Artist : Strie
Album : Ohtul
Year : 2012
Genre : Ambient
Quality : 227kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint Stereo
Source : CD
Playtime : 0h 45m
Size : 77.34mb
Label : Time Released Sound
Catalognr : TRS015
Tracklist:
01. Hallilaul 5:00
02. Arabesque 4:49
03. Sovn I 6:58
04. Rapid Eye Movement 4:38
05. Sovn II 7:20
06. Lost In Between 4:03
07. Sovn III 7:16
08. False Awakening 5:21
Releasenotes:
Sometimes the only way to get everything right is to stop trying. This
surrender lies at the heart of ╒htul, an album of immersive beauty that neither
bows to convention nor rails against it. Striδ (Iden Reinhart) tours the world
with various ensembles, and she arranged the strings for Greg HainesÆ
Digressions, but on her own, she wears the slippers of evening and mist. When
one had had too much of this world, one has no choice but to give in or create
another one, and Striδ takes the latter path here, decorating her walls with
musings, lamentations, and tiny wishes: tiny because they lack the strength to
risk large disappointment.
These songs lack playmates. TheyÆve been invited to other houses, but havenÆt
fit in. öPlay hopscotch with us,ö the other songs say. öMimic our cadence.
Learn our rules.ö But the tracks of ╒htul respond, ôLook at the pretty chalk!
See how it flecks!ö and ôMay I color in the spaces between your words?ö This
isnÆt a rule-breaking album, itÆs a rule-indifferent album û not purposely
contrary, but confused that others donÆt understand.
Much has been made of the ômysteryö of Striδ, and the deluxe packaging of ╒htul
- lovely and mysterious itself û amplifies the adjectives. The outside may be
blank, but the inside bursts with color, thanks to a series of cards, including
one of a hot air balloon. ThereÆs even a puzzle of Striδ that the recipient can
put together: an obvious metaphor, but fun. One wonders what the artist thinks
of all this. For the public to ôcelebrate the mystery of Striδö may be as
dangerous to the artistÆs reputation as mainstream acknowledgement. The same
threat has faced other women known for their quirkiness, such as Bj÷rk and Zooey
Deschanel, whose public-drawn boxes have distracted from their tremendous
talent.
ThereÆs a heart-rending quality to much of StriδÆs music, apparent in the
downcast strings and low-pitched vocalizations of ôH╤llilaulö (ôLullabyö) and
the counter-balancing melodies of ôArabesqueö. ItÆs unusual to be drawn into an
album with sadness, but the clouds part a bit at the end of ôArabesqueö, with
piano, electronics and an additional pair of string sequences: like catching a
glimpse of the moon before it disappears again. Elsewhere, swaths of forlorn
sounds mask deeper elements: distant hammering, classical loops, a xylophone.
Some sounds have been reclaimed from older sources. Most are new, composed for
the occasion. But no matter how dark the evening gets, the artist remains
tender, as if to acquaint a younger loved one with the dark, but not to
frighten. Any hints of hauntology are likely unintentional; This Mortal CoilÆs
Blood makes a better reference point.
╒htul attempts to guide the listener safely through the night, a time in which
the liminal creatures emerge and shadows melt into a thicker darkness. The
crackling of leaves and secret stirrings preserved within these pieces speak of
deeper truths, of bigger secrets û not ôWho is Striδ?ö but ôWho are we?ö,
encased in a world we often ignore when the sun goes down. The inability to
tell field recording from percussion and pure voice from pitch-shift adds to the
disorientation.
If ╒htul were not out of step, it wouldnÆt be as effective. We often ignore
what we understand and dismiss what we donÆt, but Ohtul has elements of both.
As such, itÆs impossible to abandon; itÆs the word weÆve forgotten, resting on
the tip our of tongue. Ohtul is not an album of darkness looking for the light,
nor an album of darkness that folds in on itself. ItÆs an album in which a
personÆs darkness is a fox or an owlÆs light, and it invites us to see the
forest through their eyes.
(Richard Allen, acloserlisten.com)
http://strie.bandcamp.com/album/htul