Arborea, who hail from the state of Maine, aren't strictly speaking
folk, country, or ambient but during the 32 minutes of their third
album, the record drifts smokily somewhere between them all. Husband
and wife team, Buck and Shanti Curran, construct a fragile, resonant
world with a lingering Americana after-taste, shimmering with the same
wide-open spaces Ry Cooder's captured so well on Paris, Texas.
Sounding like frayed, half-remembered, hand-me-down tunes, shaped
and altered with each retelling, the fluidity and the sparse
application of instruments wherein Eastern and Western modes gently
mingle is the secret of this album's startling beauty.
Like other artists operating from the USA's east-coast indie folk
scene (Espers, Fern Knight, ex reverie, etc), the music also involves
an affectionate backward glance to late 60s/early 70s UK folk rock,
itself cross-pollinated by the USA's psychedelic scene.
Whilst it's true that what goes around so often comes around,
Arborea's take on all of the above is imbued with its very own
distinctive brand of delicate, beguiling minimalism.
Plucked banjo notes on Look Down Fair Moon possesses a koto-like
solemnity whilst a hymnal harmonium spreads out radiant lines of
melody, slowly unfurling like the sun at the start of a summer's day on
In The Tall Grass.
Sometimes Shanti's voice is little more than a frightened murmur,
prompting comparisons to Vashti Bunyon, though not everything here is
translucent or ephemeral.
A wry sensuality insinuates itself throughout Alligators, and for
all her delicacy, Shanti's stylised articulation also carries an
unexpected insistence instilled with an underlying menace on Beirut and
the hypnotic Dance, Sing, Fight.
Here, her near-whispered reportage takes on an unsettling air,
seeping through an intricate web of dulcimer and luminous slide guitar.
________________________________
Pop Matters 26 May 2009
Anyone concerned with the perceived indulgence of the contemporary
exploratory folk community should find comfort and relief with the
music of Arborea. On
House of Sticks, the Maine husband/wife
duo of Buck and Shanti Curran ..al soundscapes that ignore
fashion and strive for natural beauty. The arrangements generally focus
on a handful of acoustic textures that weave and interlock beneath
Shanti’s amber vocals. The opener “River and Rapids” builds from an
odd-metered banjo figure to include hand-claps and buzzing strings.
“Beirut”, inspired in part by the film “Paradise Now”, culminates in a
layering of guitar parts that feels considered and purposeful rather
than superfluous. The effect of listening to
House of Sticks is
that of time slowing down, the distractions of everyday life melting
away, where each sound feels important in the mix. Of particular note
are the atypically structured “Look Down Fair Moon”, the slinky
Eastern-jazz of “Alligator”, and the ethereal vocals and cicada-like
drones of “In the Tall Grass”, which closes the album as gently and
mysteriously as twilight.
~Michael Metivier 7/10
_______________________
Babysue March 2009
The third full-length release from Arborea. This band is the duo
consisting of Shanti Curran and Buck Curran. The Currans recorded
House of Sticks in an old hunting cabin in western Maine. The ambience
of the environment obviously bled its way into the music...making it sound
slightly perplexing and haunting. This album features nice, smooth, organic,
progressive folk tunes that would not sound out of place in the 1970s, 1980s,
1990s, or even in the twenty-first century. These beautiful, intricate tracks
have a nice timeless quality that is engaging and real. The songs are sparse
and gentle...and delivered with genuine personal warmth. A word of warning:
You do have to be in the mood for this kind of music (i.e., if
you're flying down the road with the windows down this probably won't be
the right choice). Shanti has a really great voice that reminds us of
some of the more subdued British female vocalists from the 1970s progressive
era. This music extends far outside the boundaries of 2009 pop music and
that is, of course, most admirable. Eight reflective cuts here including
"River and Rapids," "Alligator," and "House of
Sticks." Soothing and thought provoking. Recommended. (Rating: 5++/Excellent) __________________________
Portland Phoenix, 1 April 2009
A Taste of Summer...Arborea remain singularly breathtaking
For pure, shimmering, lush beauty, Arborea are
hard to beat. From Shanti Curran's ethereal vocals to, with husband
Buck, their arrangement of all things stringed in cycling melodies like
being surrounded by fluttering butterflies, they're like the voices of
the forest.
If you haven't had a chance to meditate in their midst, new album House of Sticks,
their first release on the Borne!/Acuarela label, is a fine
introduction. It re-releases three songs from their self-released
debut, Wayfaring Summer, provides alternate versions of two
more, and then gives you three new tunes, never before released. You
get their legacy — "Alligator" is a taste of Shanti's wild side — along
with their future.
The new version
of "Beirut" is even more direct in its simplicity, paired with lyrics
that cut to the quick: "Won't you take me down to Gaza town/Won't you
take me down to Beirut town/Walls are falling down/I feel the sound."
Maybe
they're in a race with themselves to create the sparest possible piece.
"Look Down Fair Moon" features halting notes picked out on a banjo (I'm
guessing) that sounds like it was made sometime during the Civil War,
recorded in a room that makes it glow with sound, then accompanied by
Shanti's hum. Then it quickens its pace, and, late song, we get a just
a barely breathed, "look down, fair moon" from Shanti that's then
mimicked by the banjo. The song starts and finishes with a kind of
thrumming static, like the search for aliens sounds, and there is an
otherworldly quality to Arborea's general sound — like the sound of
electrons vibrating.
In the album's
title track, a chorus of Shanti vocals that recalls the gospel
tradition, and there is something religious about what Arborea do, a
universally life-affirming kind of thing. There are "three long days
until the coming of the sun," they say, and on the fourth day, we'll
rest.
~
Sam Pfeifle
____________________________________
Wears the Trousers, March 2009
“Our lives are nothing more than a fragile house made of sticks and
set adrift in a great and torrential flood,” says Shanti Curran, one
half of woodland spouses Arborea, in explanation of their third
release. Part retrospective but wholly current in a personal sense, House Of Sticks collects together five songs from the duo’s out-of-print self-released debut Wayfaring Summer
and three new songs. Of the older numbers, ‘Dance, Sing, Fight’ and the
stunning ‘Beirut’ benefit from a sensitive reworking, reassuringly
caressed with a gentle analogue hiss and swaddled in carefully
constructed rustic atmospherics.
Shanti’s steely, echoing banjo picking on largely instrumental new
song ‘Look Down Fair Moon’ gives the song a Spanish flavour, like
wandering barefoot through a parched campo santo at midnight, while ‘In
The Tall Grass’ relocates such ghostliness to a spring-haze stricken
meadow. Here, all the senses are pricked alive by Buck Curran’s guitar
work and the disorientating wheeze of a harmonium as Shanti raises her
keening voice before breaking into a lullaby-soft verse. Serenely
elemental yet a little unsettling and utterly transfixing, House Of Sticks is close to perfection.
~Alan Pedder
_______________________
Terrascope UK April 2009
Containing eight tracks, including five that appeared
on their debut (Wayfaring Summer), two of which have been
re-recorded, plus three unreleased tracks, this album could be seen
as a way for Buck and Shanti Curran to take stock of their musical
journey so far, a brief rest before striding forward again.
To
welcome you in, the haunting tune “River and Rapids” weaves is
magic, the nagging banjo riff shrouded in eerie cello and washes of
vocals, the whole song relaxing and ethereal. One of the highlights
of the debut album was “Beirut” and I am pleased to hear that the
new version is equally engaging, being slightly slower with more
guitar ornamentation, although this does not deter from the sparse
beauty of the song. After, the wyrd-folk stomp of “Alligator”, the
newly recorded version of “Dance, Sing Fight” graces our ears, with
bucks vocals slightly lower in the mix and the tempo slowed again,
the elegance remains unchanged however, the song possibly more
powerful than the original, especially during the middle section
which has a gritty feel to it.
Next up, “Look Down Fair Moon” is the first of a trio of new songs,
a brief crackle and drone giving way to an eastern sounding Banjo
that is gently lit by twilight vocals, creating a magical atmosphere
you can almost hear the evening breeze blowing through the pines.
Equally enchanting, the title track is a drifting fairytale, droning
Harmonium adding touches of sunlight before morphing into a deep
drone, the perfect base for the melancholy slide guitar that walks
above it. Heading away from folk, this is definitely the most
psychedelic piece the band has recorded and these two new songs bode
well for the continuing development of Arborea. After the acoustic
smile of “Onto The Shore”, the final new song “In The Tall Grass” is
an elegant and pastoral song, the droning harmonium again filling
out the sound whilst the crystal clear vocals are ripples of sound
that are pure and healing.
This album would be a great place to start if you do not already own
any Arborea, whilst the new songs are worth the price of admission
on their own, making me impatient to hear the next full length album
from this talented duo. (Simon Lewis)
________________________
Scratchy Buckles 5 April 2009
Arborea are a duo who create spectral haunting psych folk from their Lewiston
base, deep in the Western Maine woodlands. Since forming in 2005 they
have released two full length albums and have forged a growing
reputation within the 'freaky folk' genre.
Arborea is also a mystical plane in the fantasy role playing game Dungeons & Dragons,
described as a peaceful environment of natural beauty dominated by vast
tall forests. This could be applied to their music as well, though I
suspect they were inspired by their local surroundings rather than the
adventure game. Arborea
have encapsulated that pastoral setting with a sprinkling of
bittersweet atmosphere, hanging over the songs like a mist of
melancholy.
Their latest album,
House Of Sticks, snuck
out of the undergrowth on February 23rd 2009. It’s a mixture of old and
new, with five tracks reworked from their 2006 debut album
Wayfaring Summer (released on
Summer Street Records) along with three more songs. These were originally recorded in the parlour of a 160-year-old family cabin that Shanti’s great grandfather built during the Great Depression, that lies amongst the Western Mountains of Maine.
A quick run down of the instruments used on this album gives a fair indication of the field of music we are batting in here.
Shanti Curran, she of the hair stand on end vocals plays banjo, percussion, guitar, bowed strings and the ukulele. Her husband
Buck Curran is on acoustic guitar, steel/slide guitar, electric guitar, flutes, vocals, bowed strings and the inevitable banjo.
House Of SticksRivers and Rapids
A
gentle shimmering river’s edge of a tune with a menacing rip current
for those unwary bathers dipping their toes into it's icy waters.
Beirut
This is a straight forward lovely mournful track exemplifying Shanti's pure vocals.
Alligator
A change of mood with Shanti's delivering a smokey vocal performance to accompany the tumbleweed slide guitar, think of
Mazzy Star setting up camp in a glade on humid summer evening with crickets chirping away in the distance.
Dance Sing Fight
This
is the stand out track of the collection, it starts off as a spare
delicate whisper of a song which then blooms into a chorus lifted and
tweaked from Aussie agit eco-rocker’s
Midnight Oil biggest hit
Beds are Burning
with a potent reworking of the call for reparations for the Aboriginal
community and a call to look after the planet (note: this was back in
the Eighties before it was fashionable for every floppy haired rocker
to jump on the green bandwagon)
How can we dance when our earth is burning, how can we sleep when our minds are turning, The time has come, to say fair’s fair, to pay the rent, to pay our share...
Look Down Fair Moon
This is a simple instrumental song stripped down to the bare bones.
House Of Sticks
The
nursery rhyme simplicity of the introductory segment, opens up into a vista of epic big sky sound territory, occupied so successfully by
Ry Cooder on his celebrated film soundtrack
Paris Texas.On to the Shore
The calming mantra like vocals gently laps on to the shore of the tune that has a psychedelic/ eastern influence.
In The Tall GrassYour ears will tingle when that wheeze of a harmonium kicks in on the final new track.
You can buy
House Of Sticks here It's
distributed by
Darla Records in the U.S.A .You can get it from Spanish Label
Borne Recordings and
Acuarela Records, and via
Amazon in the U.K . A record that follows in the footsteps of the likes of
Vashti Bunyan,
John Fahey and
Sandy Denny and a contemporary of
Alela Diane and
Devendra Banhart.
There is also an Arborea inspired compilation record project called
Leaves of Life which aims to help with important relief efforts in Africa. All the proceeds will go to the
World Food Program and
Not On Our Watch agencies. It includes artists such as the aforementioned
Alela Diane and
Devendra Banhart as well as
Marissa Nadler It's due for release in the summer of 2009 through Borne! Records. More information on this project can be found at
wearsthetrousers.com________________________
Chewing Gum For the Ears
Maine isn't known for its level of musical activity, but that's
probably just fine with Buck and Shanti Curran, the husband and wife
duo known as Arborea. The couple make beautifully sparse music that
belongs in open, quiet spaces - natural, organic, and full of life.
It's difficult to imagine music of this nature coming from a crowded
concrete jungle or suburban neighborhood, it just feels bred from
influences beyond what the big city has to offer. Only recently have I
been introduced to the band, but their progressive, unique folk style
has quickly won me over. The Curran's have released three records to
date, the last of which was just unveiled this month, entitled House of Sticks.
Shanti
Curran's voice has been described by NPR's Robin Hilton (a guy you can
trust) as "hypnotically beautiful," and I really couldn't agree more.
It's a gorgeous, delicate instrument that most of the duo's songs
revolve around, with banjo, slide guitar, dulcimer, ukulele, etc.
providing spare, yet captivating, backdrops. Though Shanti takes the
vast majority of the vocal work, the two share writing, instrumental
and production duties on all of their records, preferring to complete
the recording process entirely by themselves.
House of Sticks, released
on March 3, compiles a few of Arborea's previous tunes along with some
new material in a striking collection of eight songs and just over a
half hour of music. The record opens with the rolling banjo line of
"River and Rapids," which crescendos slowly, adding hand claps and
muted percussion as the pace increases before fading into the
gorgeous"Beirut," my personal favorite on the album, where Shanti's
ethereal voice simply entrances. Other highlights include the slightly
groovier "Alligator" and the lovely "Onto the Shore." Occasionally the
album swerves into much more experimental territory, like the simple
instrumental tune, "Look Down Fair Moon," or the subtly shifting "House
of Sticks," but while these tracks may be less immediate, they end up
just as fascinating as the more straightforward songs after a few spins.
~Chris Nowling
_________________________________
Heaven Magazine
Desolate oase
De
titel is symbolisch, onze levens zijn niet meer dan een fragiel huis,
gemaakt van stokken, die bloot staan aan de elementen. Echtpaar Shanti
en Buck Curran leeft afgezonderd in Maine en deelt al enkele jaren het
songschrijven, arrangeren en de productie. Dit derde album is
gedeeltelijk retrospectief met 5 nummers van hun debuut Wayfaring
Summer en 3 nieuwe. Hun geluid is geworteld in de progressieve
folktraditie van Amerika, maar ook het Engelse Pentangle en de nieuwe
lichting freefolk heeft zo zijn invloed. Gedeeltelijk opgenomen in de
westelijke heuvels van Maine met simpele middelen als Buck’s
akoestische en slide gitaar, banjo en fluit en Shanti’s ukulele, bowed
strings, harmonium en percussie ontstaat er een sereen geluid. Haar
hypnotiserende stem leent zich perfect hiervoor. Naarmate het album
vordert wordt het steeds basaler, experimenteler en mystieker. Hier
vergaat de tijd tot iets onbeduidends. Ze laten je achter in een
vredige stemming als de laatste tonen in schoonheid wegsterven.
Prachtplaat.
**** Henk Rijkenbarg
_______________________________
Shadows Commence
I expected ”House of Sticks” to be a totally new album, but it turned
out to be a MCD, kind of. A couple of the tracks are new and unreleased
ones, and about just as many are some of the best ones from their debut
album in more or less rearranged versions. Personally, I don’t get the
point, but at the same time, I’m glad they managed to pick out the
tracks from ”Wayfaring Summer”, as the debut was called, that are
actually the good ones. Exception; The grumpy blues-thing
”Alligator” which I will probably never make friends with.
The iffy banjos in classics like
”River and Rapids” and
”Dance, Sing, Fight”
does nothing but good for me but at the same time, I can sense this was
a strange solution to cover up for the lack of new material.
You
might think this was their way to let newcomers explore both old and
new material in one purchase, but since this is a very limited release,
probably only for the fans, that idea falls.
But hey, what am I beefing about here anyway? Before me I have some of
the best ARBOREA tracks ever, and the new ones are terrific exhibitions
in unique, indie songwriting from a duo that keeps exploring their
mountain folk music that now sounds better than ever before, not only
production-wise.
”Look Down Fair Moon”
is a super-cozy, super-mysterious semi improvised raga like
instrumental and the title track moves towards a far more atmospheric
sound with lots of reversed strokes and Shanti’s lovely vocals.
Almost the same can be said about
”In the Tall Grass”, that starts with layers of atmospheres but ends up in a very sweet lullaby drone / folk blend.
And, however I look at it, ”House of Sticks” is a solid work of art,
filled with love, beauty and sentiment. A great introduction to an
interesting folk duo for newcomers, if they manage to track it down
since this limited digipak is just as well a must buy for the fans and
I guess it will be sold out pretty soon.
~Markus Eriksson
__________________________
NONPOP 2009 (Germany)
Maine, U.S.A. Ein Landstrich,
nicht zuletzt bekannt durch die zahllosen “Normas” des Autors STEPHEN
KING, die dort ihr literarisches Dasein verbringen, oder selbiges durch
unglückliche Umstände beenden. Maine, U.S.A., ist auch der Ort, an dem
das amerikanische Folk-Duo ARBOREA Teile seines Albums „House Of
Sticks“ aufgenommen hat. Dort entstanden in einer alten Jagdhütte,
verborgen in den Hügeln von Westmaine, fragile Songgespinste, denen das
Rauschen von wilden Strömen, der Duft von Nacht und Kaminfeuer, das
Wogen der Bäume, innewohnen. Allgemeinwissen an: Alles, was man so an
Vorstellungen hat von unberührter amerikanischer Natur. Wie zutreffend
diese sind, weiß allein der Amerikareisende, alle anderen, nun, die
denken eben wie oben beschrieben an Dinge, die einem in der wilden
Natur mit einer gewissen Wahrscheinlichkeit begegnen (Ströme, Wälder,
Sonnenlicht durch Nebel oder Tannen, etc). Bereits im März dieses
Jahres erschienen ist es nicht zu spät, dem Schaffen von SHANTI und
BUCK CURRAN Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken. Nach ihrem Debüt „Wayfaring
Summer“ und der selbsttitelnden CD „Arborea“ (mit HELENA ESPVALL, die
auch bei ESPERS und FURSAXA mitwirkt), ist „House Of Sticks“ das dritte
Werk der beiden; es vereint eine sehr persönliche Kollektion der besten
Tracks der „Wayfaring Summer“ und einige neue Songs, die zwischen 2007
und 2008 aufgenommen wurden – neben der besagten Jagdhütte auch in
einem 160 Jahre alten Cottage, in dem sich das Duo besonders von den
imaginierten Schicksalen derer, die dort lebten und starben, berührt
sah. So ist der Titel „House Of Sticks“ inspiriert von der Flüchtigkeit
und Fragilität einer jeden menschlichen Behausung, die leicht der
Gewalt der Elemente zum Opfer fallen und in sich zusammensinken oder
davongeweht werden kann wie eine Laubhütte.
Fragilität ist ein
gutes Stichwort im Zusammenhang mit der Musik der multiinstrumentalen
CURRANs. Ein zartes Gespinst von hingehauchten oder zart gezupften
Klängen in Kombination mit der zauberhaften Stimme von SHANTI entführt
in Wälder, lässt Laub rascheln, Wind singen, Sand säuseln. Zarte
Melodien umreißen Schemen, die flüchtig und leicht sind wie
Wasserschaum, Pusteblumenfallschirme, Sonnenlicht in einem taubenetzten
Spinnennetz. Wohlig melancholisch sind ARBOREAs Songs, ohne
niederzudrücken, die unglaubliche Leichtigkeit des Seins, ätherisches
Schimmern, bezaubernde Schlichtheit einer leisen Musik, deren Zauber
sich einnistet, einen einspinnt, während man im Geiste Stöckchenhäuser
baut, Steine sammelt, Lagerfeuer macht, in den Sternenhimmel schaut in
einer Spätsommernacht. Es fällt nicht schwer, sich einen Indian Summer
vorzustellen, würzige Luft und eine Mischung aus Wärme und herzhafter
Kühle, wie an einem Herbsttag. Gezupftes Banjo, subtiles Harmonium,
Ukulele, Percussion, kleine Glöckchen, Gitarren, ein bisschen
psychedelische Elektronik und die hypnotisch hauchende, federleichte
Stimme SHANTIs. Und wie Wärme und Kühle sind auch Licht und Dunkelheit
verteilt – die Herbstsonne wirft Schatten, die Schatten geistern
leichtfüßig durch die Klänge; zwischendurch könnte man das Bedürfnis
haben, auf einem von der Sonne aufgewärmten Stein zu liegen, zuzuhören
und sich treiben zu lassen – oder die Hände in einen eisigen Strom zu
tauchen und diese Intensität zu empfinden. Hier möchte man Barfuß durch
einen Nadelwald laufen, tief einatmen, teilzuhaben an einer Schönheit,
die ebenso fragil ist wie die Häuser der Menschen, und auch selbst
bedroht.
Musikalisch inspiriert fühlt man sich vom Experimental
und Progressive Folk der 60er und 70er Jahre, von Künstlern wie
PENTAGLE, JOHN FAHEY und SANDY DENNY. So fügen sich ARBOREA ein in das
mittlerweile vielgerühmte und/oder -bemühte „New weird america“ – und
sind sicherlich nicht sein schlechtester Teil. Kürzlich trat man mit
MARISSA NADLER auf – für mich noch immer ein Hinweis für Qualität –,
und wer JOSEPHINE FOSTER, FERN KNIGHT, ESPERS, MARISSA NADLER oder THE
IDITAROD mag, sollte hier einmal hineinhören. Einziges Manko: Die CD
ist mit ihren acht Liedern bei etwas über einer halbe Stunde Spielzeit
recht kurz – gerade eingelegt und schon wieder zu Ende (Viel länger war
allerdings auch der Vorgänger nicht, es scheint System
dahinterzustecken). Die Gestaltung von Digipack und Silberling ist
allerdings gelungen, so dass man insgesamt wohlwollend gestimmt ist –
auch bei einem kürzeren musikalischen Trip.
für
nonpop.de____________________________
Reviews for LEAVES OF LIFE
ONDAROCK - ITALY
AA. VV. VV.
Leaves Of Life Leaves Of Life
(Borne!) 2009 (Born!) 2009
alt-folk alt-folk
Tempi duri (anche) per le compilation, a fronte all'enorme messe di pubblicazioni offerte dall'attuale panorama discografico. Hard times (also) for compilations, compared to the enormous wealth of publications offered by the current landscape record. Si
direbbe infatti che le raccolta di brani a firma di artisti diversi
finiscano quasi sempre per passare in secondo piano rispetto ad album
più concisi e soprattutto contrassegnati da quell'omogeneità che
richiede minori sforzi di concentrazione nel tener dietro
all'avvicendarsi dei brani. It seems indeed that the collection
of songs written by different artists almost always end up taking
second fiddle to more concise album is mainly characterized by
quell'omogeneità that requires little effort of concentration to keep
up all'avvicendarsi songs. Ciò
che invece può destare interesse in simili operazioni sono proprio i
due elementi caratterizzanti "Leaves Of Life", raccolta curata da Buck
Curran degli Arborea per raccogliere fondi per la lotta alla fame e
pubblicata dalla spagnola Borne! However, what can awaken
interest in these operations are precisely the two elements that
characterize "Leaves Of Life", a collection edited by Buck Curran of
Arborea to raise money to fight hunger and published by the Spanish
born! (di recente balzata agli onori delle cronache per aver pubblicato l'ultimo album di Mi And L'au, " Good Morning Jokers
"), ovvero un ampio novero di artisti più o meno conosciuti in ambito
latamente folk e totalità di brani inediti, realizzati appositamente
per l'occasione. (recently grabbed the headlines for having published the latest of Mi And L'au album, "Good Morning Jokers),
representing a wide circle of artists more or less known within
latamente folk songs and all of unpublished works, specially for the
occasion. Altrettanto
inedite sono le quattro collaborazioni comprese tra i diciannove
episodi di "Leaves Of Life", prima fra tutte quella del brano iniziale,
affidato all'incontro tra due interpreti di grande forza espressiva
quali Alela Diane e Mariee Sioux.
Equally unusual are the four collaborations between the nineteen
episodes of "Leaves of Life", the first being the opening track, given
encounter between two performers of great expressive power which Alela Diane and Mariee Sioux. I
compilatori della raccolta mostrano grande sensibilità e attenzione
verso il folk al femminile poiché, oltre alle due citate, forniscono il
loro contributo alla causa comune, tra gli altri, due artiste in vista
quali Larkin Grimm (per una volta impegnata in una ballata molto lineare) e Marissa Nadler
, qui affiancata da Black Hole Infinity, in un veste sonora ancor più
suadente e dilatata rispetto al suo ultimo, splendido "Little Hells".
The compilers of the collection showed great sensitivity and attention
to the women folk because, besides the two mentioned, give their
contribution to the common cause, among others, two artists view as Larkin Grimm (for once engaged in a very straightforward ballad ) and Marissa Nadler,
here flanked by Black Hole Infinity sound forms in an even more
persuasive and dilated compared to his last, a great "Little Hells". "Leaves Of Life" rappresenta inoltre l'occasione per riascoltare qualcosa di nuovo da Devendra Banhart
- il cui cullante demo "Hotel St. Sebastian" lascia presagire una
ritrovata ispirazione nella scrittura del cantautore texano - e per
evidenziare le qualità di due band finora ingiustamente passate troppo
sotto silenzio, quali il duo psych-folk americano Arborea e la band
inglese Starless & Bible Black , che sono in procinto di pubblicare il seguito del loro fresco album omonimo di debutto. "Leaves of Life" is also an opportunity to listen again something new to Devendra Banhart
- whose lulling demo "Hotel St. Sebastian" portends a new found
inspiration in writing the Texan singer-songwriter - and to highlight
the qualities of two bands so far wrong passed over in silence too,
such as psych-folk duo Arborea American and English rock band Starless & Bible Black, who are about to publish more of their fresh self-titled debut album. Com'è
naturale, poi, nel corso dell'ora e un quarto di durata di "Leaves Of
Life" non manca spazio per artisti meno conosciuti ma di sicuro talento
(una menzione la meritano Micah Blue Smaldone e Rio En Medio), né tanto
meno vengono trascurati gli aspetti più wyrd e stranianti del folk, qui rappresentati in quasi tutti i suoi multiformi caratteri.
Naturally, then, during the hour and a quarter of a period of "Leaves
of Life" does not lack space for lesser-known but certainly talent
(deserve a mention Micah Blue Smaldone and Rio En Medio), let are not
neglected and alienating aspects wyrd folk, represented here in nearly all its various characters. Non
solo ballate, dunque, ma anche più decise virate psichedeliche, tanto
nella consolidata formula ipnotica e minimale di Mi And L'au, quanto in
quella del limpido fingerpicking di Eric Carbonara, quanto ancora nella pronunciata coralità dei Cursillistas e nelle torsioni moderatamente freak di Citay.
Not only do ballads, then, but even more decisive turns psychedelic, in
both the consolidated formula hypnotic minimal Mi And L'au, as in that
of clean fingerpicking Eric Carbonara, although still in the imposition of choral Cursillistas and moderately twisted freak Citay. Considerato
nel suo complesso, "Leaves Of Life" adempie egregiamente la sua
missione di raccolta destinata agli amanti delle tante sfumature del
genere e risponde in maniera coerente alla sua funzione divulgativa nei
confronti di artisti e band non ancora assurti a un'attenzione
generalizzata, i quali potranno trarre sicuro giovamento dal fatto di
essere affiancati a nomi più affermati. Taken as a whole,
"Leaves of Life" admirably fulfills its mission of gathering for lovers
of the many nuances of gender and respond coherently to its function in
relation to popular artists and bands have not yet risen to widespread
attention, the who can draw benefit from being safely alongside more
established names. Inoltre, la qualità di gran parte dei brani e l'attenta compilazione della tracklist
ne fanno opera godibile nella sua interezza, che senza cesure di sorta
dimostra ancora una volta la straordinaria vitalità e ricchezza
dell'offerta musicale attualmente riconducibile allo sconfinato ambito
folk. Furthermore, the quality of most of the songs on the
album and the careful compilation make work enjoyable in its entirety,
seamless whatsoever once again demonstrates the extraordinary vitality
and richness of music currently being attributed to the boundless scope
folk. (03/10/2009) (03/10/2009) 
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