Our dearest Concreteweb’s headquarters did recently receive a cd-r / mp3 with seven Folk-oriented albums. As a matter of fact, Strawberry Oracle Promotions will give some renewed attention to seven bands / projects within the Folk scene by having this material put on the foreground again. It deals with both recent as well as pretty old recordings, and in order to give this stuff a boost, I will be so kind to have it reviewed.
This review deals with probably the best known act presented on this sampler, In Gowan Ring, a project formed by Bobin Jon Michael Eirth aka B’Eirth. B’Eirth produces his instruments himself as part of his philosophy that deals with a relationship in between Man and Nature. This sold-out / out-of-print album, now re-issued with new artwork (and re-mastered by Eroc, by the way) via Merlin’s Nose, was the third In Gowan Ring full length, and it was originally released in November 1999 via one of the most impressive Folk-labels ever, World Serpent (think: Current 93, The Soil Bleeds Black, Yasnaïa, Sol Invictus, Backworld etc.). Following his spirituality, he went to the deserts in the south of Utah in order to write the sometimes very lengthy hymns for The Glinting Spade. He did not want to see or meet other people for months to concentrate on a highly (‘high’ly, you get it?) meditative and pure (sub-) consciousness. This total isolation evolved in the creation of seven varying songs that made The Glinting Spade a wanted product. And it still does (and therefore we all need to express our gratitude, I guess?...). It’s a meditative and spiritual trip to consciousness with a weird angle, but of the most relaxing kind. It mixes acoustic and sober Neo-Folk / Hippie-Folk (but certainly not of the happy Flower Power kind!) with elements from droning Ambient, industrialised Trance, Eastern Tribal, medieval and natural sounds, and Psychedelica rooted in the sixties. It brings both introspection and earthly revelation once you’re ‘into’ the enchanting atmospheres created for this record specifically.
FYI: Beautiful Grave comes as CD, but there’s good news for vinyl-freaks too, because it’s issued on LP too, in a (limited) deluxe edition with thick case-wrapped heavy-gatefold sleeves. And apparently there are 100 copies pressed on coloured vinyl as well…