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Review:
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The third album by these German mystic folk rockers
sees them add a touch more electronica and melodic rock
to their sound. This is what Clannad would sound like if
they were a gothic rock band. Joran Elane’s deep golden
voice floats dreamily over the beds of lush keyboards, orchestral
sounds, acoustic guitars, violins, whistles, harps and those
Clannad ahhhhh sounds, but they are not afraid to add a
touch of crunchy guitar and some rock drums to their songs,
which adds power, tempo and dynamics, pushing them at times
towards Mostly Autumn and Mike Oldfield. A perfect example
is ‘Paperplanes & Silverboats’ (on the Female Voices Blog),
dreamy, wistful, atmospheric, ethereal, but with an injection
of drums and electric guitars to give it some oomph. Intertwined
with the more up-tempo numbers are lovely gentle pieces
like the title track Silverleaf. The centrepiece is the
remarkable Crimson Lullaby, the first part a waltz, the
second a samba, showing the band’s diversity and skill.
The whole album is lovingly crafted for your listening pleasure
and the variety of tempos and dynamics means it is restful
but never dull. Their Elven Land can be found at http://www.myspace.com/elanemusic
and it is available from their shop http://www.fantasyfolk.de/Shop/?refID=2
and various other outlets. This is Celtic music that transports
you far away from the stresses of modern life, indeed, a
rather lovely listening experience, 8.5 out of 10.
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