The Changelings - The Changelings

Genre(s) - Neoclassical, ethereal
Origin - Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Year of release - 1996
Bitrate - 192 kbps
Size - 70.53 MB

Supremely independent and haunting music that sounds like it could have been made anywhere and anytime except for the American nineties - here's another Changelings album. Making use of a great repertoire of classical and pre-modern instruments, vividly coloured, swirling melodies are layered like paint in a landscape by Caspar David Friedrich. It gives a similar panoramic width, set in tones of falling dusk on overgrown ruins, etcetera. It runs the gamut from pastoral serenity to percussion-driven bombast in smooth, gradual crescendo, never breaking the constant natural flow. Earthquake at Versailles and Into this Divide stand out in that respect. Wonderfully dreamy chamber music for romantics only.

The band's third album, Amphibian, had already been posted here.

1. Pomegranate
2. Season of mist
3. Earthquake at Versailles
4. Song of the Sephardim
5. Pranam
6. Into this divide
7. Incantation
8. Solitude
9. Awakening
10. Seraphim
11. 11:59 PM October 30
12. Sunday morning
    

Load it down

Sopor Aeternus and the Ensemble of Shadows - Les Fleurs du Mal

Genre(s) - Neomedieval darkwave
Origin - Germany
Year of release - 2007
Bitrate - 128 kbps
Size - 67.96 MB

I wish to love Sopor Aeternus with all my heart, since Anna-Varney Cantodea is simply one of the most fascinating people in music today. However, Les Fleurs du Mal is actually the first SA&tEoS album that I could stand. It probably is the most playful release Cantodea and her ensemble have ever produced, musically and especially lyrically. Shave if You Love Me, Some Men and A Little Bar of Soap are even quite humourous. It is as if our heroine has never felt as comfortable being herself, before. The music is still based on medieval-ish instruments, keyboards, and percussion but the addition of a full-fledged choir ("sing it, boys!") lets itself be quite well noticed. I don't believe I've ever called an album sexy before, but it's just the only word that summarises Les Fleurs. Highly recommendable to everybody, not just darkwave fans.

1. Architecture
2. Always within the hour
3. In der Palästra
4. A little bar of soap
5. Bitter sweet
6. Our lady of the broken hearts
7. La mort d'Arthur
8. The simple joys of maidenhood
9. Helvetia sexualis
10. Les fleurs du mal
11. Shave, if you love me
12. Some men are like chocolate
13. The virgin queen
    

Load it down

Mediæval Bæbes - Mirabilis

Genre(s) - Ethereal, neo-classical
Origin - United Kingdom
Year of release - 2005
Bitrate - 320 kbps
Size - 80.91 MB

My hopes for a true winter are being fulfilled: it hasn't snowed like this for years! I've been trudging through Leiden's monumental 17th-century city centre for a few hours today and it was a more beautiful sight even than usual. Music to go well with weather (and towns) like this is swirly gothic or ethereal, and the Mediæval Bæbes deal in a very neo-classical version of it that suits the name well, as does the fact that it is an all-women band. With various acoustic and old-timey instruments like (f)lutes, harps, percussion and (I believe) all of their voices they create wonderful music that seems to be made for snowy days' candlelit evenings, and especially these days around Yuletide. I have a large and equal fondness for all the seasons; I love winter for its magical dreaminess and I have a feeling many of my posts will be reflecting this. Already a lot of the previous ones do, and of course this one too. Enjoy, if you feel the same way. :)

1. Star of the sea
2. Trovommi amor
3. Temptasyon
4. San'c fuy belha ni prezada
5. All for the love of one
6. The lament
7. Musa venit carmine
8. Kilmeny
9. Umlahi
10. Cittern segue
11. Return of the birds
12. Tam Lin
13. Scarborough Fayre
14. Come my sweet
15. Mark hur var skugga
16. The world fareth as a fantasye
17. Away
    

Load it down

Dernière Volonté - Oú Tu Iras

Genre(s) - Martial industrial
Origin - France
Year of release - 2001
Bitrate - 256 kbps
Size - 27.07 MB

Please download this EP (couldn't find the artwork) and listen to the track Ma Promesse. If you think it's boring wait till he stops singing, and the main melody kicks in. Damn. Coupled with the nihilistic drum rolls, that just tears me up. It's the sound of the misplaced and tragic pride of soldiers dying for nothing in a trench war. The emotion is very powerful here. The two other tracks are also good, but have a different atmosphere. They remind me more of seafaring(?) and seem to hint towards their later, military-poppier sound. Wich I actually prefer. But Ma Promesse... holy crap.

1. Oú tu iras
2. Ma promesse
3. Hymn
   

Load it down

Dernière Volonté - Les Blessures de l'Ombre

Band/artist - Dernière Volonté
Genre(s) - Martial industrial, military pop
Origin - France
Album - Les Blessures de l'Ombre
Year of release - 2003

Les Blessures de l'Ombre is an anomaly in my collection, and a hell of a tough release to review. Applying influences from marching music not to ambient or industrial but to much more melodic pop structures has led DV main man Geoffroy to the creation of what may well be the first ever military pop album. Altogether it's a bit new-waveish in sound, I would guess: heavy on the synths, old-school production, but using darker melodies and backed by the snare drum rolls commonly associated with army parades. Incredibly, the combination works. Dernière Volonté has delivered a ground-breaking album that makes a seemingly awkward, confusing mix of styles a pleasure to listen to. On Le Poison, Les Blessures de l'Ombre and Le Foudre et le Tonnere, the old martial spirit shines through most clearly but the song that got me hooked was the haunting Vienna.

1. Ouverture (Opening)
   
2. Le poison
3. Vienna
4. Les orages du crime (The storms of crime)
   
5. Les yeux fermés (The closed eyes)
   
6. La foudre et le tonnere (The lightning and the thunder)
   
7. Un dernier crépiscule (A last twilight)
   
8. Vers la lumière (Against the light)
   
9. La source
   
10. Ton visage de papier (Your paper face)
    
11. Les blessures de l'ombre (The wounds of the shadows)
    
12. Souvenirs de demain (Souvenirs of tomorrow)
    
13. Si... (If...)
    
14. Au revoir (Goodbye)
    

Load it down

Triarii - Ars Militaria

Band/artist - Triarii
Genre(s) - Martial ambient, neoclassical
Origin - Germany
Album - Ars Militaria
Year of release - 2005

When I first heard of the genre called martial ambient/industrial and military pop I was fascinated by the concept and the bands' images. Most of the bands couldn't really interest me, however; I had hoped for something a bit more romantic and less industrial than most projects within the genre proved to be. Triarii is one of the exceptions: with its focus on ominous, bombastic neoclassical arrangements set to slow, heavy percussion and snare-roll marches it's just as apocalyptic as I imagined the whole genre to be. Listening to Sun, Serpent & the World Ending, the most devastating track on the album, or the proud, nostalgic Son of the Sun you can just visualize the legions marching by.

1. Anthem from the iron flame
2. Europe in flames
3. Mother of pain
4. Dark skies over Europe
5. Der verwundete
6. Legio Vi Ferrata
7. Regicide II
8. Marche du capitulation
9. Neuropa
10. Serpent, sun & the world ending
11. For the fallen ones
12. Son of the sun
    

Load it down

The Changelings - Amphibian

Band/artist - The Changelings
Genre(s) - Ethereal, neoclassical
Origin - United States of America (Atlanta, Georgia)
Album - Amphibian
Year of release - 1998

Here we have something unique and beautiful. The Changelings are a rather obscure ethereal band who have remained largely unsigned - i.e. you might call it über-indie - but managed to release four awesome full-lengths by themselves. I think it may not be quite everybody's cup of tea as this is in many ways stranger and less accessible than most other ethereal. It is driven by drums and percussion, violin and a myriad of unusual, antique and Eastern instruments including hammered dulcimer, musical saw, sitar and a toy accordeon(?). Regeana's voice and some of the electronic effects over the music, like on Maelcum's Rigteous Dub may also take some time to get used to but make the distant, drifting atmosphere complete. This is great music to accompany you on stoned nocturnal wanderings around town. Favourite songs of mine are Port Royale, a pirate song, Frog Song with its whirling melodies and the beautiful Oceana. http://www.changelings.com

1. Deeper than light
2. Melusine
3. Mealcum's rigteous dub
4. Caterwaul
5. Another dead girl
6. Frog song
7. Afternoon of a newt (crap. I don't have this track :/)
   
8. Port Royale
9. Carpathian lullaby
10. Oceana (the mermaid song)
11. Morning's twilight
    

Load it down