CD Review: Sieben - No Less Than All

Written by Hemi Malkki Tuesday, 03 July 2012 12:44

Artist: Sieben
Title: No Less Than All
Genre: Neofolk/ Experimental
Release Date: 1st February 2012
Label: Redroom

Album Review

Sheffield-based Matt Howden has been releasing albums under the moniker SIEBEN well over ten years and 'No Less Than All' is the ninth full-length album of his prolific project. SIEBEN's unique music - based solely on Howden's voice and violin, intricately looped and layered - eludes categorization: while the earlier albums got often classified as Neofolk, the latest albums are taking SIEBEN towards the realm of rock music, as demonstrated e.g. by ominous 'He can Delve in Hearts'. Distorted violin riffs - such as those in the opening track 'Music is the light' - grind like electric guitars, and Howden successfully uses his violin as a percussion instrument. Similarly, instead of sourcing from the Neofolk canon and traditional folk, SIEBEN seems to be digging deeper and wider: I hear echoes of progressive rock combined with hints of 90s Nordic folk rock and lyrics find their inspiration from everywhere from Google searches to Slaughterhouse-Five.

Besides nine original tracks composed for this album, 'No Less Than All' includes the first song ever to be covered by SIEBEN - JOY DIVISION's iconic 'Transmission'. Now, JOY DIVISION has been covered over and over, but SIEBEN's take on it is definitely one of the best ones I have heard. The album closes with the title track, which is actually a rework from 'The Line and the Hook' (2001), and a serene instrumental outro. Personally, 'No Less than All' did not captivate me quite as strongly as some of the earlier albums, but there is no denying that Howden's sophistication as a song-maker and musician is extraordinary. On 'No Less Than All, he captures atmospheres from grim to humoristic with great skill and agility. It is a very diverse, yet cohesive album, and perhaps the most accessible of SIEBEN's works.


Tracklist

01. Music is the light - 5:32
02. Preacher online - 3:23
03. I saw a face - 3:24
04. Vonnegut - 3:57
05. Transmission - 3:56
06. Shake the tree - 3:26
07. Black Dog Day - 4:18
08. No Ordinary Life - 4:15
09. He can Delve In Hearts - 4:09
10. In A Train - 4 :08
11. No Less Than All - 4:35
12. Music Is Light, Part II (Play Me Again) - 2:00


Line-up

Matt Howden


Website

http://matthowden.com


Cover Picture




Rating

Music 8
Sound 10
Extras -
Total: 9 / 10