SILENCING THE SINGING

One of the two Silence EPs, the companion of Silence Teaches You How to Sing, Silencing the Singing once again shows us the group in a new experiment, during which they achieve fresh and exciting results. Nothing in the group's vast catalogue really sounds similar like this EP, the other Silence EP being closer in sound to this than the other material.

Silencing the Singing is once again one of the recordings of Ulver during their Electronic era. Recorded not a long time after the breathtaking full-length Perdition City, several moments here can be compared to that particular release, however, this is a new experience for all fans of the group. First thing that should be noticed, and it is a warning to those with conventional music tastes and attention deficit disorder: this is Ulver at their most minimalistic and ambient. The most remarkable part of this album is atmosphere not technique - you should feel it instead of understanding. Unlike Silence Teaches You How to Sing, which consisted of a single 24-minute long track, this release consists of three tracks with similar lengths and structure. There is a different melodic theme on each track that repeats throughout the whole track or during some parts of it. There are no vocals here which is a pity, however, I can honestly say that they wouldn't fit this style of music. Still, nobody will deny that not having Garm sing is a disappointment(although the album is titled Silencing the Singing for a reason). There are pianos playing here and violin on the second track, yet overall the composition is dominated by electronic sound effects and at times even beats which gives the ambiently flowing music the rhythm it lacks.

The frst track called Darling Didn't We Kill You has the main theme repeated during the beginning and the last minute of the song, the middle section being occupied by a disonant electronic part that is somewhat similar to the one on the track called Nightmare Heaven from The Sham Mirrors by Arcturus. Speak Dead Speaker follows and it takes two minutes for the main melody to come out after the beginning "intro". Once it calms down the main theme is played by a violin, being the album's highlight and also its most memorable part. Not Saved is the most repetitive track here and it closes the album very nicely. The moment during about 8:40 into the track strangely sticks out and doesn't leave your memory hours after listening to the record.

Comparing this to the other Silence EP would seem unfair as they are quite different from each other: the first one being darker and more disturbing than the latter, and the latter being more laid-back and relaxing than the first. However, what unites them is the musicians' denial of normal song structures and minimalistic songwriting. They both have their repetitive moments, so think what kind of a listener you are before approaching this record. If what I just described sounded boring and you know you wouldn't expect to keep attention throughout the record, then it would be wise to ignore this release until you feel you are ready(even if you are an Ulver fan). The most important aspect of these releases are not the main melodic themes themselves but rather the sound effects in the background which whist not "musical" in the popular sense of the word are interesting and make the core of this album. If it still doesn't fascinate you(I know it does it for me!), then you could just put it as background to whatever you are put - this is lad-down, relaxed and nice music.

Share this ULVER review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Trickster F.
• Report this review (#76642)
• Buy ULVER music online with PA partners
• Show all ULVER MP3/Stream
• Go to ULVER page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Silencing the Singing page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ULVER related discussions