DVD Review - 'Von den Elben: deluxe edition' by Faun

This is a rather long, description of the contents of the DVD part of 'Von den Elben: Deluxe Edition', reviewed here. The aim of this is to help people to decide if it's worth buying the Deluxe Edition of the album when they already own the CD and therefore includes quite a lot of detail as to what is discussed in the documentary, although it doesn't tell the stories of contain a full explanation of events that are discussed.

Personally, I think it's well worth buying, even if you already own the CD and can be bought on their website.

The menu comes up basically all in English unsure if this is, at least partially because I’ve had English subs on or if it’s English for everyone. To set up subtitles, or to switch them off, go to ‘optionen’. From what I can tell, there’s only an option for English subs, not for German or other language subs. Also, just to annoy people, the subtitles don’t extend to the live clips of shows even though the introductions of the songs are included.

Main menu

The Acoustic Tour videos are Sao Roma, Subrali, NeAludj El, and Belle Dame Sans Merci. The Eden Tour videos are Lupercalia, Rosmarin, Da Que Deus. They include a lot more of the aesthetic of the Eden tour which is quite nice to experience although I think that the visual of the video does sometimes suffer because of the lighting/smoke/curtains etc., which are effective live, making a clear picture difficult. There are then two videos from the Festival Medieval, Andro and Jyansa, which, again, suffer visually because the lighting seems too strong for the camera. That said, the clips are lovely and are also of a high quality sound-wise. The Video Clip of Diese kalte Nacht explains itself really and is the music video of the song.

The documentary, 10 Years of Faun, is by far the highlight. The documentary ties together footage and photos of the band performing/traveling etc. with the members talking about their memories of the band’s life so far and their views on each other. I've split the sections into the chapters included in the DVD, written a few words as to what's included, and then written a more in detail summary of the things discussed. I've not said when you get every picture or live clip or whatever because that would be even more confusing. I've also lost all of the charm and humour that comes across when the band are talking but this is basically a list so here goes....

CD Review - 'Folk for the People' a benefit compilation for the victims of repression in Ukraine

So, a few weeks ago I threatened you with promised another review post centring around the Folk for the People folk compilation. In my last post on the subject, I focused on the cause behind the subject, the recent events in Ukraine, and poked you all into buying the thing. Now I'm going to mainly focus on the music. 

I don't normally review compilation CDs because, lets be honest, they are, by their very nature, a mush. How do you write an overarching review of something that is not consistent in performer/style/sometimes quality? Anyway, I'm going to give it a go because I want to give the CD as much airtime as I can on my blog. Don't expect this to be as coherent as normal and normal's not all that coherent, I know.

Folk for the People is a folk compilation in its broadest sense. From the slightly strange but eerily enticing tones of the opening track, 'Sonnet' by Aldona to the chaotic rocky sounds of 'Once upon a binge' by Sons of O'Flaherty, if you like any form of folk style or inspired music then you will be able to find something here.

There are some tracks from CDs that I've reviewed in their entirety, for example Cesair's 'Dies, Nox et Omnia' and Rastaban's 'Aurora'. There are some tracks that are from bands that I know well and some from bands/artists that I had not encountered. I rather think that this download is useful for a 'music taster'. There are a couple of musicians who I will probably buy CDs from, having heard this sample. Mind you, I swear that if I keep buying compilations then I'll end up with all of Sowulo's album without actually buying it in its own right!

I'm going to give up now. Without going through track by track I will not be able to do this download justice. Yes, there are a couple of tracks that aren't to my taste but that happens in any compilation and, when there are 35 tracks in total, it hardly damages the playability of the overall album. The fact that there are so many high quality tracks from greatly skilled artists means that it is well worth popping over to bandcamp and buying yourself a copy.

To listen to the album and, more importantly, to buy it click here. The bandcamp page also has information on the cause the money is going to if you scroll down below the track listing. You can also keep up to date with the goings on around the album and the donations being made by checking in on the facebook event page.

Getting away

Today is the day that I travel down to the cottage we're renting for Christmas.

I've been packing for a few days now as, due to the time of year, there's so much that needs to go with us. I've also learned that packing after a couple of (large) glasses of whiskey is not a good idea... yes, I did manage to get my head stuck in a suitcase. It took my parents about fifteen minutes to free me, although I'm sure that time could have been cut down dramatically if only they had stopped laughing!

En route to the cottage I am going to stop and visit a couple of siblings and, most excitingly, the diddy nephews! Yes, I am still planning on dressing as an elf!

As for where I'm going, it's a holiday cottage in the middle of no-where down in the south west. I'm close enough to Exeter that I can meet up with a couple of people if they bother to get back to me but far enough from everything that I can just get away from life for a while. I also believe that there is no internet at the cottage so I'm actually really looking forward to that. I'll only be there for a week, and one day of that will be Christmas day, but it will be nice to be stuck in 'real life' for a couple of days.

I'm taking a couple of musical instruments with me. Sadly, my 'cello is back in intensive care so she won't be coming but low whistle certainly is. I'm also taking a bundle of paints with me and will just see what happens over the next week. It'll be lovely to be free to just create with no strings attached and no real pressures.

So, I guess I'm off now. See you all after Christmas!

Christmas Song of the Day

Solstice Evergreen by Spiral Dance

Because today is Yule, or the Winter Solstice, it seemed only fitting to have a song relating to this festival instead of to Christmas per se. I'm still getting over the fact that we're not going to be able to really celebrate the festival this year but I guess the last couple of years have been strange for us as a family and what better time to remember that there's always next year!

As for the song, this is by a Pagan Folk band called Spiral Dance and is a great piece of music that works for Yule, Christmas, or just winter festivities in general. Enjoy.

(because I've been having some issues with blogger and youtube recently, if the video isn't embedded then click here to listen)

Big families are not worth it!

Okay, I'll admit that I don't mean this title in the slightest. I am very much a family person even if my own tends to verge on the dysfunctional at times... most of the time.

Well, I've finished my wrapping now although I'm sure my parents
 will get me to do theirs now. The above was today's little lot.

That said, Christmas becomes a bit of an expensive little escapade. I have four siblings, each with their own children, several aunts and uncles, not to mention parents and friends. That is a lot of wrapping! It's also really difficult because, while I don't think Christmas should be a materialistic festival, I do try my best to give the people who matter to me something really special and something that will mean something to them and to our relationship.

Excuse the general refurbishing house mess but this pile should give
you some idea of the amount of things I've wrapped/got to wrap.
The polka-dot one is from Annelies to me.

I'm just sad that I don't get to spend Christmas with the big-family. I'd especially like to spend it with the younglings but I guess you can't win them all. I'm not even sure if I'm going to get to see my siblings and co. this year as it seems that dad's dropping the stuff over. I'm thinking about trying to talk parents into us all going and dressing up as a Christmas elf (again)... hmm...

Christmas Song of the Day

Jingle Bells performed by Bellowhead.

Bellowhead, a folk band from England, have been stalking me this year so I feel that I might as well post one of their songs here today. Seriously, whenever I have turned on the radio they have been playing! I'm not complaining because they've got a great sound and are brilliant fun! Jingle Bells needs no explaination, I assume!

CD Review (kinda) - 'Cassadaga' by Bright Eyes

Genre: According to their facebook "Rock and Roll". According to Wikipedia, indie folk rock.

Review: 

I first discovered Bright Eyes online back in late 2006 on some Spotify-like website, the name of which I forget and which has since closed down. “Cassadaga” was the first C.D. that I bought by the band, sometime later, and remains one of my favourites by them.

So, why review it now? I have no doubt that I cannot do this record justice and nor can I review it very well. The music is full of double meanings and messages about life. To talk about it is to have to unravel the meaning and debate the issues, something that I am not qualified to do. A friend of mine, however, has been asked to review a song for her university course and has chosen “First Day of my Life” (from “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning”) therefore I have written this mainly to try and provide some inspiration for her and I would not consider it a full review even if it's quite long.

I’m doing this quite differently. I’ve written a track by track review of the first five tracks and then a summary. Obviously, this isn’t my normal style but this isn’t a normal review either!

The opening track, “Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)” is something that I rarely listen to because of its rather bizarre opening. A woman talks about psychic matters while discordant music builds up in the background. I believe that I once read that Bright Eyes deliberately makes the openings of their CDs difficult to avoid the ‘casual listener’. If this is the case then it works. It’s a shame though because the song itself, which comes in at the two minute mark is actually quite pleasant. Heralded by gentle fingerpicking Oberst’s lazy vocals enter, crooning a socio-political message. Maybe you should have listened to the introduction: this CD isn’t going to be an easy ride.

The next song “Four Winds” is easily one of the most musically upbeat of the album with a bouncy fiddle introduction leading into similarly bouncy vocals.  Interestingly, this change to a more joyous tone serves to emphasise the message of the song through its contrast. Although the song, as many by the band, is a critical look at life it uses jubilant  imagery, and tone, in order to emphasise and, I feel, undermine a lot of the aspects that society find to be important.

“If the Brakeman Turns my Way” seems to give a more introspective view of life and focuses on the self-development of the narrator and the listener. The simple backing, initially provided by a piano, combined with the use of vocal harmonies during the chorus, ensures that the focus is always on the lyrics which are exquisitely profound.

The rhythmic drive of “Hot Knives” gives the impression of a never ending inescapable continuation, probably to illustrate the nature of the lives of the character(s) of this song. The lyrics of this song are beautiful, focusing on the evils and vices of life, on escapism, but ultimately on forgiveness of others and of the self.

Finally, a love song! Of course, “Make a Plan to Love Me” couldn’t be straight forward, after all this is Bright Eyes, but it is beautiful. Oberst’s almost pained tone contrasts with the ethereal female backing vocals creating an atmosphere of desperation and need. The images in the lyrics are typically romantic from “shoot[ing] straight to the moon” to the “world [being] a Ferris Wheel”. There is no doubt that the narrator in this song is desperately in love and the listener cannot help but empathise with his feelings, no doubt being reminded of their own experiences.

Overall, Bright Eyes cannot be called an ‘easy listening’ band, although you may well find their CDs in the easy listening section of your local CD shop. The songs are quite different musically with some being supported by full bands and others by simple finger picked guitar patterns but they are united by two things Oberst’s lingering vocals and evocative lyrics that you will have no choice but to think about for days on end. Do I always like Bright Eyes music? No. Sometimes their sound is a bit too weird for me and sometimes the subject matter is too dark or just goes straight over my head. That said, they’re a band that you will not be able to forget.

Seeing one of my favourite bands in one of my favourite places

So, last Friday, as I mentioned, I got to see the most wonderful Rapalje perform their first show in England, namely in Glastonbury. They played two shows, the Friday and the Saturday, but, unfortunately I was only able to attend the Friday night performance. Oh well!

Rapalje are a Dutch folk band playing manly Irish and Scottish songs/tunes while wearing kilts. They're multi-cultural, shall we say? They're also incredibly multi-talented with each one of them playing various instruments to exceptional standards while putting on one hell of a show. In case you can't guess, I really enjoyed the performance. In fact, I would be surprised if I ever didn't enjoy one of their performances. Although I loved this band for a long time, listening to CDs and watching youtube videos, it wasn't until I saw them live last year that I truly appreciated their brilliance. 

As my camera wasn't up to photographing this show (I think the backlighting was confusing for it) there are no photos of the performance here. I spent my time dancing ;-)

Sorcha67 has uploaded this video of Heart of Steel (as well as Under the Scotsman's Kilt which was performed on the Saturday) so we'll just use them instead of photos hehe

I don't really know what to write about the performance. It was brilliant, as always. I was really happy to hear most of my favourite songs played including "Wat zullen we drinken", which I didn't expect because of the language barrier. I'll be honest that I missed a few songs that weren't played but I'm guessing that they got a showing on the Saturday and it's 100% my fault for missing out on that show. It also gives me an excuse to attempt to catch them again later in the year/next year in Europe!

I have to say that David's low whistle playing with the giggles in the first number was superb! One of the reasons why I should never be allowed to play a wind instrument on stage; I'd fall apart!! I was also happy to see that Dieb seemed to hit another band mate with his bow while playing at one stage... so I'm not the only one who does that!

I also got to meet the band after the show which, as one woman said, “made my night”. Certainly, it was a lovely ending to the evening. The band members were all true gentlemen who were more than willing to chat a bit, sign my painting things, and have photos taken with me. They were absolutely lovely, in short, above and beyond what I expect! Oh, and William and I were staying in the same hotel and after a couple of encounters in the elevator I can say that he has a great sense of humour too!

With Maceál

With David (in a photo that my mother likes to call 'The Hair Monster')

With William

With Dieb

They also , very kindly, signed some little painting cards I did but as I've not quite finished the paintings this time (the tartan on David's isn't painted, the bagpipes aren't cut out and nor is the fiddle's head as it would have lost tuning pegs in my handbag) I won't upload a photo of them this time. Maybe later :-)

I cannot wait to see Rapalje perform again (and nor can my mother).

CD Review - 'LEAF' by LEAF

Genre: Pagan Folk

Review: 

I will admit that I’m not sure how to type-set this album name, or the band name, having seen it written a few different ways on official things alone!  I bought this E.P. album at Castlefest as it was on someone else’s merchandise stand, or maybe the general C.D. stand, I don’t remember, and have listened to it quite a lot since.

The strength of this E.P. is that it is extremely listenable to, if that’s even grammatically correct. It’s gentle enough to work as background noise but also intricate enough to sound good if you concentrate on it.

The E.P. is a bit of a mish mash of different things but it works well as a whole. I guess the only song that stands out obviously is ‘Wind and Tree’ because it’s a lot more rhythmic and also because it’s in English which does make a difference. Other than that we have one love song, a nature poem, a love spell, and two instrumental tracks which do seem to fit together quite well probably because the timbre of those languages are more similar to English, especially with the technique of singing used.

As stand-alone tracks, all of the tunes and songs on the E.P. are strong. The first song ‘Under Nymånen’ is really pretty. It’s delicate and soft and a perfect introduction to the rest of the C.D. ‘Fjarilar’ has a slightly darker tone, to match its subject matter, and contrasts the high vocals with low instrumentation beautifully. Wind and Tree is a wonderful song as despite the story told being a slightly fantastical tale of a tree ‘falling in love with the wind’, the emotions felt, the bitterness, the hope, the ultimate resignation, and the lack of blame are emotions that anyone may feel with the end of a relationship, often at the same time. ‘Frühlingstanz’ and ‘Winter’ are the two instrumental tracks and fit together well in subject matter and in tone, the former being a fast spring dance (as the name suggests!) with the latter being a slower tune which has ideas of sadness as well as splendour. ‘Bundet’ is something quite special. Based on a Faroese love spell which has been translated into “a very old and almost lost Norwegian dialect”, the tune has kept the mystic origins of the words being said.

At the moment, as far as I am aware, this C.D. can only be purchased through sending an email to Kaat (address on the website) who is the vocalist and manager for the band. I was too shy to do this (*) even though it had been tempting me for a while, hence why I got it at the festival. I would urge people not to be silly like me and to contact her and purchase a copy of the disk as I believe it’s worthwhile!

(*) People think I’m outgoing but I seriously hate emailing or phoning people that I don’t know, even if it’s for a legitimate reason, because I might interrupt something important or I might annoy them or something stupid like that. 

CD Review - 'Von den Elben: deluxe edition' by Faun

Genre: Medieval Folk

Review:

Faun has been one of my favourite bands for some years now so I’ll not beat about any bushes: I am incredibly biased.

This review is for the deluxe version of their gold-selling ‘Von den Elben’. The deluxe version comes with a couple of extra tracks and a D.V.D. but is otherwise the same in content to the plain C.D. which I also own. I do believe that it is worth getting the deluxe version if you’re a fan of the band as the D.V.D. is, in my mind, worth as much as the C.D. itself.

So, despite the fact I’ve had the music for a long while, what about the C.D.? It’s different to what you’re used to hearing with Faun but that was expected. It’s not different in a bad way either, but I do think that it’s something you have to bear in mind when listening.

As an overall listening experience, this C.D. is enjoyable. There is, as one comes to expect from Faun, a mixture of different styles of songs from percussion heavy, to dance songs, to softer ballads and, as always, they carry these styles off with musical aplomb. Listening through the C.D., the tracks work as an overall experience and there’s not one song that I would skip and therefore wish to actively avoid. This is a rarity as there tends to be at least one track per album (generally, not talking about Faun here) that bores me and gets skipped. There are, however, a few tracks on ‘Von den Elben’ that I wouldn’t choose to actively listen to because they’re simply not as strong or memorable in comparison to the others.

So what about the songs that I love on this album? I think that it was right to choose ‘Diese kalte Nacht’ as their music video single as it’s probably one of the strongest on the album. It has a strong rhythm, some lovely instrumentation, and a sweet storyline. ‘Tanz mit mir’ is a drinking type song, a raucous duet featuring Santiano and is a fantastic fun and catchy song. ‘Welche Sprache spricht dein herz’ is a slower song, with a slightly rhythm driven chorus, that has a really beautiful melody, in my opinion, and some wonderful vocals too. That said, my favourite song on the album has to be the stunning ‘Thymian &  Rosmarin’ which is simple, soft, and stunning. It’s a real clear cut favourite.

The two news songs on the album do rather stand out as ‘bonus tracks’ as they don’t seem to fit in with the style of the album itself but would probably fit right in on one of Faun’s older albums. ‘Sao Roma’ is a great track that starts off with a haunting melody and then somehow becomes a fast, driven piece of music(**)! ‘Lorelei’ is also quite wonderful and reminds me a bit of one of those dark children’s fairy-tale songs that you come across during the verse while the chorus lifts out of this a little.

The reason to get the deluxe version, however, is definitely the D.V.D. or, more importantly, the documentary. The documentary was really interesting to watch, made me smile a fair few times. it also comes with English subtitles which is great for those people who don’t speak German or who, like me, are lazy (*). It’s accessible, has enough details of interest for long term fans yet is presented in a light and general enough way to make it enjoyable for new fans too.

Overall, I do like the C.D. ‘Von den Elben’ a lot. It has enough positive points to keep the negative at bay and is worth the money spent. I also would hesitate to moan about it not sounding like Faun, as I have heard others do, although it is worth comment. Sure, it’s different to their other albums but each of their albums is different anyway and it’s still got some exceptional pieces on it. I would definitely recommend buying the deluxe edition of the album because, as I said, the D.V.D. is well made and worth the extra money. I don’t regret buying the album twice either.

(*) or have English as a second language but not German!

(**)My mother and I are both guilty of driving around the streets of Birmingham with this particular song blasting out the car windows!

CD Review - ‘Dies, Nox et Omnia’ by Cesair

Rating: 5/5 stars (and then some!)

Genre: Epic Folk

Review: I’d liked what I’d seen of Cesair, I’d followed the previews of their album with excitement, I saw them at Castlefest and loved what I saw but nothing could have prepared me for actually listening to their album.

It’s rare that you have a CD that is perfect. Even among those favourite CDs there’s always one song that’s just not quite right or there’s some issue with the order of the tracks or the pacing or even the cover. Perfection is an ideal, not a reality, after all. Of course, the exception proves the rule and ‘Dies, Nox et Omnia’ is, dare I say it, the exception.

I cannot find one thing wrong with this album. I can’t even find one bit that doesn’t feel quite right and I’ve thought hard about it because, to write about something and just say “it’s great” isn’t the best way to go about anything.

I think that the greatest strength of this C.D. is the fact that it works as a whole as opposed to a bunch of songs put together onto one disk. Going further than a concept album, it sounds like an opera whereby all the songs base around the same musical themes for unity yet are individual and unique. That said, there are extreme contrasts in sound too from lullaby like tunes to chant like pieces to songs that just make you want to dance. Somehow this album has managed to contain a diverse range of songs yet remain unified. Not only this but there are parts, like the introduction to ‘Bergatrollets Friari’, that might not stand up to criticism if listening to the song on its own but which really add to the atmosphere and the pacing of the C.D. as a whole.

The individual songs are stunning in their own right. It’s very difficult to pick out one or two songs as ‘better’ than the others, and they all have a 5* rating on my iTunes which drives me mad, but I will attempt to discuss a couple that particularly stand out to me as I write. ‘Du Som Har’ has a simplicity to it, musically, yet is hauntingly beautiful. ‘Canso’ the track following it couldn’t be more different really, being a rhythm driven tune, yet it manages to set off the preceding number rather than sound out of place. However, I guess, ‘Atiny Naya’ will forever remain my favourite for so many reasons and, of course, because it was the first song I heard by this band, a purely personal point, and because the variations between the sections in this song are stunning. I’m not even going to try and discuss the power and the beauty of the music as a whole because to do so would rather undermine it. There are seriously some things that shouldn’t be said and should just be left to the music.

It’s also worth commenting upon the album cover itself. For practicality, I tend to download if given a choice as I abuse my C.D.s terribly (I call it love) and also simply don’t have enough room. However, this is one disk that I would urge people to buy physically, although you don’t have a choice right now as I don’t believe Cesair are offering a download. The cover art is stunning, as is the booklet. The text contained within the booklet itself also offers insight into the inspiration for each song even for those of us who might be a bit linguistically challenged!

I guess that’s the beauty of this C.D., not only does it contain beautiful music but no aspect of the experience has been overlooked. I’m sure the musicians themselves have plenty of pernickety annoyances with aspects because the creator always notices these faults but, as a listener, it seems that everything is (dare I say it?) perfect.

To listen to samples of music from the album, and also to buy it click here.