Mittwoch, 30. Jul 2008, 10:06

Music sustains me. Music fulfills me. If I am too long without music, I suffer strange withdrawal systems that make my psyche feel tainted and lifeless. Lately, I have been dwelling a lot on how deeply it is that music enriches my life. The abundance of new music overwhelms me. There is so much of it out there that I fear that I shall never even begin to hear all that I want to hear, absorb all the energy that I can from that unknown music… It is a sweet torment, this.

That being said, I have been drawn lately to music from my past, music that has been so dear to me that it has concretely shaped the person that I am today. It has been so delicious to wander down those nostalgic paths and submerge myself in layers of sound that envelop and caress my soul. It has been mainly ethereal-ish bands with a definite darker feel. First and foremost there has been the exquisite Requiem in White and one of the bands that emerged from it's ashes, Mors Syphilitica. I don't think I could ever tire of the heavenly, yet strangely ominous music that Eric and Lisa Hammer created. It saddens me greatly that they are no longer together, not only as musicians, but as a married couple. I couldn't help but think that music like that could only be created by the purest love, and the romantic soul in me is disillusioned by the fact that their union is no longer…

Other bands that I have been re-visiting from this era of my life are Faith and the Muse, Mephisto Waltz, The Shroud, and This Ascension. They will always hold a place that is near and dear to my heart, and I cannot imagine my life without the divine sounds that they create.

And today, on my way to work, I remembered why I loved the lush, synthpoppy sounds of Dust of Basement so much. I have not been listening to nearly as much synthpop as I used to lately, and when I have, much of it has failed to stir me in any way. Dust of Basement, however, seem to be one of the exceptions. The layered melodies they create are still swirling around in my head as I write this.

Forward to the present now, and I have also been discovering a lot of new artists/releases lately that just might achieve the lasting status of the artists that I have already mentioned. Medieval flavoured music has been one of my main aural pleasures as of late, and ensembles that I have discovered over the past few months that I have particularly enjoyed include Adas, Al Andaluz Project, Alla Francesca, Die Irrlichter, Psalteria and Violet, along with their side project Violetta. Special thanks to Epitymbidia, for making me aware of Al Andaluz project. I felt quite sheepish for not having discovered the project on my own, it being a collaboration between members of Estampie and L'Ham de Foc.

On the metal front, I have not found overmuch to move me lately, and I find myself slowly drifting away from it, although my favourites in the genre still please me for the most part. There have been a few pleasant surprises though, that make me keep a small flame of love burning in me for the genre. Chief among these is the latest release from Todesbonden, Sleep Now Quiet Forest. Wow! This is a masterpiece, epic, majestic and beautiful. And it goes for far beyond metal, mixing in elements of Celtic, Classical, Ethereal, and World music to create a spellbinding concoction. Simply stunning! Other release that I have enjoyed on a smaller scale, but enjoyed nonetheless are releases from Akphaezya, Hollenthon, and Pin-Up Went Down.

This is getting much too long, but I still have so much more to write! Okay, let me try to be as succinct as possible. Other gems that I have been savouring lately have been Silencis by Der Blaue Reiter (neoclassical, martial, neofolk), the self-titled release from Dyonisis (ethereal, gothic, progressive), Musique du Crépuscule by Les Fragments de la Nuit (cinematic neoclassical), Goddess by Hekate (neofolk, ethereal and stunningly beautiful!), Landed by Sea of Tranquility (ethereal, triphop), Nour by Shiva in Exile (ethnic ethereal, gothic), Different Shade of Beauty by Tearwave (ethereal, shoegaze), and In the Garden by Zaria (ethereal, folk).

Finally, I have been going through the entire catalogues of Blooding Mask (gothic, ethereal, ritual) and Sylvi Alli (ethereal, folk, experimental). Special thanks are due again to Epitymbidia, as well as to xmothlightx and unrentide, who raved so much about Sylvi that I could not help but explore her wondrous musical world.

Is there more? Always! There is always so much music I could rave about, but I shall end here now, for as pleasant as it is to write about music, nothing is more satisfying than actually hearing it…