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░ ██ ██ Artist: White Willow ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Future Hopes █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-06-13 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: The Laser's Edge ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Formed in Oslo in 1992/93, WHITE WILLOW has built █
█ a reputation over the years as a diverse, subtle, █
█ progressively-focused group, their albums always █
█ critically acclaimed and revered as influential. █
█ They were a part of the original revival of █
█ progressive rock in Scandinavia that also included █
█ ─nglagσrd, Anekdoten, and Landberk, and original █
█ ─nglagσrd drummer Mattias Olsson is the drummer of █
█ WHITE WILLOW. Fusing influences from 1970s prog █
█ rock and folk rock, hard rock, electronica, and █
█ even some pop influences, with each album they █
█ explore new territories. A common thread █
█ throughout all the albums though, is the use of █
█ female vocals and the employment of huge arsenals █
█ of vintage keyboards and synthesizers, notably █
█ Mellotrons, Chamberlins, Moogs, Solinas, Prophets, █
█ and more. Among the bands/artists admired by WHITE █
█ WILLOW are Genesis, Blue ╓yster Cult, King █
█ Crimson, Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, Joni █
█ Mitchell and Norwegian bands ranging from H°st to █
█ Darkthrone. █
█ WHITE WILLOWÆs first album since 2011Æs █
█ well-received Terminal Twilight sees the outfit █
█ exploring some of the most ôprogressiveö territory █
█ the band has ever ventured into, with several █
█ lengthy tracks and more instrumental passages than █
█ they are usually known for. Musically the album █
█ builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, █
█ with a modern approach to production. Future Hopes █
█ also features a heavy use of synthesizers, █
█ including the unique textures of the famed Blade █
█ Runner synth, the Yamaha CS80. █
█ The Future Hopes lineup, which as always is a █
█ loose constellation of musicians with █
█ multi-instrumentalists Jacob Holm-Lupo and Mattias █
█ Olsson at the core, sees the return of several █
█ WHITE WILLOW stalwarts, including flautist Ketil █
█ Einarsen (Jaga Jazzist, Motorpsycho), keyboardist █
█ Lars Fredrik Fr°islie (Wobbler, Tusm°rke), and █
█ bassist Ellen Andrea Wang (Pixel, Manu KatchΘ █
█ Quartet). The singer is however a new arrival. █
█ Venke Knutson is best known in her native Norway █
█ for a string of Top 10 hits and is well █
█ established as a solo pop artist. She came into █
█ Holm-LupoÆs orbit as a guest singer with his other █
█ project, The Opium Cartel. Guesting on several █
█ tracks and putting a clear stamp on the album is █
█ NorwayÆs trailblazing guitar hero Hedvig █
█ Mollestad, known from her own Hedvig Mollestad █
█ Trio. Holm-Lupo felt the material needed a soloist █
█ who could both navigate the tricky, almost █
█ jazz-influenced chord and time changes on the █
█ album while at the same time retaining a rock █
█ edge, and Hedvig fit the bill perfectly. █
█ Future Hopes was mixed by highly respected █
█ Norwegian Grammy-nominated engineer Christian █
█ Engfelt, known for his work on the Elephant9/Reine █
█ Fiske album, Atlantis, and the Todd █
█ Rundgren/Lindstr°m collaboration, Runddans. The █
█ record was mastered by Grammy Award-winning █
█ audiophile legend Bob Katz, and completed with a █
█ specially commissioned painting by Roger Dean. The █
█ CD and digital versions of the album also feature █
█ two bonus tracks, including an original tune, █
█ ôDamnation Valley,ö as well as WHITE WILLOWæs █
█ unusual cover of The ScorpionsÆ classic dirge, █
█ ôAnimal Magnetism,ö re-interpreted as a Tangerine █
█ Dream-like electronic piece while still retaining █
█ the heaviness of the original. The star on the █
█ track is New York-based clarinetist David █
█ Krakauer, knows as the worldÆs foremost klezmer █
█ clarinetist, with countless credits to his name █
█ both with his own projects, in jazz █
█ constellations, with many of the worldÆs best █
█ philharmonic orchestras and with soundtrack music. █
█ Krakauer is a recipient of many prestigious █
█ nominations and awards, from DownBeat to the █
█ Grammys. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Future Hopes 4:29 ░
░ 2. Silver & Gold 4:04 ░
░ 3. In Dim Days 11:06 ░
░ 4. Where There Was Sea There is Abyss 1:58 ░
░ 5. A Scarred View 18:16 ░
░ 6. Animal Magnetism (Bonus Track) 7:14 ░
░ 7. Damnation Valley (Bonus Track) 3:16 ░
░ 50:23 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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