There's a little bit of everything this time around for your Imbolc listening (and ritualing) pleasure. January's usually a pretty dead time for new releases, but surprisingly enough, there's a fair bit of new and recent music to elicit interest. David and Diane Arkenstone, New Age composers extraordinaire, get two mentions: Diane's solo venture Aquaria, and the couple's Music Inspired by Middle Earth (it's better than you think). There's also a very nice (and very nicely priced) compilation of Scandinavian roots music, and the latest offering from Apocalyptica, four Swedish guys with cellos and a Metallica fetish. In addition, in what has to be the most anticipated release of 2002, we have Nine Inch Nails' first-ever live album. Finally, we wrap things up with a release from Seattle's own insurgent marching drum ensemble, the Infernal Noise Brigade. If, like me, you need a little something extra to kick you out of bed from solstice to equinox (oh, those latent hibernation instincts!), much of what I cover here should fit the bill.
If you have a water-related ritual coming up and need music, you might want to consider Aquaria (Paras/Neo Pacifica) from Diane Arkenstone, wife of prolific New Age artist David Arkenstone. The couple recently launched their own label, Neo Pacifica, and Aquaria is Diane's second release, following up 2001's The Healing Spirit. Water, as an aesthetic concept and as a meditative focus, permeates Aquaria, which takes the form of a series of linked pieces forming a unified whole. Ethereal and soothing, this isn't exactly Beltaine music, but for a calming or healing ritual it would be just about right; call it soft trance. The looped percussion samples are generally pretty slow, and the melodies have that loose, wandering quality that's so conducive to a meditative mood. In fact, this music is best as accompaniment to something else; it's not the sort of thing you put on to listen to. But if there's a specific mood you're trying to establish, Diane Arkenstone's otherworldly trance-scape might be just what you're after.
Speaking of the Arkenstones, David and Diane have another project out: Music Inspired by Middle Earth (Paras/Neo Pacifica). Since an album with this title was probably inevitable -- this one, unsurprisingly, debuted high on Billboard's New Age chart, coming in at number 22 -- it's good to have a couple of veterans at the helm. Still, David Arkenstone has occasionally done some pretty bland stuff in the past, and I confess that I was prepared to be disappointed. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly helps that, instead of resorting to a battery of synthesizers, the Arkenstones brought in nearly an entire symphony orchestra to perform this music. I don't care how good electronics have gotten; for sheer dramatic and emotional impact, there is still nothing to rival live orchestral musicians going at it full-blast. Of course, comparisons to Howard Shore's operatic film score (reviewed last issue) are inevitable, and admittedly the Arkenstones' effort does pale somewhat in comparison. This is partly because their strengths lie with music that evokes journeys, quests, dreams -- pretty much as one would expect. "The Road to Rivendell" and "The Quest" are both good in this respect, certainly good enough that someone should consider giving the couple a movie scoring assignment. On the other hand, "Moria" simply isn't scary enough, though this is perhaps an unfair comparison to Shore's "A Journey in the Dark/The Bridge of Khazad-Dum." "To Isengard" and "The Fields of Cormallen," on the other hand, are replete with musical drama, and "The Grey Havens," which closes the CD, is simply lovely. It's impossible to imagine these guys scoring a Coen Brothers movie, but they'd do all right with Ridley Scott or James Cameron. Much of this music is easily suited to ritual use, though the CD as a whole is so successfully evocative of the story that inspired it that I'd actually hesitate to use it for another purpose. Your mileage may vary.
Speaking of music inspired by Nordic culture: Northside, which seems determined to become the Green Linnet of Scandinavian folk music, presents their latest compilation, Nordic Roots 3. About a year ago, the New York Times ran a feature article on the growing popularity of bands and musicians from Iceland. Though Bjork is the only one most of the rest of us have heard of, the article painted a vivid picture of musicians rocking Reykjavik through the winter darkness. This compilation has a more folky feel, but the established mood is the same; the very first track, "Suvetar, Goddess of Spring," is a gorgeously invocatory piece that builds slowly to a drum-pounding climax, before drawing back abruptly to let the vocals carry the piece's conclusion. The track, may I say, is quite well-suited to any Oestara celebration you might have in mind. Some songs, such as "Ahma" and "Polska/Sold or Sale" are fast-paced dancing tunes highly reminiscent of Irish and Eastern European folk music -- they have the same mix of cheerfulness and melancholy -- while "Riverside Aby" is slower but elicits a similar mood.
The similarity makes a certain amount of sense; the Vikings really got around and often absorbed aspects of the cultures they contacted. Celtic music has experienced great interest in recent years; however, what with the Lord of the Rings movie and Tolkien-inspired music appearing in every genre from rock and roll to New Age (not that that's anything new; Led Zeppelin), an attendant interest in Scandinavian music seems likely. There's certainly a lot to like here, even if tracks like the electronica-based "Bamboo Honey" and what sounds like a remix medley gone wrong of "Greenest Branch" take a little getting used to at first. Since this is a compilation, there can be considerable variety from one track to the next, but with 15 tracks in all, it's easy to pick and choose if you're planning to use this music in a ritual. Like the two previous compilations, this one is attractively priced, at $3 to $5 depending on when and where you purchase it. Either way, as a sticker on the packaging proudly proclaims, the CD is "cheaper than food." The way things are going lately, that's music to my ears.
Speaking of Scandinavians with bows, Apocalyptica have a new CD out, titled Cult (Spitfire). For those of you not familiar with this Swedish cello quartet, here's the scoop: Having observed, as have many before them, the orchestral quality of some of Metallica's earlier music, they took this notion to its logical conclusion with 1996's Plays Metallica by Four Cellos (Mercury), which surely still holds the title of strangest heavy-metal tribute ever. This was followed by 1998's Inquisition Symphony (Mercury) where, despite covering a few other bands from the same genre (Brazilian thrashers Sepultura, prog-metal Faith No More), there was still plenty of Metallica on tap. If Cult were merely more of the same, I'd pronounce this particular vein tapped out and dead, but Apocalyptica have, instead, taken a step beyond their original conceit, adding distortion and even, on occasion, vocals. They've also gone from being a tribute band to writing more of their own material, and the original pieces are far more sophisticated and mature than one might expect. Of course, Apocalyptica haven't forgotten their roots; they cover "Fight Fire with Fire" and "Until It Sleeps" here, as well as the classical piece "Hall of the Mountain King" by composer Edward Grieg, though it doesn't sound much like Grieg when they're done with it. (This is not the first time Grieg has inspired heavy metal musicians; this was also the title of a 1987 album by late-'80s hair-rockers Savatage.) What emerges from all of this is a curious mix of symphonic and heavy metal sensibilities, illustrating the similarities between the two that diehard fans of either would probably not care to admit. It may be hard to imagine banging your head to a cello, but these guys do it.
Speaking of enraged musical sensibilities, there's ire and agony to spare on Nine Inch Nails' Live...And All That Could Have Been (Nothing/Interscope). Recorded during 2000's The Fragile 2.0 tour, the first live album from Trent Reznor and company packs a hell of a wallop. This is certainly in part due to the presence of a live touring band; as noted above, there are some things that synthesizers still can't do. The energy pouring off these live recordings is simply incredible, and the album's 16 tracks are arranged in an order that winds the musical tension tighter and tighter. By the end, with the slow and melancholy "Hurt," the effect is that of the ending of a tragic drama, rather than a relaxed denouement at the conclusion of a show. There are, of course, plenty of the songs that even the most casual fan will recognize: "Closer" and "Head Like a Hole" are here, the latter performed with a vitriolic intensity that suggests that Reznor isn't any less pissed off now than he was 12 years ago. While even a live album can't quite capture the intensity of a live performance (nor even can the DVD edition that is also available), there's an energy to a good live recording that no studio album can duplicate. Suffice to say, this is a damn good live recording.
On the local front, allow me to introduce you to the Infernal Noise Brigade, via Insurgent Selections for Battery and Voice (Post-World Industries). Actually, if you've attended a civil protest or sharply abbreviated New Year's Eve parade recently, then chances are you're already familiar with this Seattle percussion ensemble's brand of organized mayhem. Drums are, of course, de rigueur when attending a mass protest, and marching bands always get people's attention -- even if you hate marching bands. INB simply takes these premises to their logical conclusion. Voila: a percussion band you can chant your slogans to, and that actually consists of decent musicians to boot. The members of INB can really play, and their pieces, inspired by percussion-based music from around the world, are highly entertaining whether or not you agree with their politics. The liner notes include information on INB's source material; many of the rhythms they use were originally heard in Middle Eastern, Indian and African music, and the fact that they translate so well to marching band instruments probably says something about the universal nature of percussion, and certainly says something about the adaptability of an ensemble that's a veteran of street protests in Prague and, yes, right here in Seattle. As the blurb on the back of the CD case puts it: "The Infernalists of this record congregate for their ritual music at a blighted industrial landscape, surrounded by shipping containers and rail yards. They gather with their young and livestock on a weekly basis to practice their strange craft. Arranging themselves in a grid, they perform an elaborate participatory dance. Usually, as darkness descends, more of them arrive and join the ensemble, while the drums beat a savage rhythm." That pretty much tells you everything you need to know.
Genevieve Williams is a Seattle freelance writer and the drummer for Murder of Crows. She can be reached at rimrun@drizzle.com with feedback, suggestions or recommendations. Local musicians and pagan groups are encouraged to submit material for review.