Nickie’s Niches 27: March 2024

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1. 

   Carry Them With Us

   by Brìghde Chaimbeul

   favorite track

   Tha Fonn Gun Bhi Trom (I Am Disposed of Mirth)

   Brighde plays the Scottish smallpipes and, although it is easy to hear the traditional underpinnings to this release, they are carried right into the present. Here she collaborates with saxophonist and composer Colin Stetson (Arcade Fire, Bon Iver), and the results are stunningly otherworldly.

   

   Large Plants “Thorn” Jack Sharp, formerly of Wolf People, mixes guitar interplay with that of Joe Woolley, to bring a wonderfully retro psych-folk sound. Clangy, jangly, gritty guitars and washy vocals are the order of the day, with drums, fuzzy bass, and synths rounding out the sound. The pieces are all musings on the natural world, along with a bit of ancient history, and some personal reflections, which are well-suited to the music. I’ve really had a hard time deciding which is the best track here. But, my favourite track is Favourite Track: The Thorn (3:53) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kivkR38d3nE

   1. 

      In the Furrows Of Common Place

      by Jim Ghedi

      favorite track

      Lamentations of Round Oak Waters

      Combining original and traditional tunes on this release, Jim Ghedi has somehow escaped my notice until now. His stirring vocals, guitars and the harmonium, are supported by a quintet on double bass, violin, drums and percussion, as well as trumpet and flugelhorn. The lyrics are primarily dark, mostly focusing on social injustice and land inequity, and are passionately delivered by Jim’s expressive voice

      1. 

         Dreams

         by Before The Moon Arrived

         favorite track

         Seventh Sister (The Lost Pleiad)

         Before The Moon Arrived is a duo from The Netherlands, comprised of Sandra Zovko (Piano, lead vocals), and Laura Badenes (cello, backing vocals). For two people, they have created in incredibly rich and satisfying sound. As you would expect from the instrumentation, the music has a classical feel, and Sandra’s clear voice is the perfect foil to the depths of the piano and cello.

         1. 

            Nebula LP

            by Bloodflowers

            favorite track

            Space & Time

            Neo-psychedelicist quartet from Düsseldorf brings it on in spades. The gossamer vocals are supported by an endlessly darting and swirling lysergically-laced band. They create their own ether-reality as their concept of the interior quest of a heavenly being loves, loses, and discovers her true self in the process. Really tempted by the light and airy Dreams, but going with Space and Time, as it is more indicative of the entire release.

            1. 

               Empty

               by Kristoffer Gildenlöw

               favorite track

               End Of The Road

               Kristoffer is a multi-instrumentalist known in the progressive and metal fields for playing bass with acts such as Pain of Salvation and Kayak. There is plenty of angst and quiet fury here, but generally subdued, and therefore, more ominous. He brings in several adept players to provide variance to each of the tracks. Superbly dark.

               1. 

                  She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She

                  by CHELSEA WOLFE

                  favorite track

                  Dusk

                  This latest offering by Chelsea Wolfe is decidedly bleak, an intimate look inside of processing how to let go of what you must. Her vocals are very effected, with the instrumentation being guitars, synths, and piano. The entire release is replete with washy heaviness, like churning through the depths to somehow reach the other side. And reach the other side she does, judging from the final and my favourite track, Dusk
               3. 

                  The Forked Road

                  by Richard Wileman

                  favorite track

                  The Last Book Of English Magic

                  Multi-instrumentalist Richard Wileman (Karda Estra) has released his 4th solo album, and a thing of beauty it is. A conceptual post-apocalyptic horror story, it is mostly acoustic in nature. He is joined vocally by Amy Fry on several tunes, with additional vocals and diaphanous harp supplied by Chantelle Smith. Other instrumentation are guitars, bass, keyboards, bouzouki, dulcimer, accordion, melodica, and percussion.

                  
                  NOT ON BANDCAMP: FAUN & Fatma Turgut “UMAY” Sadly not a full release from FAUN, who we heard from last in early 2022, merely a single, but I’m very excited about this one. Here the fantastic purveyors of an amalgamation of pagan folk, darkwave, and Medieval music, FAUN, have teamed up with Fatma Turgut, who is a renowned Turkish singer. The result is stunning and I surely hope we will hear more from this collaboration in the future. (4:46) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OqCdGaypIs