Following on the success of the critically-acclaimed debut album, 'The Fragile State Of Inbetween', Rhys Marsh returns with 'Dulcima', his second Autumn Ghost album in the space of a year.
From the provocative saunter of 'In The Afterglow', via the requiem-esque 'Divide In Silence', the snake-charmer's swagger of 'Nine Times Beautiful', and the deceptively-innocent lilt of 'You'll Never Fall', to the full-on prog assault of 'In Dark, In Light', this is a dark affair through-and-through, which, while still retaining much of its predecessor's melancholy, barely surfaces from its intense and often dense soundscape.
'Dulcima' was written and recorded simultaneously, over the course of seven months, in Trondheim, London and New York. The city atmosphere was an important influence in these songs, as they helped to harness the urgency that Marsh wanted to capture. Another important facet of this album is that, like his debut, many of the songs feature elements from the initial demo recordings. It's this spontaneity and energy that further sets 'Dulcima' away from its peers.
Alongside his long-standing rhythm section of Jo Fougner Skaansar (double bass) and Takashi Mori (drums), this album also features the heavy-handed help of Mattias Olsson (Änglagård), Ketil Einarsen (Jaga Jazzist), Trude Eidtang (White Willow) and Lars Fredrik Frøislie (Wobbler).
'Dulcima' comes in a beautiful six-panel digipak, complete with lyrics.
"Melancholic and complex music, filled with unexpected chord progressions, rich layers of Mellotron and emotionally-loaded vocals." Norway Rock Magazine
"It may challenge your idea of what progressive music should sound like. Tarkus Magazine
"These songs rise from near-silence to a full-on assault of the senses within a heartbeat, then curl up again in a sea of melancholy." BBC Radio6
Tracks
1. In The Afterglow (5:12)
2. The Frightened Souls (5:03)
3. Divide In Silence (4:35)
4. Nine Times Beautiful (8:10)
5. The Safety Of All You Know (10:04)
6. You'll Never Fall (4:22)
7. Surrendered (5:57)
8. In Dark, In Light (9:36)
Credits
Rhys Marsh — voice, guitars, piano, mellotron, rebab, orchestrations (1-8)
Trude Eidtang — voice (1, 2, 4, 8)
Jo Fougner Skaansar — double & electric basses (1-8)
Mattias Olsson — drums, celeste, orchestron, mellotron (1, 4, 6)
Anna Giddey — violin (2, 7)
Natalie Rozario — cello (2, 7), orchestration (2)
Takashi Mori — drums (2, 5, 6, 8)
Ketil Vestrum Einarsen — flute, spektrals (4)
Gaute Storsve — electric guitar solo (5)
Timbre Cierpke — harp (7)
Lars Fredrik Frøislie — hammond, moog, autoharp, celeste (8)
Recorded from October '08 to April '09 by Rhys Marsh at Autumnsongs, Trondheim, Norway; Takashi Mori at Studio Bosco, Shiga, Japan; Mattias Olsson at Roth Händle, Stockholm, Sweden; Lars Fredrik Frøislie at The Pig Farm, Hønefoss, Norway; Christian Paulsen at Battlefront Studio, Asker, Norway; Gaute Storsve at Ignored Studio, Oslo, Norway; Konrad Snyder at Castle Recording Studio, Nashville, USA; Ketil Vestrum Einarsen at Vibe Studios, Oslo, Norway
Produced & mastered by Rhys Marsh at Autumnsongs
