CoC : Ulver - Silence Teaches You How To Sing : Review

Ulver - _Silence Teaches You How To Sing_
(Jester, 2001)
by: Alvin Wee (8.5 out of 10)

Musical shapeshifters Ulver finally manage a not-too-shocking release this time round with (relatively) minimal departure from 2000's _Perdition City_. Trickster G and Co. seem to have found their footing since moving over to their personal label Jester Records, and the spate of high quality releases since _William Blake..._ attests quite conclusively to that fact. Despite talk of this MCD having been recorded during the _Perdition City_ sessions, the material here is decidedly less song-oriented dancefloor than the album, turning in a more ethereal-ambient direction instead. Minimalist and sparsely beautiful, the single twenty-minute track gradually sweeps forward with near-inaudible drones and subtle statics, occasionally throwing glowing sparks of light into the sombreness with higher-end metallic resonances. All of which leads to a surprising outpouring by the fifth minute, warming things up with rich, dulcet piano passages. What's unsettling is the music's ability to retain its icy core while pouring forth warmer organic tones: the aura of desolation and despair becomes apparent not long into the disc, and never releases its chilly grip on the soul for a moment. Garm's surreal, twisted vocals and soft, insect-like scrapes and screeches never cease to remind one of the potential depravity lurking behind the chimerical beauty of this music. Limited to 2000 copies and already fetching healthy prices on auctions, it's one that open-minded listeners won't want to miss. This is sugar-coated depression at its best.

(article published 19/10/2001)

ALBUMS
9/12/2007	K Sarampalis	8	Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
19/9/2005	P Azevedo	8	Ulver - Blood Inside
27/5/2004	Q Kalis	10	Ulver - A Quick Fix of Melancholy
14/10/2003	P Azevedo	4.5	Ulver - 1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines
6/9/2003	A Wee	9	Ulver - Lyckantropen Themes
12/4/2002	Q Kalis	9.5	Ulver - Silencing the Singing
7/6/1997	S Hoeltzel	8	Ulver - Nattens Madrigal

GIGS
19/4/2011	K Sarampalis	Ulver / Virus / Zweizz	The Wolves Appear on Stage