what else is good by them? i'd like to find that acoustic album (what's it called?). i've heard they've gone electronic. i've heard some clips and was rather underwhelmed by them. kinda like boring Boards of Canada (that's redundant if you ask me).
― JasonD (JasonD), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 00:08 (9 years ago) Permalink
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 00:17 (9 years ago) Permalink
― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 06:37 (9 years ago) Permalink
"nattens madrigal" is their most black metal release (almost a noise record), "bergtatt" is epic black metal stuff with folk melodies and clean vocals blended in and is really something i have to be in the mood for.
the recently issued cd which compiled the "silence teaches/silencing the singing" EPs would probably resonate with anyone who likes later labradford albums - it's ambience with a kind of mellowed out glitchiness to it and occasional beats; i think it's really pretty good (if not absolutely original). "lyckantropen themes" is similar, but more streamlined and electronic sounding and less developed (it's a soundtrack, thus kind of background).
― your null fame (yournullfame), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 08:01 (9 years ago) Permalink
― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 09:47 (9 years ago) Permalink
― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 09:50 (9 years ago) Permalink
"Themes from William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell" is a double CD filled with overdramatic recitings of the book, Depeche Mode-style synthpop with some distorted guitars here and there. Not totally rubbish, but way too long and unintentionally funny. The later releases (basically Christopher Rygg solo) go into glitch-y Coil soundtrack-ish territory. Lots of people seem to love this material, I'm not really feeling it.
― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 10:54 (9 years ago) Permalink
― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 10:59 (9 years ago) Permalink
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 11:08 (9 years ago) Permalink
― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 12:12 (9 years ago) Permalink
― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 17:28 (9 years ago) Permalink
---
This caught my ear in the record store because I liked the paradoxical singing -- both forceful and wispy, also the peculiar sampling going on behind it -- the textures. And while it hasn't quite held up to my initial expectations, it is a very intriguing album and worth listening to again and again just to hear new things in it each time. It has metal's pretention, but shoegaze's texture. It's also got a huge dose of goth -- especially in the lyrics, but the keyboard player was obviously stolen from some defunct prog rock band. And then there's that lovely little gamelan interlude that tickles my ears at the beginning of the third song. Steve's probably thinking Talk Talk because there's a vibraphone in the fourth song, and where there is vibraphone, there will inevitably be Bark Psychosis comparisons. But to be honest, besides some of the pacing and a bit of the percussion, I can't here any Talk Talk here. The 80s band that I _am_ hearing loud and clear though is Ultravox. I think that's because of all the pomp and the bluster and the lyrics that feel like they need dry ice and an eastern bloc country as a backdrop.. But it's also in one of the voices : a sort of heavy-metal Midge Ure. Take a song like "Vienna" and add a bunch of prog keyboards and a bit of feedback and some Loop loops, then put the voice a bit lower in the mix so it sounds more whisper-y, but still confident. There, see what I mean?
Like most metal albums, the lyrics are both specific and broadly archetypal. And it's obvious to me that these folks are Tool/Perfect Circle fans, because they use the same sort of ironic wordplay that Maynard favors. Right down to some of the same themes :
"truth is a hospitalplease be patient"
or, my personal favorite :
"is the vampirein the mirroreternallike Hell"
(good use of line breaks there -- it adds layers of meanings)
ONe last thing I wanted to mention, the genius sampling and editing in the seventh song -- it starts out with an oppressive goth string arrangement that's also got a tiny bubble of vibraphone (?) beneath it for relief, and the lyrics are all about blood and death and ambulences and hospitals, which add to the tension. And then, just as the lyrics are winding up for the final punch, the tune suddenly morphs seamlessly into a 1930s style Big Band brass extravaganze (a la Mercury Rev). It's a brilliant musical shift, but it doesn't make "sense" lyrically, so that the listener's mind -- or at least my mind -- is left reeling from the disjoin. Wait a minute, we were in an ambulence rushing to the hospital -- how did we end up in a Busby Berkley film?! I think it's the first time I've ever felt that something was both SO RIGHT, and SO WRONG for a song simultaneously. I wonder if others felt this way too?
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 June 2005 23:57 (7 years ago) Permalink
― moley, Saturday, 11 June 2005 00:05 (7 years ago) Permalink
― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 11 June 2005 00:18 (7 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 June 2005 01:46 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 11 June 2005 13:51 (7 years ago) Permalink
Also, hearing it all together accentuates the WTF-ness that Stripey wrote about. There are so many shifts in the pacing and musical style. Also, there's definitely a cabaret element happening here.
― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 23:02 (7 years ago) Permalink
― mzui (mzui), Thursday, 16 June 2005 07:55 (7 years ago) Permalink
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:06 (7 years ago) Permalink
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:08 (7 years ago) Permalink
Ulver - Blood Inside [featured album]
http://www.metal-invader.com/db/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=1914
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:09 (7 years ago) Permalink
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:13 (7 years ago) Permalink
http://decibelmagazine.com/0905_ulver_bloo.aspx
(and i totally did the ...ON ACID! trick, but i don't care cuz you have to smack people around in order to make them buy something weird. or at least i do cuz i'm no good at being subtle. i heart hyperbole.)
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 29 August 2005 01:56 (7 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 29 August 2005 01:58 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Wogan Lenin (dog latin), Monday, 9 January 2006 14:21 (7 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 February 2006 03:24 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Saturday, 11 February 2006 03:28 (7 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 February 2006 03:37 (7 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 04:31 (6 years ago) Permalink
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 10:14 (6 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 11:19 (6 years ago) Permalink
― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 11:20 (6 years ago) Permalink
look...
ULVER To Release 'Shadows Of The Sun' In The Fall http://tinyurl.com/395fyp
― djmartian, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:06 (5 years ago) Permalink
the most recent ulver record i own is the marriage of heaven and hell thingie. i remember feeling a little cut that they'd turned their back completely on black metal. it's an entertaining release nonetheless, though i never felt compelled to listen to anything that came after it.
nattens madrigal is about as pure and glorious as black metal gets.
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:12 (5 years ago) Permalink
omg NEW ULVER
thanks, dj martian!
― Just got offed, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:16 (5 years ago) Permalink
didn't know you were a fan, actually :)
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:22 (5 years ago) Permalink
This is exciting news. Anyone know if it's getting released on "The End" this time around?
― John Justen, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:26 (5 years ago) Permalink
i only have 'blood inside' but it's one of my very favourite records. when i decided to introduce my music-collection to my brother, it was the first album i urged him to play. he put it in the disc-drive without pressing it down and scratched it. :-/
― Just got offed, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:29 (5 years ago) Permalink
i would think that it's the same, i.e Jester Records for Europe and The End Records for North America
― djmartian, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:34 (5 years ago) Permalink
i remember an ex-girlfriend did something similar with my copy of 'tea for the tillerman'. in fact, it was one of those players that you open and close with a button and it slides in and out. she didn't put the record in the slot properly and it got stuck when she pressed the button. scratched it so badly it wouldn't play...
but back to ulver,
i think...i think i should purchase 'blood inside'
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:35 (5 years ago) Permalink
LJ, you would probably like Teachings in Silence etc. although it's much darker/emptier. Might want to work your way into the earlier albums, they aren't likely to appeal to your sensibilities (as I understand them) right off the bat. Try to track down the quick fix of melancholy EP also, which you are almost certain to like if you like blood inside.
Of course, you don't like "Nail", so I'm not entirely sure what to think about you. Perhaps this will improve your score overall :)
xposts
― John Justen, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:39 (5 years ago) Permalink
hey dude, I LIKE nail, but i prefer the last two for some unfathomable reason! 'kreibabe' is one of the finest, most awesomely warped pieces of music i've ever heard, and the rest ain't far behind. i'm also a fan of more than a little metal, so i'd probably really enjoy the early stuff. would you say 'bergtatt' or 'nattens madrigal' would be a wiser foray?
also, cheers for the EP leads! :-D
― Just got offed, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:44 (5 years ago) Permalink
i'd say bergtatt, because you get a cool hybrid of nordic folk and black metal with that one and it's a good intro to their black metal dynamic. nattens madrigal is an onslaught from start to finish. though honey to these ears
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:48 (5 years ago) Permalink
let's see what john says
i tend to prefer onslaughts too, mind
― Just got offed, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:49 (5 years ago) Permalink
Well, if part of what you enjoy about Blood Inside is the lush production, nattens is going to be a bit of a shock. It's a fantastic by harshly recorded album (w/intent). I think I'd go with bergtatt. If you're like me, though, eventually you'll end up buying everything you can find.
― John Justen, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:53 (5 years ago) Permalink
i would suggest that the organic and primal production (or lack of production as it were) on nattens lends the record a really ambient quality. the playing is extremely tight as well. no one can doubt that it's an extremely focused record, despite its harsh sound.
great artwork in the sleeves too with some really artistic shots of the band
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 12 July 2007 19:58 (5 years ago) Permalink
does it sound anything like (this will sound heretic but bear with me) Primal Scream's 'Accelerator'? that's the kind of harsh, distorted guitar kerfuffle i go crazy for.
― Just got offed, Thursday, 12 July 2007 20:03 (5 years ago) Permalink
the guitar in the ulver is not as loose and is more melodic than the primal scream.
accelerator is a cool track.
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 12 July 2007 20:12 (5 years ago) Permalink
oh wait, i've just thought of a possible comparison. does it sound anything like serena-maneesh's 'beehiver II', 'don't come down here' or 'your blood in mine'?
― Just got offed, Thursday, 12 July 2007 20:23 (5 years ago) Permalink
Fancy hearing some live Ulver? Maihaugsalen Live 2009 bootleg
If mods dont want links to live bootlegs feel free to delete it and anyone can PM me for the link.
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 4 June 2009 13:18 (3 years ago) Permalink
earth calling LJ
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 4 June 2009 21:02 (3 years ago) Permalink
Fancy SEEING some live Ulver: http://www.terrorizer.com/content/ulver-announce-historic-uk-performance
― Status Quo hell at the end of the 80s (DJ Mencap), Friday, 7 August 2009 10:06 (3 years ago) Permalink
yes
― cockles (country matters), Friday, 7 August 2009 18:54 (3 years ago) Permalink
just booked tickets, am in back row of rear stalls but I DON'T CARE
there were only like 12 tickets left, I hate to say it but thank FUCK for Facebook's sponsored ads, and their creepy reading of my profile details
― should probably be practising shorthand (country matters), Monday, 28 September 2009 19:07 (3 years ago) Permalink
fwiw ILX's favourite metal-lovin' sometime-nursin' occasionally-songwritin' nascently-novelisin' dude is playing the same venue a week later and I as a former employee of the Southbank complex am fucked if I'm giving 'em any more money so pretty please try to get me in gratis and we're talking OUTLAY on yr album(s) at the stall I COULD HAVE BEEN MANNING if they hadn't fired me and forced me to take up a Masters degree instead XD
― should probably be practising shorthand (country matters), Monday, 28 September 2009 19:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
An Ulver gig from Greece this November has just gone up on D1m3adoz3n if anyone is interested.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 5 December 2009 09:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
I dont torrent really but if anyone made a mediafire or something i'd be interested.
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 10 December 2009 19:29 (3 years ago) Permalink
I'd be happy to grab it for anyone.
― MaresNest, Thursday, 10 December 2009 19:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
that would be great, thanks!
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 10 December 2009 20:04 (3 years ago) Permalink
Okay, well it came down the tubes pretty quick, PM me Herman or anyone else and I'll mail a CD.
― MaresNest, Thursday, 10 December 2009 22:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
Another London show coming up at the Scala in february
― Jamie_ATP, Wednesday, 16 December 2009 11:07 (3 years ago) Permalink
oops missed your post. will pm you now
― Pfunkboy : The Dronelord vs The Girly Metal Daleks (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 13:54 (3 years ago) Permalink
this time i'll book early! hopefully they'll play, like, 'christmas' this time :p
― like having an eternal kazoo in your underwear (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 16 December 2009 16:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
Anyone else want this before I take it off my hard drive?
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 22 December 2009 11:37 (3 years ago) Permalink
FINE, you always knew I'd say yes eventually
― Don't bring a gun to a snowball fight! (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 11:41 (3 years ago) Permalink
I ought to sound more enthusiastic than that. This sounds pretty dope! Wahey! You know my address! That's better.
― Don't bring a gun to a snowball fight! (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 11:42 (3 years ago) Permalink
Actually, I have a little backlog of things to send you, if you have changed address recently PM me and check the Cardiacs thread laterz.
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 22 December 2009 11:44 (3 years ago) Permalink
My address is still the same! My craving for whacked-out semi-progressive sonic mayhem is undimmed.
― Don't bring a gun to a snowball fight! (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 11:47 (3 years ago) Permalink
Just got tickets to see them in Vienna, looking forward to it.
― anagram, Tuesday, 22 December 2009 12:01 (3 years ago) Permalink
oh, I would def. like to hear this!
― ' ( *_*) ERROR HANDLING (^_^ ) (Alan N), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 14:41 (3 years ago) Permalink
PM me Alan and I'll sort you one.
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 22 December 2009 17:18 (3 years ago) Permalink
cool. just sent you a email via the webmail thing. that's the same thing as PM'ing, right? (have actually never done this before,)
and thanks man!
― ' ( *_*) ERROR HANDLING (^_^ ) (Alan N), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 17:43 (3 years ago) Permalink
i have also sent an email, let me know if you dont get it
― .81818181818181818181818181 changed everything (jjjusten), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 18:14 (3 years ago) Permalink
john you are free to talk about them again!
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 17:53 (2 years ago) Permalink
http://soundcloud.com/booking-26-1/february-mmx - new song
Album is called War Of The Roses
― Algerian Goalkeeper, Sunday, 13 February 2011 16:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
I really like this song
― Algerian Goalkeeper, Sunday, 13 February 2011 16:14 (2 years ago) Permalink
I'll be at Ulver's gig in Oslo next week if any ILXrs are heading over for By:Larm...
― Under Me Smang Tang (Doran), Sunday, 13 February 2011 16:16 (2 years ago) Permalink
ooooooh
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 13 February 2011 16:32 (2 years ago) Permalink
interesting. that song sounds like it's splitting the difference between circle and mew. i would love it if the new album's a little more like "synen," the old demo they contributed to last year's amazing whom the moon a nightsong sings comp -- dark, sort of militaristic, acid folk
― reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 17 February 2011 12:33 (2 years ago) Permalink
ULVER – WARS OF THE ROSES (K Scope)Release Date – May 16th
New studio album from Norwegian dark music legends
www.myspace.com/ulver1
Ulver are the latest band to join the Kscope roster. Early pioneers of Norwegian black metal, the band have continually evolved throughout their career and now stand as living legends of the dark music industry, blending rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions along with noise and experimental music to create ground-breaking material.
Until this point the band have remained uncompromisingly independent, operating without marketing, advertising or any backing from a label (except their own imprint, Jester Records). Despite this stance the band are revered around the world, have sold in excess of half a million records, have well over 11,000,000 plays on Last FM and the interest does not seem to be fading; indeed the band are now preparing to make another step with a bigger label and new management.
The last two years have also seen Ulver emerge as a live band. Following their first live performance in May 2009, at the Norwegian Festival of Literature, the band toured Europe in 2010 selling out prestigious venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Volksbühne in Berlin and Casa da Música in Porto, to great acclaim.
Wars Of The Roses was mixed by producer extraordinaire John Fryer (Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Swans etc.), following a chance meeting outside Crystal Canyon studios during the latter stages of recording. Sounds like fate.
1. February MMX 2. Norwegian Gothic 3. Providence4. September IV 5. England 6. Island 7. Stone Angels
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Wednesday, 9 March 2011 20:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
have well over 11,000,000 plays on Last FM
Is this really a "thing" in press releases now?
Regardless, so very excited for this!
― 'what are you, the Hymen Protection League of America?' (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 9 March 2011 20:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
fuck yes, album of the year contender
― Damn this thread seems so....different without ilxor (ilxor), Wednesday, 9 March 2011 21:08 (2 years ago) Permalink
*slavers*
― acoleuthic, Thursday, 10 March 2011 06:38 (2 years ago) Permalink
"providence" is blowing my mind
― reggie (qualmsley), Sunday, 27 March 2011 00:30 (2 years ago) Permalink
"stone angels" is the best album closer since "good thoughts, bad thoughts"
― reggie (qualmsley), Sunday, 27 March 2011 00:50 (2 years ago) Permalink
oh someone revived it already, just listening to it now
― Algerian Goalkeeper, Sunday, 27 March 2011 01:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
wait shit this is out?
― broke my o_O face o_O (jjjusten), Sunday, 27 March 2011 07:21 (2 years ago) Permalink
leaked.
― EZ Snappin, Sunday, 27 March 2011 11:45 (2 years ago) Permalink
the quality of the leak i got to hear sucked, but even so, this album kicked my ass
― reggie (qualmsley), Sunday, 27 March 2011 14:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
I've been slowly warming to this album. At first, it seems to lack a bit the consistency of theme and focus of "Shadows of the Sun", but I'm glad they're not resting on their laurels. Probably would make for a good headphones album, since there's lots of sonic detail that is easy to miss if not listening closely.
― o. nate, Friday, 24 June 2011 19:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
still need to hear this; i pulled out Blood Inside the other day and that still sounds overwhelmingly good
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 03:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
great record; sort of what blood inside would be like with a more consistent field of vision? by which i mean, there are the jazz and ambient elements, they're just more organically integrated.
which, the abrupt collage of blood inside is so instrumental in that record's overall effect—each track causes a specific vertigo. here the lateral moves are smooth, graceful.
"september iv" is so so gorgeous.
― Brad Nelson (BradNelson), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 07:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm leaning toward this new record being a dud. I love the last two, but this hasn't grabbed me nor given me much desire to grapple with it further to see if it ever will. as o. nate says, it lacks focus. Likely it is merely that I don't like the direction they've taken away from Shadows which I truly love.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 11:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
I haven't given it many thorough listens, but I really love the opening track and the aforementioned "September IV."
― You Post on ILX (Simon H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 11:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
I listened to it again this morning after not playing it for a while, and it was better than I remembered. I think maybe it just wasn't what I was hoping for after Shadows of the Sun (i.e., more of the same). It's starting to hang together a bit better in my mind.
― o. nate, Wednesday, 10 August 2011 15:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
"providence" was the first 'holy shit!' listen i had with the new one
― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 7 September 2011 14:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
i love this band more and more every day.
― for reasons of sass (the table is the table), Monday, 30 July 2012 07:05 (9 months ago) Permalink
Childhood's End is pretty fucking superb, eh
another complete left-turn in their sinuous progress through modern musical history; the song-choices are uniformly excellent; the sound is cavernous, swirling, liquid; Ulver have an amazing sense of the psychedelic that comes across as their own even when covering psych classics relatively straight
one of the all-time cover albums, love love love love....
― once a week is ample, Monday, 30 July 2012 08:19 (9 months ago) Permalink
The first track on Bergtatt: I CANNOT stop listening to it.
― Clarke B., Monday, 22 October 2012 03:30 (6 months ago) Permalink