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AUTUMN WHISPERS

Crossover Prog • Multi-National


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Autumn Whispers biography
Norwegian based, multinational project AUTUMN WHISPERS have been in the planning stages since 2002 according to their Facebook band page, with the threesome of Dino Steffens (guitars, vocals), Tirill Mohn (violin, vocals, percussion, guitars) and Liew Ceng Teng (keyboards) making up the core unit with Steffens as the principal composer. They have planned for a run of albums in a series called "Cry of Dereliction", where they explore what they describe as "Poetic Rock with Progressive and Classical Elements based on Enigmatic Poetry".

Autumn Whispers self released their debut album "Cry of Dereliction Vol. I" in 2012.

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3.14 | 13 ratings
Cry of Dereliction Vol. I
2012
3.91 | 16 ratings
Cry of Dereliction Vol. II
2013

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AUTUMN WHISPERS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Cry of Dereliction Vol. II by AUTUMN WHISPERS album cover Studio Album, 2013
3.91 | 16 ratings

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Cry of Dereliction Vol. II
Autumn Whispers Crossover Prog

Review by BrufordFreak
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars With Cry of Dereliction, Volume II, Autumn Whispters show a marked improvement from its predecessor, 2011's Volume I. There is much more variation and breadth to the song stylings and instrumental choices here and a greater presence from the gorgeous voice of Tirill Mohn. Leader Dino Steffens has wisely allowed more input from his band mates and other contributors in his effort to present the world with his "poetic rock with progressive and classical elements." Still, not everything works here. I wish the band had not decided to include the David Bowie/Uriah Heep-like "Walls" (4:51) (6/10), and "The Puppet's Monologue" (3:34) (7/10) is of questionable value. Another complaint I have is with the monotonous lack of variation in Dino's singing and voice melodies. Every song's vocal sounds the same. Also, the Doppler Effect on sustained violin/strings notes is way overused. Overall this is really just a collection of pretty straightforward folk pop.

Highlights for me include: the prog epic, "Cry of Dereliction, Volume II" (12:57) (9/10); "Fire and Ice" (4:01) (9/10); the John Lennon/Beatles-like "Auguries of Innocence" (3:43) (8/10); the pretty if laid back "Autumn" (7:58) (8/10), "I Measure Every Greaf I Meet" (5:52) (8/10), and "To a Child Dancing in the Wind" (5:29) (8/10).

 Cry of Dereliction Vol. I by AUTUMN WHISPERS album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.14 | 13 ratings

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Cry of Dereliction Vol. I
Autumn Whispers Crossover Prog

Review by apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

2 stars A project coming from the city of Asker in Norway, started in 2002 by singer/guitarist Dino Steffens and ending up to be a multi-national ensemble.And that's because he was joined by ex-White Willow Tirill Mohn on violin/percussion/guitar and Malayisian keyboardist Liew Ceng Teng to complete the original crew of Autumn Whispers.Their debut ''Cry of dereliction vol. I'' from 2012 shows an even more expanded line-up with Greeks Theodoros Kouelis and Vangelis Kalamaras on bass and drums respectively, Nils Einar Vinjor on guitar, Nick Jones on drums, Sigrun Eng on cello and Aleksander Koefoed on bass.It was released independently both on CD and digital format.

Autumn Whispers is actually the perfect name for the group.The melancholic and dreamy mood throughout this effort recalls the most depressive season of the year, while the sound is very whispering indeed: Mellow, laid-back and ethereal.With clean and expressive vocals and soft instrumentation, ''Cry of dereliction vol. I'' is pretty close to WHITE WILLOW's smoother musicianship, while Steffens cites British 70's Prog among his influences.And yes, touches from early KING CRIMSON and more Folk-centered acts such as PENTANGLE or FAIRPORT CONVENTION are particularly present in each track.What this album lacks is sufficient compentency and sheer dynamics, as it is mostly built around soft keyboard lines and pastoral acoustic guitars with strong psychedelic nuances and little similarity with the originality of the genuine Prog movement.Folky violins, traditional percussion and lots of acoustic textures are colored with light organ and Mellotron flourishes to offer soundscapes, which are pleasant to the ear and will satisfy fans of light Art Rock with a strong 60's influence.The long title-track contains a nice combination of Acid/Folk with jamming Prog/Psych and interesting electric guitars/keyboards along with a very spacey atmosphere towards the end.The rest of the album is dominated by acoustic instrumentation, swirling between melodic vocal tunes and rural, instrumental landscapes with scarce exceptions.

Decent album, that has nothing new to add to the scene of retro-inspired Art Rock.Pleasant, very relaxing listening with rare exceptional parts.Recommended mainly to fans of early-70's Psych/Folk Rock groups...2.5 stars.

 Cry of Dereliction Vol. II by AUTUMN WHISPERS album cover Studio Album, 2013
3.91 | 16 ratings

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Cry of Dereliction Vol. II
Autumn Whispers Crossover Prog

Review by Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars The end of 2013 sees the return of crossover prog band Autumn Whispers with a second volume follow-up to their original debut `Cry of Dereliction' album, and once again it's a mix sure to interest fans of the melodic song-writing end of progressive rock. It's another pleasing collection of Mercury Rev-like indie/psych rock, haunting ballads and atmospheric rock, and they even get a chance to stretch their prog muscles with a 13 minute piece. Actually, the press release for the album claims the band would prefer to be considered "Poetic rock with progressive and classical elements based on enigmatic poetry", so there you go, who am I to argue with the lass and lads of Autumn Whispers! Tirill Mohn (in quite a contemporary setting away from her preferred prog/folk style), her partner Dino Steffens and Liew Ceng Teng, along with additional guests have crafted an ambitious song-driven collection of grown up rock and dream pop, with a strong emphasis on soul-examining lyrics to ponder and find a personal connection with. Also, 'Tron fiends should know that the whole thing is dipped in Mellotron majesty!

The dreamy opener `Fire and Ice' gently flows with Dino's charmingly accented and silky voice over the most placid of Mellotron, the Flaming Lips/Beatle-esque psych-pop of `Auguries of Innocence' would make John Lennon smile (no easy feat!), and the sighing and ever so slightly malevolent `A Bird Can't Fly' wouldn't have sounded out of place on Tirill's solo album `A Dance with the Shadows/Tales from Tranquil August Gardens'. `Walls' picks up the tempo for a chugging hard- rock stomper perhaps more reminiscent of folk proggers Mostly Autumn, the loopy psychedelic `The Puppet's Monologue' is playful with a charmingly wasted sound, while fans of Air and especially their `Virgin Suicides' album will love the urgency of `I Measure Every Grief I Meet', with a similar Mellotron pattern to their `Highschool Lover' track. The confident `A Child Dancing In The Wind' is a folk piece played on electric instruments with a dazzling instrumental second half, especially highlighted by Liew Ceng Teng's whirling keyboards with some nice bass playing from Thodoris Kouelis. `Jasmin' is a lonely acoustic guitar lament with the most subtle and secret organ hum in the background, while `Autumn' closes the album on a drowsy hymn to the seasons, eager for "The songs of summer, a fragrant breeze and fluttering wings, in the yard of Autumn, our tryst...". It flows into the loveliest of floating instrumentals, blissful delicate harmonies from Tirill and a glowing extended electric guitar solo that makes me think of the spiritual ecstasy that sometimes Jason Pierce of Spiritualized gets so right.

I'll draw added attention to a couple of extra special moments! Not surprisingly the 13-minute title track will be of great interest to prog fans, and the trio sure don't disappoint here. All dreamy and somber atmosphere, book-ended with glorious Mellotron, moving seamlessly through a number of emotions and moods. Stirring shared male/female vocals, grand winding David Gilmour-esque emotional guitar soloing, symphonic synth bridges, ambient sound effects and a very disorientating middle instrumental section. Lots of `prog' boxes ticked here, but not for a second is it uninspired or merely going through the motions, it makes for an extremely haunting and thought-provoking extended piece, and it doesn't sound out of place amongst the shorter pieces that dominate much of the rest of the album.

But my personal favourite is right near the start. Over the sounds of children playing, `Nostalgia' is unsurprisingly sweet and warm with delicate cooing shared lead vocals from Tirill and Dino, their voices beautifully blending together, with a tasteful electric guitar solo and some nicely scratchy Mellotron to wrap around your heart. I love the lyrics "Young and guilt free, beneath a clear blue sky, take my hand and lead me back in time, show me yesterday hasn't been left behind", I think everyone can relate to that magical and faraway notion, likely lost as the years have passed by.

`Cry of Dereliction: vol 2' displays even more variety than the great debut, showcasing a band refining and perfecting their sound, really gelling and offering a seamless blend of styles of interest to fans of prog, psych, indie/alt and exciting adult rock music. Also, female fans with a keen ear for strong melodies and thoughtful words, who usually don't move as easily towards progressive related music, will fit in perfectly with Autumn Whispers. To me, they also make the perfect music for couples to enjoy, so grab that someone special in your life and grow to love a near perfect collection of classy and timeless tunes.

Four stars.

 Cry of Dereliction Vol. I by AUTUMN WHISPERS album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.14 | 13 ratings

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Cry of Dereliction Vol. I
Autumn Whispers Crossover Prog

Review by octopus-4
Special Collaborator RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams

4 stars It's strange that an album like this, added months ago is still without reviews. I didn't expect to be the first. This debut album, which is expected to be the first in a series based on an uneasy concept, is a very good one, well played, arranged and produced, but also well composed. Without fillers and unneeded parts, it's in the vein of what I would call "modern melodic prog": Phideaux, just to mention a name.

In particular, what have impressed me is the short, radio-friendly track "Julia" which is of the optimal length for radios and has a catchy melody of the kind which can play in your brain for hours.In brief, a potential hit-single.

Apart of this, the whole album is catchy and the fact that at least one track can be considered "commercial" doesn't subtract anything from its goodness. Also the fact that nobody has reviewed this album before seems to demonstrate that I'm overestimating its commercial potential.

I haven't read the lyrics carefully, to be honest, but the concept seems to be based on ordinary life, things like life, death, love and so on. Not too far from The Dark Side of the Moon, apparently. This maybe justifies the sadness and the darkness which emerge from the songs. They are often catchy and melodic, but the basic layer is everything but happy. Also some psychedelic oriented sounds, often in the background, make it more interesting.

It's a very promising debut and I'm effectively curious to hear what will come next and to read more about the concept as it's likely that knowing it better can enhance the listening pleasure. This is one of the albums I'm currently listening to more often and I suggest it as excellent addition to likers of this kind of melodic things.

Thanks to windhawk for the artist addition.

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