Darker and grittier than an old floppy disk drive rotting in some secret agency’s basement, this is one weird bastard. Samples, blitz-rhythms, incursions into other dimensions, it’s all here. This is the soundtrack alien straightjackets boogie to.
Oh, one more thing. This is the only song of this band that I like. So before you go looking for more Aborym, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/03470-AborymWithNoHumanIntervention-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Aborym – Does Not Compute’ desc=’Darker and grittier than an old floppy disk drive rotting in some secret agency's basement, this is one weird bastard.’]
Delicate orchestration, a beautiful sense of depth and an ominous story-teller give this song an aura of ancient forest magic. The darkness in one voice is opposed by airy choirs and dreamy instruments. The song may be called “dark depths”, but all I feel is light.
This entire “Visor Om Slutet” (Songs About The End) album is just as enchanting(*) as this song (well, perhaps except for “Rov”). Mind you, this is not the usual Finntroll. I’ll be back later this year with a more representative song of theirs, but if you’re curious, check out “Ur Jordens Djup^” or “Nattfödd^”.
It’s unfortunately VERY hard to find a legal version of this song anywhere. It’s not on Spotify, Deezer or Google Play. I can’t find any other version than the YouTube one. But it might be enough to lead you to other songs from this album and perhaps to buy it in physical form, before it becomes a rarity.
(*) When I said “enchanting”, I did NOT mean the song’s lyrics, an extract of which you can find below. Although those words can’t really be labeled with the word “enchanting” (well, depending on your point of view; I guess trolls would definitely find it enchanting), these are great lyrics either way!
“I vinden viskar dödens stämma
Onda stjärnor på himmelen stirra
Bland furor eka ett isande skrik
Urskogens klor i nattlig sky
Ur rymdens svarta djup…
Ur rymdens svarta djup…
Fem fot svart stål han i sina nävar klämmer
En svart skugga från jordens djupaste hål
Långa öron och knivskarpa horn
Under brynen glöda två illröda kol:
Nu lyfts värdet mot himmelens rand
Syndastålet nu frysa luft till is
Nu livlösa förbli var man, var kvinna
Domen falla och tystnad härska
O, rymdens svarta djup…
O, rymdens svarta djup…”
[English translation:]
Dark Depths
“In wind whisper the tones of death
Evil stars in the sky now stare
Beneath the trees echoes the freezing cry
Ancient forest’s claws in the night sky
From vast dark depths…
From vast dark depths…
Black five foot blade clenches in his fist
Dark shade from the deepest hall of earth
Long ears and razorsharp horns
Under helmet glows two scarlet coals…
Now rises darkness towards heaven’s boundaries
Lustful steel now freezes winds to ice
Thus lifeless remains man and woman
Judgement falls and silence reigns
Oh, wide dark depths…
Oh, wide dark depths…”
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Psybient is a Journey Genre. This means that most psybient songs are Transporters. Where (and when) they Transport you is mostly up to your own imagination and experience. This song has all the hallmarks of an excellent Transporter: incantations, choirs, a wide array of playful instruments, multiple sound planes, a diverse, inspired orchestration and, of course, awesome rhythms and bass.
Without any intent of stealing the show from Ayla’s originality and evocative voice, did I mention Kalya Scintilla is one of the greatest psybient artists? Another five Kalya-creations have already been featured on the Weekly Song. I dare you to seek them out and see where they will Transport you.
You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.
A dreamy, ritualistic creation that will transport awareness far and off on the wings of the beautiful, evocative voice wielding the keys to the portals of our imagination. Such Journey Songs are a testament to the power of sound.
Besides the excellent production values featured in this tune, I stand in awe at the magnificent fusion between electronic instruments and traditional ones. I was, am and will always be overjoyed by the way technology has increased the sound range that artists can use. Unlike others, artists can be trusted to use technology responsibly and respectfully.
“If love be revealed
In the spark of an eye
Could all be redeemed
In the sea of time
If the stars embed
Like nails into the ground
From the unheard prayers
That have torn up the skies
Would you will it all away
As you sail on your way?”
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03429-AzamAliElysiumBrave-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Azam Ali – In Other Worlds’ desc=’A dreamy, ritualistic creation that will transport awareness far and off on the wings of the beautiful, evocative voice wielding the keys to the portals of our imagination.’]
Receive this powerful invocation from deep within the heart of Mother Nature. It was carried through lungs that breathe its air. It was beat into eternity from ritualistic drums and instruments. It was blessed with choirs that cleanse everything their life-giving vibration touches.
Celebrate the dance of night and day.
You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.
This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03424-WardrunaRunaljodGapVarGinnunga-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Wardruna – Dagr’ desc=’Blessed with choirs that cleanse everything their life-giving vibration touches.’]
Get some good head gear, lie down, close your eyes and let this one take you places. This is the symbiosis between technology, mind and soul. Despite the relatively alert rhythm, the deep frequencies are so good at doing their brain-massage thing that this song never fails to send me into a state of inspired calm.
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03418-AutechreIncunabula-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Autechre – 444′ desc=’This is the symbiosis between technology, mind and soul.’]
A journey song, a healing song, a passing song, a beautiful song. The music is intricate and delicate, building up towards the climax when we’re treated to a vocal performance of shattering passion and amazing range. Powerful, meaningful lyrics complete the melody to perfection. Nothing else would suffice for a song of the stars.
“We are the stars who sing
we sing with our light;
we are the birds of fire,
we fly over the sky.
our light is a voice;
we make a road,
for the spirit, for the spirits to pass over.”
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03413-MirabaiCeibaSevati-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Mirabai Ceiba – Song Of The Stars’ desc=’The music is intricate and delicate, building up towards the climax when we're treated to a vocal performance of shattering passion and amazing range.’]
In spite of what the gentle first minute might indicate, don’t expect an easy ride here. This song is killing it – it’s an all-out assault on all frequencies, with an emphasis on the bass. It takes a while until take-off, but that’s how you roll when you want to bust the 10-minute “psychological threshold”: you take your time mixing everything in and you heat it slowly so that the listener doesn’t realize their eardrums are boiling.
Sure, it gets a bit repetitive, but hey, that’s exactly what tickles our brain. This one hit my spot at least.
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/03409-WayOutWestDontLookNow-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Way Out West – Killa’ desc=’This song is killing it – it's an all-out assault on all frequencies, with an emphasis on the bass.’]
Here’s a dark waltz of enthralling beauty, heavier than a black hole and brighter than the full moon. It’s mad, it’s angry, but so is life sometimes. Here’s to contrast!
Sung in two languages (Portuguese and English) this harks from one of Moonspell’s oldest albums. The band released many more in the 22 years that followed and I’m happy to say that the signs of an illustrious career were undeniable even since 1996.
“Full Moon Madness,
We are as one and congregate
Full Moon Madness
We rise again to procreate to seal our fate
Irreverence was cast out from the sky
And eternity lost its sex forever
And under the same heaven they voted to emptiness
They still celebrate under a Full Moon Madness…”
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/03404-MoonspellIrreligious-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Moonspell – Full Moon Madness’ desc=’Here's a dark waltz of enthralling beauty, heavier than a black hole and brighter than the full moon.’]
The magma struggles to get out, get away, no way out, not fast enough, there’s not enough space, no space and then… it rips through the entire damn sound system! This volcanic song brings us claustrophobic buildups and all the fireworks deserved for going through with it all. Special credit goes for whoever mixed and produced the song, they did a really good job framing the vocals with just the right amount of suffocating materials.
Oh, and the video is quite a piece of work too, highly recommended!
“Sticks and stones don’t break my bones, they’re make-believe
It’s lock and load, it’s a dead end road for you and me
I’m rusted gold, I’m stripped and sold, I’m make believe
I’m up for rent, my head is spent, I guarantee
So can you not go away?
If just for one day?
Impossible, possible
How’d you feel now?
War sends out for you
Throw your fortune away
‘Cause I can’t get enough space, space, space
Get enough space”
You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song from this same location.
This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.
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Because being informed is just not enough anymore…
