Natural Snow Buildings. Shadow Kingdom . 2009.

Another masterpiece (if not their finest achievement to date) from this prolific avant/drone duo. Delicate, ethereal folk songs are interwoven with wispy psychedelia, eastern-tinged guitars and mysterious, ambient noises. A soundtrack for levitation. Shadow Kingdom is an incredibly exhausting and expansive album (over 2 hours) that is full of awe-inspiring moments. It may take dozens of dedicated listens to unearth all of its riches.

Oceanus Procellarum. Amidst Nature . 2009.

Low, rumbling drones and minimal acoustic accents run through this deep and challenging album. Subtle transitions lumber in the caverns of these five evocative pieces, sounding like lost requiems, left to rot in the woods.

Starbird. Nanook of the North. 2007.

A very unique piece of drone/ambient/free-folk music inspired by the famous Canadian documentary about the Inuit in Quebec. Strange percussive instrumentation, chimes and woodwinds grant this album an authentic, indigenous atmosphere. The sonic landscapes may be sparse, cold and foreboding, but Starbird’s eclecticism also makes them strangely inviting, finding a primordial connection with the open North.

Digg!

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Lists, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.