Description
Imagine taking a walk, somewhere far away from the city, and enjoying nature to your heart’s content – when suddenly you’re aware of music. Music that you’d never noticed before. Sounds that soothe your mood and subtly suit your surroundings. You wonder whether the music is actually there, or whether it exists in your mind only.
It is magical moments like these that SILMUS has been trying to capture over the past two years, and it’s this kind of music that has found its way unto SILMUS’ new album ‘shelter’.
SILMUS’ second album ‘shelter’ seems to harbour the sounds of times long gone by, seemingly brought forth by nature itself. At the same time, these organic atmospheres are manipulated through elusive pitch shifters, smooth synthesizers and many another mystery machines.
Listening to the first track of ‘shelter’ is like being the first to enter a magnificent cavern, with its resounding layers of drones, reverby guitars and mere memories of pianos, played long ago. Echoes of ever changing water drops accompany you on your descent into darkness. Suddenly, a ray of light pierces the dark, matched by a morsel of melody. A few bats flutter out, leaving you alone in blissful silence once more.
These sounds from the deep bring to mind the music of Sigur Ros and perhaps Stars of the Lid. Then again, these atmospheres turn out less abstract than expected from time to time, turning into songs not unlike, say, Craig Armstrong’s or Sylvain Chauveau’s.
As before, Minco Eggersman was asked to produce and arrange the album. Next to adding some electric guitars, kayagum, harmonicas and various layered drones, Eggersman also wrote two more songs for the album. Jan Borger, as in the making of SILMUS’ debut, has again demonstrated his craft in mixing and mastering the tracks.
OSTARA, the 2012 debut album – that was well received by international media (4/5 in ‘de Volkskrant’) – by our favourite creative loner from Friesland (in the north of the Netherlands), was inspired by the concepts of birth, blossoming and growth. ‘shelter’ is its natural sequel, as it elaborates on these themes, moving on and arising from it, providing listeners with hints and glimpses of places far, far away.
So next time you find yourself alone, far away from the city, open your ears and you may find that from time to time music comes from unexpected places.
