Release Info:
Artist : The Human Voice
Album : Silent Heart
Genre : Ambient
Label : Cyclic Law
Catnum : 82nd Cycle
Source : CDDA
URL : http://https://www.discogs.com/The-Human-Voice-Silent-Heart/release/
Mode Info:
Tracks : 1
Time : 00:56:06
Size : 114.64 MB
Encode : LAME 32bits version 3.98.4 (http://www.mp3dev.org/) -V0
Quality : 272kbps 44100Hz Joint Stereo
Tracklist:
1. Silent Heart 56:06
56:06 (min)
The long-awaited follow-up to 2008's Exit Lines has finally arrived! Harleif
Langas, still making waves with his last release Istid I-II as his alter-ego
Northaunt, and a contribution to the Azathoth collaboration for Cryo Chamber as
Therradaemon, has returned with another brilliant addition to his discography.
While Northaunt taps into northern soundscapes and Therradaemon shows a darker
and more industrial side, The Human Voice can be considered the most personal
and melancholic of his projects. With a focus on emotions and the human
condition Silent Heart is filled with relaxing midnight-recording sessions of
beautiful piano pieces, guitar drones, and field recordings overlay-ed with
some very moving samples. The ability to bring forth deep emotions in the
listener is a testament to the meticulous preparation and highest standards
held by Harleif Langas. "Midnight" takes us from a very unsettling sweep of
distorted frequencies directly into a beautifully melancholic piano passage. On
my first play-through the sample in this track struck abruptly, catching me off
guard. I wasn't sure how I felt about this, but on following play-throughs I
find that this is my favorite track on the album and I anticipate the start of
the sample and am moved every time I hear the words, by their deep meaning.
"Early Hours" is a hair-raising experience. Strange sounds layer together in
this track to give it a dark and haunting feel. A persistent static seems to be
blended with the sounds of a storm as the backdrop to a curious and thought
provoking piano passage. This track also features a guitar drone that reminds
me a bit of the desolation of "If Only My Heart Were Stone" the deeply moving
Northaunt track from The Borrowed World split with Svartsinn. I should add that
this is really the only time I feel an association between Northaunt and The
Human Voice, every other aspect of the album seems to keep a full separation
from Langas' alter-ego. "Silent Heart" is one of the most peaceful tracks here,
slow moving drones rest on a backdrop of a sort of white noise, with another
personal and emotional piano passage rolling in and out of the experience.
"Landscape Seen Through Tears" takes the listener out into a cold rainy
evening. I can close my eyes and imagine myself wandering through the
industrial district of a city, wrapped in a raincoat, brooding on some deeply
personal loss. "Deep Blue" has a sense of isolation, with its low rolling bass
and dampened field recordings overlayed with a more subdued synth/guitar line,
which then leads into a very lonely and melancholic piano passage. "Stay With
Me, Until It's Over" features a powerful sample repeating throughout the track,
its cinematic approach leaves a deep impression on me with every playthrough.
"Armchair Traveller" conveys a sense of total loss creeping even deeper into
the psyche of the listener before the final track. "We Are All Alone" ends
Silent Heart with a beautifully melancholic piano passage over a subtle ambient
backdrop, giving us time to fully absorb the album as it closes. Silent Heart
is a deep and moving experience from beginning to end. Never becoming
overwhelming yet always holding onto the listener emotionally, it dives deep
into our psyches and tears at what makes us human, what makes us feel. Silent
Heart was years in the making and Harleif Langas proves yet again that the best
things take time and patience to create. Silent Heart is arguably one of
Langas' best albums to date, and probably the most emotionally gripping of all.
While Northaunt often gives one the feeling of being in the midst of a dark and
desolate landscape, The Human Voice manages to manipulate the mind itself,
pulling us through deeply melancholic and personal passages, reflecting the
dark waters of a tortured soul. Silent Heart is highly recommended to any fan
of the more subdued and personal side of dark ambient. However, if that kind of
thing doesn't usually tickle your fancy, you may find that this album is the
exception. Silent Heart is truly a masterwork by Langas and yet another
testament to why he is one of the most celebrated and essential names in the
dark ambient genre. - See more at:
http://terrarelicta.com/index.php/reviews/all-reviews/5490-the-human-voice-sile
nt-heart-2016-review#sthash.ZSiNOMoT.dpuf