Title: All Becompassed by Stars
Artist: Dandelion Wine
Genre: Dark Wave / Dream Pop / World Music
Release Date: 26th March 2010
Label: Black Rain
Album Review
The album opens with it's naming track 'All Becompassed by stars' which has an intriguing ethereal quality to it with a gentle, lilting, swaying melodies subtly underlaid by ethnic drums. 'Gravity' belies it's gentle beginnings to become and insistent and driving force of a song, beautifully delivered and mixed to perfection, a surprising thing since the two Australians responsible for this unusual project set up a recording studio in small apartment Kreuzberg / Berlin and recorded the album during the icy winter that we have just experienced.
'Shards' begins with a really eastern ethnic feel to it, reminding you of bazaars and snake charmers and is a uniquely different track to the others, understated and nicely put together. 'Nowhere' with its cow bells is somehow sinister and I really like this track, haunting as it is with flutes that suggest something creeping up on you. For me it's one of the strongest tracks on the album whilst ' sidereal' is the perfect follower being entirely different in style and flavour. Gentle lilting vocals layer the nagging background with its mind invading little riff. 'Early warning sign' is, however, the jewel of the whole album as soft Spanish guitars compliment mournful vocals, and it's gloriously raw and not overproduced at all, which for a track like this is perfection.
The next track 'Orbit' doesn't really do it for me, but that might be because it's behind such a fabulously perfect track as 'Early warning sign'. There is nothing wrong with it as a song, but it lacks the emotive punch and gut wrenching melancholy of its predecessor. 'XVII' begins with what I think is a glockenspiel and when the vocals appear I realise that this is another fantastic track, being slightly reminiscent to Anita's Lane's 'The Petrol Wife'. The final track on an album must be awe inspiring. It's the artist's last word to its listener and to leave it to an instrumental track is brave. It is not however foolhardy because the music transports you to a place where your own thought invades and thus it will be a very personal ending to anyone who listens.
I really liked the whole album; it was far reaching, brave and intelligent whilst at the same time never falling prey to being self indulgent or cheesy. The band has a long and illustrious pedigree and it's good to see they haven't lost their sense of humour, describing their music as medieval trip-hop? Ye old wall of sound? Dark electro folk? Shoegazer world music? This album is definitely worth a listen and I'll be following their European tour with interest.
Tracklist
01. All Becompassed by Stars
02. Gravity
03. Shards
04. Nowhere
05. Sidereal
06. Early Warning Sign
07. Orbit
08. XVII
09. Seven Times as Bright
Line-up
Naomi Henderson - vocals, flute, recorder, percussion, electronics, guitar
Nicholas Albanis - guitars, Appalachian dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, lute, bowed psaltery, bell cittern, mandolin, bass, percussion, vocals, electronics
Website
http://www.dandelionwine.com.au/ / http://www.myspace.com/aninexactscience
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras:-
Total: 8 / 10
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