In the Rain
Encyclopedia
In the Rain is an Apocalyptic folk album released by Tony Wakeford
's English
industrial
and Pagan
neoclassical
group Sol Invictus
, in 1995
.
On this recording, Wakeford weds trumpet, violin and cello to folk arrangements. Lyrically, he focuses on the fragility of life and the certainty of death
. The liner notes include drawings by Tor Lundvall
of animated skeletons carrying about with the populace, peeking out of windows and from behind umbrellas.
The instrumentation and orchestration create an elegiac setting that complement Wakeford's lyrical expressions of the tyranny of love, the snuffing out of youth, the beckoning hand of death.
2. Stay
3. Believe Me
4. Down the Years
5. In the Rain
6. Fall Like Rain
7. Oh What Fun
8. An English Garden
9. The World Shrugged
10. In Days to Come
11. Europa in the Rain II
Tony Wakeford
Anthony Charles "Tony" Wakeford is an English folk and neoclassical musician who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus.Wakeford lives in London and is married to Sol Invictus violinist Renée Rosen....
's English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and Pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
group Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus (band)
Sol Invictus is an English neofolk and neoclassical group fronted by Tony Wakeford. Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception, although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with Wakeford under the Sol Invictus moniker over the years.-Overview:For...
, in 1995
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
.
On this recording, Wakeford weds trumpet, violin and cello to folk arrangements. Lyrically, he focuses on the fragility of life and the certainty of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. The liner notes include drawings by Tor Lundvall
Tor Lundvall
Tor Lundvall is a painter and musician who is based out of East Hampton, New York.-Art:Lundvall has a B.A. in studio art with a minor in literature from the American University in Washington D.C. . His oil paintings are quite vivid and luminous due to his use of vibrant colors and the strong...
of animated skeletons carrying about with the populace, peeking out of windows and from behind umbrellas.
The instrumentation and orchestration create an elegiac setting that complement Wakeford's lyrical expressions of the tyranny of love, the snuffing out of youth, the beckoning hand of death.
Track listing
1. Europa in the Rain I- --celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
mark this short introductory theme, that is repeated in a more elaborate version for the final track. Segues into "Stay."
2. Stay
- --Mournful violin, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, acoustic,electric guitars; Lyrics of an erstwhile lover proclaiming the severity of his devotion to his once-beloved. Darkly comical, ultimately.
3. Believe Me
- --Symphonic orchestration with violins, piano; guitars; Lyrics: A young girl's death is employed to illustrate the ambivalence of the gods to human life. At first the gods are playing chess for her soul. Once it is theirs, they play catch with it. The chorus states that "without love, we are lost".
4. Down the Years
- --Similar orchestration, heavier drums; Lyrics relate the inevitable decay of every great and lowly thing.
5. In the Rain
- --Lyrics use the symbol of a rain-soaked English garden to illustrate the fragile dawning of a love the narrator knows ahead of time will fall into ruin.
6. Fall Like Rain
- --More ample use of electronic orchestration in middle section; Lyrics express familiar theme of all mankind being equal (if only) at the "kiss of the scythe."
7. Oh What Fun
- --Acoustic guitar, cello, violin; Lyrics are cryptic, again touching on the coarseness and natural brutality of the human animal.
8. An English Garden
- --Lyrics appear to allude to the collapse of the EmpireEmpireThe term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
through the simile of a garden that may be haunted. The song hints at a forthcoming collapse that is akin to that which befell RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
9. The World Shrugged
- --Lyrics that focus on the inevitable strife one finds with life. The World is indifferent to the perpetual state of foolishness that typifies the behaviour of her inhabitants.
10. In Days to Come
- -A bit of tribal drumming, otherwise similar to other instrumentation; Lyrics regarding Pagan birth/rebirth ritualRitualA ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s; sun is referred to as sun crossSun crossThe sun cross, also known as the wheel cross, Odin's cross, or Woden's cross, a cross inside a circle, is a common symbol in artifacts of the Americas and Prehistoric Europe, particularly during the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods.-Stone Age:...
, or swastikaSwastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
. Still, the "days to come" reflect crass materialismMaterialismIn philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
, greed, and the disease that will afflict even "noble hearts". A woman from the forest and hills, whose womb puts forth ritualistically symbolic grainCerealCereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
comes to save her children from the coming spiritual apocalypseApocalypseAn Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
brought forth by human sinfulness and weakness.
11. Europa in the Rain II
- --Reprise of opening track; lengthened with more pronounced drumming and use of keyboards.
Personnel
- Tony WakefordTony WakefordAnthony Charles "Tony" Wakeford is an English folk and neoclassical musician who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus.Wakeford lives in London and is married to Sol Invictus violinist Renée Rosen....
— Guitars, vocals - Sarah Bradshaw — Cello
- David MellorDavid MellorDavid John Mellor, QC is a British politician, non-practising barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary of State for National Heritage , before...
— Piano, keyboards - Karl BlakeKarl BlakeKarl Blake is a vocalist, bassist, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Most of his own music can be described as progressive-experimental and sometimes psychedelic.-Musical career:...
— Electric guitar & bass - Nathalie Van Keymeulen — Violin
- Céline Marleix-Bardeau — Violin
- Eric Rodgers — Trumpet
- Nick Hall — Drums, percussion