)

Review: Sagittarius – Songs from the Ivory Tower (2008)

Oscar — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:00:49 +0000

artist: Sagittarius
release: Songs from the Ivory Tower
format: CD
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 46:44

detailed info: discogs.com.

Sagittarius is a German project headed by Cornelius Waldner, and it’s been around for a couple of years, with a few limited releases. This album, however, is their first on a bigger label like Cold Spring. What we get is about three quarters of an hour worth of calm neoclassical and neofolk, with piano as the dominant instrument. Most of the tracks are based on German poems, but with a bit of English and instrumental work thrown in as well.

The poems cover a range of topics, ranging from traditional romanticism, melancholia, and modern cultural criticism. This unites different areas from conceptual spectrum of neofolk, which is nice to see. The album certainly isn’t hung up on a single theme. The variation in terms of music isn’t very great, being based as said on piano, with the occasional addition of flute, cello, and guitar, sometimes provided by guest artists like Marcel P. (Allerseelen) and Damiano Mercuri (Rose Rovine E Amanti). However, in this case I don’t think it is a negative point for the album, which has a focused flow, somewhat comparable to that of Current 93‘s Soft Black Stars. The vocals are also varied, with guest singers like Troy Southgate (HERR) and Herr Twiggs (Kammer Sieben). I must say the performance of each of these guest performances varies in quality, but it never detracts from the overall atmosphere of the album.

I can be fairly brief about this one: it’s simply a very decent album. Certainly recommended for neofolk lovers, especially if you enjoy a calmer and perhaps distinctly German style, comparable to Orplid or Forseti. However, if you’re not particularly fond of neofolk or neoclassical, this album most likely won’t change your mind.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Nihil Arisen (3:43)
2. Du Stehst Am Alten Gartentor Und Schweigst (3:48)
3. Der Sommer, Den Die Erntezeit Gekrönt (2:27)
4. Die Nächtlichen Geschicke (1:39)
5. An Des Meeres Strand (4:01)
6. Trunkene Flut (3:14)
7. Das Lied (2:47)
8. Der Gute Kamerad (2:24)
9. Menuet Von Johann Krieger (Für H.E.R.R.) (1:24)
10. Cupio Dissolvi (4:48)
11. Sternwandel V (2:15)
12. Nova Apocalypsis (4:04)
13. Europa Calling (3:51)
14. In Signo Solis (3:33)

15. The Song (2:46)

Review: HERR – Fire and Glass – A Norwood Tragedy (2007)

admin — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:00:19 +0000

artist: HERR
release: Fire and Glass – A Norwood Tragedy
format: CD
year of release: 2007
label: Cold Spring
duration: 18:52

detailed info: discogs.com

I hadn’t heard HERR before, except for a gig which didn’t impress me all that much. However, there’s a first time for everything, and this new EP is actually quite nice. It is a concept album, about the rise and fall of Crystal Palace, the famous building in London. Troy Southgate wrote the narrative that accompanies this album, and it is read aloud by him over the course of these four tracks. It is a personal dedication to a symbol of beauty and culture, that was however cruelly destroyed as the result of two arsons.

Musically, this EP presents a smooth neo-classical soundtrack to Southgate’s storytelling. A prominent role is laid out for piano and synths, and with excellent cello playing by Oskar van Dijk also featuring on three of the tracks. It all sounds quite stately and swirling, capturing the feeling that the building must have inspired, in a modern way. The melodies express the general mood of the tracks – wonder in the first, danger and loss in the second, etc. – in a subtle way, though also a bit too smoothly or easily. I would have liked to sense a bit more fireworks in the presentation and sound of the songs, where that would have matched the narrative content. As it is now, I often sense a bit of an emotional distance between the two, and I would have preferred a more intense link. This, then, is the main weak point of the EP: perhaps it could have achieved more emotional power.

Nevertheless, this is a very pleasant EP to listen to, and I find it an honourable tribute to Crystal Palace, now in ruins. I think fans of the band should not be disappointed by this release, and I also recommend it to people generally interested in neo-classical music.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Sparks of the Imaginative Mind (4:31)
2. Drowning in Showers of Melting Glass (5:49)
3. Memoirs of Light (3:08)
4. Embers (5:24)