Faun’s Von den Elben
German Pagan-Folk group Faun have just released their latest album. Von den Elben invites you into the world of syrens, elves and romantic, medieval ballads. Diese kalte Nacht appears on the album, along with 12 other tracks. You can hear samples of all the tracks on the Faun website, or order through Amazon, iTunes or Google Play.
Old Celtic & Norse Ballads
French music label Prikosnovenie’s latest release is Old Celtic & Norse Ballads. Presented as a limited edition, 17 track book-cd, it is an invitation to travel the world of Celtic and northern legends and superbly illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Discover tradtional ballads from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden or Norway. They evoke the sylphs of Air, gnomes of the Earth, dragons’ fire and the siren living in deep waters.
The composer Jean-Luc Lenoir and his musicians play Lute, Lyre, Crwth, Dulcimer, Flutes, Hurdy-gurdy with wheel, Cello, and,Nyckelharpa. These traditional instruments are accompanied by the beautiful voice of the Scottish singer Joanne McIver in Gaelic, Scottish, Breton or Norwegian. Listen to these ancestral tales which inspired the likes of JRR Tolkein.
The 32 page book presents Rackam’s illustrations, lyrics, and introduction to each ballad (in French and English). Old Celtic & Norse Ballads is limited to 1200 editions and is available from the Prikosnovenie site.
The Music of Thoby Loth
Described as ‘grand melodic rock with medieval influences’ Thoby Loth are a fairy tale rock band from Finland. Formed in 2007 by Tobias, along with band mates Peter, Roger and Daniel, Thoby Loth has produced one album to date. Lägereldarnas Tid is a conceptual album, a musical tale, each song forming a different chapter, taking its inspiration from fairy tales, elemental beings and Mother Nature. There is also a DVD, Thoby Loth – Live From The Wooden Realms. Their second album Cauldron of Life is to be released this month.
Filed under Music | Comment (0)Hey Hey Cabaret!
Frenchy and the Punk (formerly Gypsy Nomads) are back with their fifth full-length album Hey Hey Cabaret. The NY-based duo have spent the summer touring extensively in the US and Europe, appearing at both faerie and steampunk events. Combining these two worlds is of course the storming track ‘Steampunk Pixie’ which appears on the album. But this is just one of 11 tracks which form Hey Hey Cabaret, and every one is a catchy, high energy, bounce-along anthem. The gypsy beats get your hips swaying and toes tapping without fail, while vocalist Frenchy’s powerful voice conveys stories both irreverent and tragic with intensity and passion.
You can purchase Hey Hey Cabaret direct from the band or numerous outlets online, and if you do get the chance go see Frenchy and the Punk live. You won’t be disappointed.
Faerie Melodies from Green Fay
Tacoma, WA trio Mahlora, Bart and Gavin are Green Fay. a musical interpretation of all things wild and magickal, sacred and soulful. At times hauntingly melodic, other times raw and edgy, you can listen to the music on the band’s Reverb Nation page, or find out more on their Facebook page.
Filed under Music | Comment (0)Alcest’s Les voyages de l’âme
Neige, the creative mind behind Alcest was inspired to form the group as a medium to express esoteric experiences from his childhood. Alcest is music from another world, a world that is real, but that exists beyond ours and cannot be grasped by our senses. All music, lyrics and artwork are deeply linked to Alcest’s concept and aim to depict that Otherworld and the ecstatic feelings one can experience there. This project is a real quest, a perpetual wandering through unknown regions, the hope of which is to shed some light on some mysteries of this esoteric experience. Their third album Les voyages de l’âme (The Journeys of the Soul) was released in January this year.
Filed under Music | Comment (1)Caprice’s Girdenwodan
Returning to their faerie roots Russian neo-classical ensemble Caprice has just released their latest album. Girdenwodan is the first part of a diptych and is presented as a limited edition digi-pack with 16 page booklet featuring the artwork of British artist Marc Potts. As you’d expect from Caprice it is beautiful but strange, and very otherworldly! Available from Prikosnovenie.
Filed under Music | Comment (0)Fairyland, The Musical
Written and composed by Peter Frow, Fairyland is a magical musical in the great tradition of classic British fantasy-adventure. The 34 original songs tell the story of the Torrin family’s search for their missing Grandmother, which takes them to Fairyland where grandson Flyn falls for a beautiful fairy, Elfine, and is chosen by the fairylanders to rid them of the evil fairy Scatterjack, whose quest to become mortal is threatening to destroy Fairyland forever! The CD contains all the principal musical numbers and includes a 24 page full colour illustrated booklet containing all the lyrics and an edited version of the story and dialogue to transport you through the fairy ring to Fairyland itself. Fairlyand the musical follows on from the short family film Away With the Fairies, also written, produced and directed by Peter Frow.
Filed under Film, Music | Comment (0)An Appointment With Mr Yeats
The Waterboys new album An Appointment With Mr Yeats is now out. The album was produced by Mike Scott and Waterboys’ bassist Marc Arciero, and contains 14 new songs created from the lyrics of Ireland’s greatest poet, WB Yeats (1865-1939). The songs were premiered at the band’s raved-about Appointment With Mr Yeats concerts in Ireland and Britain in 2010 and early 2011. The songs include The Hosting Of The Shee and Song Of Wandering Aengus, two of Yeats’ great faerie poems.
Filed under Music | Comment (0)The Underliving Rises
Ever Since Ancient Shadows was released in 2006 we’ve been eager to hear what Spanish Composer/Singer Priscilla Hernandez would do next. It has been a long time coming but The Underliving is now here and it is everything you could wish for and more. Packaged in a deluxe digipack it includes a 52 page booklet with beautiful illustrations and photography, and insights into the songs and The Underliving’s place in the Yidneth mythology. It is a shadowy place somewhere betwixt and between the Mortal and Faerie worlds, and the songs on The Underliving tell the stories of it’s inhabitants and their interactions with and influences on our world. The stand out tracks for me are The Underliving, In My Mind’s Eye, and Off The Lane, but the whole album is hauntingly lovely, sending shivers up the spine!
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