Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Pheme - Crux
1. Motion Utility (32:14)
2. Crux (1:54)
3. Solace in the Rain (16:27)
Total playing time: 50:36
Cux is a much more conceptual album than any of Pheme's earlier releases, based on the conflict between technology and nature - or a coexistence, if the listener interprets it that way. This album is roughly split into two halves, represented by the long tracks, with an interlude in the middle. "Motion Utility" is the epitome of Pheme's drone work; extensive length, distortion and other ways of processing sound. The track itself is split into two sections with an dark electronica-style beat seperating the two, on a bed of low noise. This is to create the sense that this is the technology-based side to the album. The interlude, "Crux" is the no-man's land, where neither technology nor nature are dominant, but the listener can reflect on the divide. The third and final track, "Solace in the Rain", is a relaxing guitar-based ambient piece, which creates an atmosphere completely distant from the first song, where nature guides the music.
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Evergreen Forest - Philosophy of Nature
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EXQH4M9R1. A Storm of Majesty (14:45)
2. A Desert of Furious Winds (15:34)
3. A Maze-like Forest of Perennial Trees (15:14)
4. A Spherical Ocean (15:02)
Total playing time: 1:00:35
On his latest release Evergreen Forest experimented further with his experimental acoustic improvisation meets dark-ambient atmosphere formula. 'Philosophy of Nature' is by far the most experimental Evergreen Forest release thus far and is also the most developed in terms of song structure. The album has a concept of four sides of nature. Each song represents a different side and the album as a whole is meant to suggest that the way in which all natural things work together is like a philosophy. The album begins with the lulling, ambient sound of the beginning of 'A Storm of Majesty' which quickly progresses into faster acoustic guitar and waves of sound and then crosses over into 'A Desert of Furious Winds' which is an eccentric vision of a desert that humankind shall never find with strange birds chirping and winds furiously blowing creating reverberating sandstorm-esque soundscapes. Then onto 'A Maze-like Forest of Perennial Trees', the weirdest and most unsettling song on the album. It moves from almost noise-like sounds at the beginning through lots of experimentation and eventually finishes with the most dark-ambient-like music that Evergreen Forest has created. Vast, terrifying waves of sound that make the listener feel as though they are in an uncharted cave with unspeakable creatures. Finally 'A Spherical Ocean' takes the listener on a relaxing journey under the waves and into the ocean. The laid back soundscapes, psychedelic guitar and shimmering vocals return the listener to a relaxed state before the album fades out with the sound of the oceans waves crashing together.
2. A Desert of Furious Winds (15:34)
3. A Maze-like Forest of Perennial Trees (15:14)
4. A Spherical Ocean (15:02)
Total playing time: 1:00:35
On his latest release Evergreen Forest experimented further with his experimental acoustic improvisation meets dark-ambient atmosphere formula. 'Philosophy of Nature' is by far the most experimental Evergreen Forest release thus far and is also the most developed in terms of song structure. The album has a concept of four sides of nature. Each song represents a different side and the album as a whole is meant to suggest that the way in which all natural things work together is like a philosophy. The album begins with the lulling, ambient sound of the beginning of 'A Storm of Majesty' which quickly progresses into faster acoustic guitar and waves of sound and then crosses over into 'A Desert of Furious Winds' which is an eccentric vision of a desert that humankind shall never find with strange birds chirping and winds furiously blowing creating reverberating sandstorm-esque soundscapes. Then onto 'A Maze-like Forest of Perennial Trees', the weirdest and most unsettling song on the album. It moves from almost noise-like sounds at the beginning through lots of experimentation and eventually finishes with the most dark-ambient-like music that Evergreen Forest has created. Vast, terrifying waves of sound that make the listener feel as though they are in an uncharted cave with unspeakable creatures. Finally 'A Spherical Ocean' takes the listener on a relaxing journey under the waves and into the ocean. The laid back soundscapes, psychedelic guitar and shimmering vocals return the listener to a relaxed state before the album fades out with the sound of the oceans waves crashing together.
Pheme - Memory's Shadow
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CU18YVUD1. Memory's Shadow (24:00)
2. Wastes (22:26)
3. Pond (20:36)
Total playing time: 1:07:32
Memory's Shadow takes Pheme's direction of dark ambient and drone in three seperate ways, in the form of three tracks each clocking in at 20-25 minutes. "Wastes" is a development of the method of slowing sound processed sounds to create psychadelic drone, first seen in the "Blood" tracks on Blood Ice Tunnel. The track itself is made up of three distinct parts. Next, the title track is a very traditional dark ambient piece, simiilar to artists like Lustmord, aiming to create the darkest possible atmosphere by using quiet, low tones and odd sound effects. "Pond" is a completely new style for Pheme, a song influenced by black metal-style guitars, with high-pitched distortion, creating an almost grating sound.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Evergreen Forest - Planetary Rotation
1. Sent From the Wyrd (12:30)
2. The Hartland Woods (5:11)
3. Ancient Streets (4:09)
4. Existence (1:08)
Total playing time: 22:58
This EP consists of 4 rerecorded versions of early demos that Evergreen Forest was not pleased with. The original demos lacked direction, experimentation and most importantly atmosphere but these new versions hopefully make up for that. Each song is based on an old demo but they are all very different to the originals and as such are much more in the style of Evergreen Forest's later releases. 'The Hartland Woods' is a tribute to the forest of the same name from Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series of books.
2. The Hartland Woods (5:11)
3. Ancient Streets (4:09)
4. Existence (1:08)
Total playing time: 22:58
This EP consists of 4 rerecorded versions of early demos that Evergreen Forest was not pleased with. The original demos lacked direction, experimentation and most importantly atmosphere but these new versions hopefully make up for that. Each song is based on an old demo but they are all very different to the originals and as such are much more in the style of Evergreen Forest's later releases. 'The Hartland Woods' is a tribute to the forest of the same name from Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series of books.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Pheme - Blood Ice Tunnel
1. Blood 1 (8:07)
2. Ice (14:51)
3. Blood 2 (13:36)
4. Tunnel (15:36)
Total playing time: 52:12
Blood Ice Tunnel is an important release in Pheme's discography. This is the album where Pheme develops his dark ambient style into the genre of drone, using the method of extensively slowing down various sounds. The "Blood" tracks include psychadelic effects applied to this. "Ice" features long, cold waves of feedback, arguably almost too much feedback! "Tunnel" uses synths that are reminscent of the strings found in melancholic post-rock such as Godspeed You Black Emperor. Blood Ice Tunnel also showcases Pheme's new direction at this time to use few but very long tracks, to give listeners the full extent of the drone experience.
Evergreen Forest - Whispers...
1. Journey Part I (1:27)
2. Whispers (1:07:52)
3. Journey Part II (1:45)
Total playing time: (1:10:59)
This is the first full length release by Evergreen Forest. The main piece of music on this album is the song 'Whispers' that is an ambitious epic which is over an hour in length. It is Evergreen Forest's most ambitious work to date as well as his best structured, most experimental and most atmospheric release. 'Whispers' is also the first Evergreen Forest release to feature extensive use of vocals though Evergreen Forest is still mainly instrumental. The 'Journey' songs set the scene for the main song and act as the introduction and outro to the album. These songs show two different sides of Evergreen Forest's music: the pyschedelic acoustic side with 'Journey Part I' and the dark soundscape side with 'Journey Part II'. The album also has a loose concept which is told in the vocals in 'Whispers'.
Note: The cover art is a photograph taken by Dreogan of the US Pagan black metal band Peordh.
Pheme - An April Mystery
1. Paternal Dawn (10:56)
2. An April Mystery (7:05)
3. Breeze Follower (12:35)
4. Gas Halo (6:28)
5. Blues (6:07)
6. Closing Night 2 (5:48)
Total playing time: 49:00
Created in April 2008, this release moves away from the slow, droning bass heard in the album Lonelight. The first two tracks are more elegant guitar passages, although what could still be considered dark ambient. For the first time, an instrument other than a guitar has been recorded: the track "Blues" features a distorted tuning device. The final track is a return to the frantic build up of mysterious sound first heard in "Closing Night" from the album Hall Ghosts.
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Evergreen Forest - Cavernous Glaciers
1. I Mourn for the Loss of the Roman Empire (2:35)
2. A Midsummer Storm (6:13)
3. Beauty Within Dungeons (4:50)
4. Cavernous Glaciers (4:31)
5. The Wall Through Eyes Glazed with Gemstones (7:50)
6. Viscereality (2:02)
Total playing time: 28:01
With his fourth release Evergreen Forest really found his style. The blending of dark, droning soundscapes, strange reverberating waves of sound and experimental acoustic improvisation characterise the sound of this release and the general sound of Evergreen Forest's music ever since then. That said, this EP does not show the level of development and structure that can be found on the Evergreen Forest albums as it really was the beginning of a new era for his music. Songs such as 'I Mourn for the Loss of the Roman Empire' and 'Viscereality' show a new riff-based direction while the psychedelic epic 'The Wall Through Eyes Glazed with Gemstones' is the logical drawing together of every element of Evergreen Forest's sound.
2. A Midsummer Storm (6:13)
3. Beauty Within Dungeons (4:50)
4. Cavernous Glaciers (4:31)
5. The Wall Through Eyes Glazed with Gemstones (7:50)
6. Viscereality (2:02)
Total playing time: 28:01
With his fourth release Evergreen Forest really found his style. The blending of dark, droning soundscapes, strange reverberating waves of sound and experimental acoustic improvisation characterise the sound of this release and the general sound of Evergreen Forest's music ever since then. That said, this EP does not show the level of development and structure that can be found on the Evergreen Forest albums as it really was the beginning of a new era for his music. Songs such as 'I Mourn for the Loss of the Roman Empire' and 'Viscereality' show a new riff-based direction while the psychedelic epic 'The Wall Through Eyes Glazed with Gemstones' is the logical drawing together of every element of Evergreen Forest's sound.
Pheme - Lonelight
1. Lonelight 1 (14:04)
2. Lonelight 2 (3:36)
3. Lonelight 3 (8:00)
4. Gate 3 (12:16)
5. Nightly Parade Outro (2:56)
Total playing time: 40:53
The basis of Lonelight is extensively reverbed clean guitar and synthesisers to produce lengthy tracks of bass-dominated ambience. The third part to the "Gate" trilogy (started on Spiral Floor) is also on this release. As the cover implies, Lonelight aims to create the feeling of the lonely lights which litter urban areas after dark, which illuminate nothing but stillness of the environment and the cold air. The final track, "Nightly Parade Outro", brings in an almost gothic tone to the end, with what sounds like a malfunctioning hurdy-gurdy, playing on repeat in the rainy night.
Monday, 13 October 2008
Evergreen Forest - A Monotonous Rumble From the Unknown Deeps
1. Fate Whispers to Us (5:20)
2. Within the Hall of Illusions (10:16)
3. But the Sun Remains Hidden [a Creature Deep Within the Caverns Version] (9:40)
4. The Flames on Their Graves Danced Hypnotic Waltzes [Melisandre Part II] (4:05)
5. The Colossal Waves of Consciousness (7:12)
6. Catharsis (4:48)
Total playing time: 41:21
This release represents the further development of the dark droning style that Evergreen Forest began on 'Aboard the Galley of Approaching Doom'. The songs are far more developed, lengthy and also atmospheric than anything on the previous EP though. Songs such as the looming epic 'Within the Hall of Illusions' perfectly illustrate Evergreen Forest's darker and scarier side while songs such as 'The Colossal Waves of Consciousness' and 'Catharsis', while still as dark as the others, also show a new level of experimentation within Evergreen Forest. On ''Fate Whispers to Us' and 'Within the Hall of Illusions' Evergreen Forest experiments with poetic lyrics and many of the songs feature vocals of sorts. As such this EP was not only the most ambitious and experimental Evergreen Forest EP at the time of its release but also the most appealing and enjoyable. 'But the Sun Remains Hidden [A Creature Deep Within the Caverns Version]' is based on the song 'But the Sun Remains Hidden' from the 'Aboard the Galley...' EP while 'The Flames on Their Graves Danced Hypnotic Waltzes [Melisandre Part II]' is the sequel to the pastoral paean to Melisandre from George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series that can be found on 'A Mountain of Ivy'. There is a sample from the film 'American Psycho' (2001) in the song 'Catharsis'.
2. Within the Hall of Illusions (10:16)
3. But the Sun Remains Hidden [a Creature Deep Within the Caverns Version] (9:40)
4. The Flames on Their Graves Danced Hypnotic Waltzes [Melisandre Part II] (4:05)
5. The Colossal Waves of Consciousness (7:12)
6. Catharsis (4:48)
Total playing time: 41:21
This release represents the further development of the dark droning style that Evergreen Forest began on 'Aboard the Galley of Approaching Doom'. The songs are far more developed, lengthy and also atmospheric than anything on the previous EP though. Songs such as the looming epic 'Within the Hall of Illusions' perfectly illustrate Evergreen Forest's darker and scarier side while songs such as 'The Colossal Waves of Consciousness' and 'Catharsis', while still as dark as the others, also show a new level of experimentation within Evergreen Forest. On ''Fate Whispers to Us' and 'Within the Hall of Illusions' Evergreen Forest experiments with poetic lyrics and many of the songs feature vocals of sorts. As such this EP was not only the most ambitious and experimental Evergreen Forest EP at the time of its release but also the most appealing and enjoyable. 'But the Sun Remains Hidden [A Creature Deep Within the Caverns Version]' is based on the song 'But the Sun Remains Hidden' from the 'Aboard the Galley...' EP while 'The Flames on Their Graves Danced Hypnotic Waltzes [Melisandre Part II]' is the sequel to the pastoral paean to Melisandre from George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series that can be found on 'A Mountain of Ivy'. There is a sample from the film 'American Psycho' (2001) in the song 'Catharsis'.
Pheme - Spiral Floor
1. Gate 1 (12:51)
2. Gate 2 (5:54)
3. Cinema (9:24)
4. Theatre (10:10)
5. Ghosts 3 (8:27)
6. Spiral Floor (4:15)
Total playing time: 51:03
Spiral Floor features elements such as the first two installments of the ominous and vast soundscapes of the Gate trilogy, and brings the ghostly voices idea from the previous album to its logical conclusion in "Ghosts 3". This album continues and expands on Pheme's method of the distortion of synthesisers, and ends with a track which shows a new direction, Spiral Floor, a dark and manic piano melody.
Evergreen Forest - Aboard the Galley of Approaching Doom
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MXEYUXJO
1. Waves of Fuzz (1:49)
2. Alien Fuzz-drone (4:38)
3. But the Sun Remains Hidden (1:31)
4. Enter the Valley of Unforgiven Souls (1:16)
5. Rain the Bringer of Life [Remix] (2:41)
6. The Crashing Waves [Reverb in Space Version] (1:07)
7. Approaching Doom (2:33)
Total playing time: 15:27
The second release of Evergreen Forest shows more of his dark experimental side with 5 distorted drone songs and two psychedelic remixes of earlier songs. Though with this EP Evergreen Forest had still not come into his permanent style it does represent an important part of his musical development. 'Rain the Bringer of Life [Remix]' is a remix of the purely acoustic song from the 'A Mountain of Ivy' EP and 'The Crashing Waves [Reverb in Space Version]' is an alternative version of a demo song that was never released.
2. Alien Fuzz-drone (4:38)
3. But the Sun Remains Hidden (1:31)
4. Enter the Valley of Unforgiven Souls (1:16)
5. Rain the Bringer of Life [Remix] (2:41)
6. The Crashing Waves [Reverb in Space Version] (1:07)
7. Approaching Doom (2:33)
Total playing time: 15:27
The second release of Evergreen Forest shows more of his dark experimental side with 5 distorted drone songs and two psychedelic remixes of earlier songs. Though with this EP Evergreen Forest had still not come into his permanent style it does represent an important part of his musical development. 'Rain the Bringer of Life [Remix]' is a remix of the purely acoustic song from the 'A Mountain of Ivy' EP and 'The Crashing Waves [Reverb in Space Version]' is an alternative version of a demo song that was never released.
Pheme - Hall Ghosts
1. Hall Ghosts (5:47)
2. Casket (3:52)
3. Lullaby (3:08)
4. Ghost Halls (14:04)
5. Dirty Sky (4:00)
6. Waterway (9:53)
7. Closing Night (12:24)
Total playing time: 53:12
In his first release, Pheme begins to explore the genre of dark ambient. The songs are mainly created using processed samples and distorted synthesisers using a computer, with the guitar used minimally. A minimalist, ghostly atmosphere is created; but also some darker, harsher sounds are created as well, inspired by the "extreme computer music" of KTL.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Evergreen Forest - A Mountain of Ivy
1. A Return to the Province (1:16)
2. Melisandre in the Garden (2:42)
3. Rain, the Bringer of Life (3:11)
4. Running Freely in the Fields (2:25)
5. The Lifecycle of a Blue Whale (10:59)
Total playing time: 20:33
2. Melisandre in the Garden (2:42)
3. Rain, the Bringer of Life (3:11)
4. Running Freely in the Fields (2:25)
5. The Lifecycle of a Blue Whale (10:59)
Total playing time: 20:33
With this, the very first official release of Evergreen Forest, Evergreen Forest created a lo-fi yet highly pastoral and natural feeling EP. Unlike later releases 'A Mountain of Ivy' is simply clean guitar without any distortion or effects and as such is probably the least experimental of Evergreen Forest's albums. Nevertheless this album is well worth a listen as it shows how Evergreen Forest began and clearly sets out his aims. 'Melisandre in the Garden' is a paean to the character Melisandre from George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books.
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