Mothlite

[Apologies if this is duplicating another suggestion - nothing came up when I searched, though.   Apologies also if this is the wrong mode of making such suggestions... ]

I have a feeling this may be in the pipeline already, but I'm going to make the suggestion anyway:

Mothlite!

Why they should be included: Daniel O’Sullivan. Need I say more?  This guy is amazingly talented (Guapo, Miasma and the Carousel of Headless Horses, Aethenor, Sunn0))), etc.), and Mothlite is ample proof of this.  The band is nominally a duo (O’Sullivan with engineer Antti Uusimaki), but features numerous guest musicians – all well-respected figures in contemporary experimental/prog music.  Mothlite’s album, ‘The Flax of Reverie’, is a haunting tapestry in sound – it is both sweet and sinister, strangely pleasant and yet deliciously disturbing.  Mothlite’s music has the stamp of O’Sullivan’s other music upon it – only it’s dreamier, somewhat psychedelic, hypnotic and subtle.  It strikes a wonderful balance between seeping soundscapes, layering on the atmosphere, and firm structure that guides the listener through an imaginary landscape…  Prog?  No doubt about it!  Clever, intriguing, distinctive stuff.

Band Info: Mothlite’s website features no descriptive information other than an inscrutable paragraph philosophising about the peppered moth’s evolution during the Industrial Revolution.  O’Sullivan has said in interview at The Line of Best Fit that he feels this is misleading – it was intended as a key to the atmosphere of the music, rather than the content.  In an interview on the Southern website (Mothlite’s label), O’Sullivan reveals the following…

“The story of Mothlite…

“Mothlite occurred to me after watching a film called Night of the Hunter.  There is a scene where the kids are drifting down-river on a rowboat; they’re running from bogeyman Bob Mitchum.  There is this incredible subliminal interaction on screen where they’re sleeping and rabbits and frogs on the embankment watch them float.  I guess they’re dreaming.  That paradox of disquiet and serenity is very familiar to me, that sensitivity, where all things become inflated, somehow hyper real.  There are moments from my childhood that are so real, I mean memories I can almost touch, yet they seem so absurd in retrospect, it’s hard to say what the reality was, but that’s the point, reality is subjective.  Mothlite is sometimes about re-animating dead things – dead language, dead spirits. It’s also about the food chain. And tragedy.  It’s also about listening to music and getting excited about it and wanting to absorb it somehow.

“My band, Guapo and Antti’s band at the time, Panic DHH, played a show together.  Antti looked like Vangelis buried behind wires and synthesizers, I’ve always wanted to work with someone who is so engaged by electronics.  It’s mysterious to me.  Even though I had the idea for Mothlite quite a long time ago, I knew its existence would depend heavily on finding the right person to work with.  There were lots of amazing players we’ve met over the years who were willing to help out.  Sara [Hubrich] from Miasma plays all of the violin and viola.  She’s amazing… she’s so intuitive.  Gilad Atzmon plays some beautiful clarinet.  He’s one of those musicians, you feel like you shouldn’t watch him when he plays, like you’re imposing or something – really exceptional.”

Country: UK I guess (not sure where Uusimaki hails from – Finland, judging by the name??).

Prog Genre: at a guess it’d have to be RIO/Avant, since pretty much all of O’Sullivan’s other projects are filed there.

Artist Picture: this rather fun picture appears with the interview at ‘The Line of Best Fit’ – link above.  I think these people were made to sit as far apart as possible on a gently-decomposing sofa.



Band website: www.mothlite.com AND www.myspace.com/mothlite

Discography: just the one album so far – ‘The Flax of Reverie’, released 2008.



MP3s: check out their myspace.

Thank you for your time!



Edited by song_of_copper - September 20 2008 at 10:42

Hehe, perhaps they should have called that album 'Obese Insectivore Support Group'. 

song_of_copper wrote: Hehe, perhaps they should have called that album 'Obese Insectivore Support Group'.

Logan wrote: A very nicely compiled and excellent suggestion.  I'd heard of it before; listening now.  Superb.  I really like Daniel O’Sullivan's work -- especially Miasma and the Carousel.... (which even prefer to the excellent Guapo).  Just in case the RIO/Avant team miss this topic, I'll alert them to it.

Thanks Logan - you're a gent!

Hey. Been listening to Mothlite a lot the last week or so. Was a little dissapointed at first listen. Too plain beautiful and harmess, I thought. But I got into the dreamy, melancholic feel while listening to it a couple of times more in my studio. Its a very beautiful album indeed, but not necessarily harmless. The Untouched Dew is my favorite right now.

their music is truly something else, I love them and also think they should be added

I'll mention it to the avant prog team again, but if they're not interested, perhaps we could find another category for it since the project should be in PA.

EDIT: having listened to myspace with the new material, would Crossover fit it better?


Edited by Logan - December 21 2009 at 11:46

Evolutionary_Sleeper wrote: Logan wrote: I'll mention it to the avant prog team again, but if they're not interested, perhaps we could find another category for it since the project should be in PA. EDIT: having listened to myspace with the new material, would Crossover fit it better? Perhaps it would, I dunno if it quite fits in Avant. Wonderful music either way.

Having read the crossover definition, I think they would fit there perfectly. I think they are 'avant-garde', but not avant-prog as such. The new stuff really is sophisticated pop music and there are some nods to this on The Flax of Reverie as well.

Last I listened, this was ambient. Maybe I was wrong.

^ Sweet. I believe they deserve it