Owls - The Night Stays download mp3 flac

It's as if tricky had produced johnny cash on booze instead of maxinquaye. Voice is a bit morrissey, it's perhaps similar to morcheeba with the guitars or death in vegas, the lyrics are a bit doom metal at times, the atmosphere is northern lyricism of a obscure kind. If you like this you will like morcheeba, receiver - chicken milk, maxinquaye.

This album is the product of a collaboration between the primary forces behind Sol Invictus and Sigillum-S. The result is a potent and adult collaboration that blends the Neo-folk songwriting of Tony Wakeford (of Sol Invictus) with minimal electronic and trip-hop accompaniment. In many ways it reminds me of the first time I heard Morrissey's divisive yet beloved solo record "You Are The Quarry." Musically the album deviates from the artists' previous style, but the arrangement and presentation keeps it firmly in line with the values one has come to expect from this artist. The structure that defines previous work is here, the songwriting ability and presence of a defined aesthtetic is there, but in a different way that is somewhat surprising. In some ways it has a throwback to 90's style production. The songs themselves are not dissimilar to the songwriting style that Wakeford has employed in the past, but filtered through the lens of the arrangements that are rather complex at times yet very radio friendly. The overall sound blends dark keyboards and electronica sounds with guitar playing that is pushed to the background somewhat as part of the textural atmospheres of the record. The songs are rather opaque and personal, sometimes touching on the socio-political and pagan-related themes that Sol Invictus is well known for.

"The Night Stays" is a very atmopheric and extremely effective song that seems to be about corruption in the highest places, and the notion of a dark power in charge. The cadence and production at times remind me of the excellent songwriting work of David E. Williams. The composition of this piece leans toward a story-telling style, with many sets of unrepeating lyrics like a long poem, but some of the songs have a repetitive effect with the same words repeating over and over as a mantra as in a more minimalist style. "God Is Right" is a stark ballad about religious fevor and fanatacism within monotheistic religion, particularly in the Islamic world. The track is catchy, with a dark and propulsive beat pushing along the marching pace of the lyric recitation. As always, Wakeford's voice is strong and filled with conviction, but with a mature and serious tone that the atmospheric music highlights. "Idiots Waltz" is a waltz-tempo decrying of the vapid and ignorant values of modern society, the parade of fools drowning in drama and self-deception. "I Am" is a wrenching ballad filled with self-hatred that is somewhat reminiscent of the 1990's self-hatred in grunge music, but with the production and songwriting ideals of this ensemble.

Overall, I was really surprised with the tone and production style on this release, but it is an interesting collaboration and hopefully these guys will continue to work on more material in the future. It unites the basic style of the artists involved in a way that creates a brand new project separate from the previous accomplishments. In this way it reminds me of Electronic, the excellent but short lived collabroation between The Smiths' Johnny Marr and the main songwriter of New Order. The lyrics seem more personal yet oddly detatched compared to previous releases and projects by Mr. Wakeford, and it is always nice to see established artists who are not afraid to go out on a limb and try something a little different. The track title "A Strange Kind Of Beauty" sums up much of the record nicely, as the record is very morose but has its own pleasant charm in the lyrics and atmospheres that it puts forward. The finale track "All Gone" is definitely the most experimental track and probably the best on this release in general. It deals with loss and perspective that comes from getting older, and it shows the potential for this group to develop further in the future. An impressive and very nice listening from these veteran musicians, definitely recommended for fans of the more recent output of the artists involved.

Rating: 5/5

Written by: Joseph Gates