ANEMONADIC
CD (2011)
Review by Pete Woods on Anemonadic
http://www.metalteamuk.net/may11reviews/cdreviews-ever.htm
"This
is the second album by Ever Orchid that I have heard and it is
described as pre PHD research to ‘Musica Humana’ looking into “the sense
that singing can be used as an instrument which is tuned with the whole
human body in resonance, mind soul and spirit.” As you can guess this
is a rather different listening experience for us here but we would like
to think that our readers are as we are, interested in something
experimental, ethereal and intriguingly different from any current
musical conventions. The idea of music being used as a form of mental
stimulus and even therapy is not a new one and the ‘sound environment’
has been used as a medium both to relieve stress and anxiety in general
(think those hippy new wave whale music tapes) as well as more seriously
and scientifically for the treatment of hospitalized patients
recovering from trauma.
I am kind of drawn to something perhaps yet to be made by David
Cronenberg with this, it is an ideology that would be very interestingly
put into his filmic oeuvre, but perhaps I am going off tangent here.
Ever has a gorgeous voice with a vast range behind it. At times her
language reminds of fairy speak, partly alien but totally bewitching and
magickal. It is often soothing but can also have a bite to it as it
becomes more strident. As for the ‘music’ per-se there is none really to
talk about, this strikes as the complete opposite to an instrumental
album. Ambient and field sounds are used to interact with the vocals but
this is all about the voice itself. You may hear sounds of nature, the
ticking of a clock or a gentle piece of piano, a tambourine in the
background but it is the rich and harmonious vocal tones that this
centres on. Having said that, one thing that really is important is that
the production and acoustics need to be spot on and they are,
everything is replicated with fantastic clarity adding to the impact and
the lushness of the 14 pieces.
The name of both the album and the tracks are also very interesting and
again somewhat arcane, archaic and ethereal. Luckily I received a file
with further insight to symbolism and meanings. ‘Anemonads’ for example
are air elementals. Other titles reference everything from ‘Horologium’
both a constellation and Latin for clock and other themes explore Greek
mythology, ancient people and civilisations, it is all painstakingly
researched and involving.
With the exception of the opening piece which is a re-interpretation ‘O
Fortuna’ from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, these compositions are all
Ever’s own and as an album this stands in its own right as a very
beguiling listen that goes beyond its remit and can be enjoyed by any
listener. As far as specifically designing it for a PHD it certainly
deserves to be taken incredibly seriously as she has put heart and soul
into this. Still you could be wondering exactly what it all sounds like
and yes for once it is very difficult to put into mere words and the
best way I can answer that question is to tell you to listen yourself."
Listen to and Purchase it at Vibedeck
CASTING MOONSHELLS
DVD (2011)
Purchase under request - please email
DRYAD ANTHOUSAI
CD (2010)
“ 'Dryads
are elementals of the trees and Anthousai are elementals from the
flowers' states Ever, thankfully clearing up the first question I had
about this album. I reviewed the last EP by Ever Orchid and this is
actually her third studio album. I did not know quite what to expect
here and probably if I had a notion it would have been wrong. So how to
describe this? It’s not actually an easy task. First I would say that
this is very minimalist and it is also incredibly calming and gentle, so
probably not for everyone who visits this site. Although divided into
11 tracks (all with very intriguing names) this flows from one to the
next, sometime with just very subtle background noise dividing things.
It is all based around Ever’s voice and she is obviously very confident
and has to have a very strong presence in order to carry things off as
often any instruments are as such seemingly included as an afterthought.
For instance on ‘Cassiopeia’ you can only just make something out
quietly in the background until a gentle hand drums a light rhythm on
what very probably is some kind of ancestral drum. Also you may hear
what filmmakers describe as stock footage, the call of tropical birds,
the sigh of the sea or whale song.
In a word this is
‘ethereal’, incredibly natural sounding mood music. It kind of has an
almost pagan delight to it, I would not have been surprised if Ever had
upped the ante and suddenly burst into covering something from The
Wicker Man which no doubt would be a delight to hear but probably not on
this album. The only artist that I have remotely similar to this is
Nebelhexe and that is high praise, perhaps you could vaguely name-drop
the likes of say This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance into the mix as
well but only fleetingly as this is highly original to my ears. There is
some gorgeous piano melody about ‘Memories From The Akasha’ (look it
up) whereas the airy and light vocal fluttering of ‘Dragonfly Lullaby’
is very much at one with the fairies and you can almost feel the breath
of the elements touching you as wind and water are very subtle in the
background, or are they, perhaps I am just hearing things? Any attempts I
could make to describe things are surplus to requirements as I have
just discovered explanations to all the songs in Ever’s MySpace blog
which you can check out along with some of the songs.
At times this
feels deeply spiritual and ritualistic and it is obvious that Ever is
very much in tune with what she is doing, this spills out of the music
and envelopes the listener adding depths that with concentration are
richly rewarding. I feel like I have perhaps scratched the surface here
and have opened a box which may well unveil more mysteries in time; put
simply this is a beautiful, beguiling and spellbinding album."