SHADOWS OF THE SUN

hands down, my album of 2007. they said this would be their most personal album to date, and IT IS. That is why it translates so well. This one needs the attention that only headphones can give. I really believe that this is just another shining star in a rather long and celebrated, yet always mutating career; no two albums are the same for Ulver. Yet here we have their darkest material coalesced and gently whispered forth in a sort of hyper-sensitive manner. The thing I love about this album is that it touches on universal themes emotionally that almost everyone can relate to, yet they become subjectively interpreted as if the band were singing the siren song directly to the listener. Garm can do no wrong in the vocals department, and his voice is so soothing yet rich with emotion and conviction; the vocal melodies he chooses are abnormal yet catchy. some of his bends and crescendos defy predictability. The music itself is as some have said while hearing this in passing "is that funeral music?". In a word, it is tragic, yet celebrates the beauty in tragedy, all things divided into equal parts complimenting each other, it is a dream that they work in though, piecing together shifting and evolving rhythms, yet here there is very little percussive instrumentation as used in the traditional band format, instead the rhythms are mostly dependant on texture and sound. The songs blend so well into each other, that it almost feels like one long (well, short really at under 40 minutes, you find yourself hitting play again immediately after it stops- this is truly addictive and compulsive music) lament that utilizes great guest musicians in the form of (Miles Davis-kind of blue era) trumpets, strings that just positively weep, and some ethereal Theremin work to flutter and transmit above the delicious din that comprises this release. Yes, it takes time to sink in....and once again, give the headphone treatment a try, you will transcend everything with this gem in your mind, sinking it's subtle hooks into your brain!