Shadows of the Sun
Encyclopedia
Shadows of the Sun is the seventh studio album
by the Norwegian
experimental
band Ulver
, released on October 1, 2007 in Europe
and on October 2 in the United States
. The title was announced on July 13, 2007 and the album was described as "low-key, dark and tragic". Shadows of the Sun received generally positive reviews by critics, and in February 2008 the album won the Oslo Awards for album of the year 2007. The album was also voted best album of 2007 at the website Sonic Frontiers.
's vocals, "soothing electronics and natural percussion," while artists like Pamelia Kurstin
would be contributing with instruments like the theremin
. Furthermore, Christian Fennesz
, an Austria
n white noise
musician
, would be adding touches of his associate, the English
singer, musician and composer
David Sylvian
's soft style, helping Ulver to correspond with their vision on the final product.
The track listing and the album front cover was released to the public in a press statement by Ulver's American
record label
The End Records
. As a teaser, the song "Vigil" was released on MySpace on August 29, 2007. On August 30, a blog entry on Ulver's MySpace page announced a release party for the upcoming album to be held at the Europa Night Club in Brooklyn
, NY
on September 20, 2007. Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker were DJing the show while the bands The Austerity Program and Lapdog of Satan were playing live. On 13 September, Jester Records made it possible to pre-order the album, accompanied by several bonus artifacts, including a limited vinyl edition (with alternate front cover by David D'Andrea), a t-shirt, an autographed photo and stickers. The collector's deal also included a 10" red vinyl edition of A Quick Fix of Melancholy
. The End Records also released a special deal consisting of the CD edition of the album, a T-shirt, and a screen print by Tomi Lahdesmaki in a limited run of 200. On MySpace, "Vigil" was replaced by the song "Funebre", on 14 September 2007.
The entire album was leaked to the Internet
on September 17, 2007. Although it was announced that Shadows of the Sun was to be released on October 1, record stores in Norway
had not received the album by that date. According to cdon.com, the album was due for release on October 8 instead. In the American
market, the album originally set-up for October 2 release was pushed to October 9. The delay of the preorder may have been caused by problems of the vinyl manufacturing. Shadows of the Sun was distributed by Plastic Head, the UK
's 10th largest distributor, in Europe
.
in both style and crew. Ylwizaker also took a year off to study classical composers and composition techniques, and said he took a particular liking to Igor Stravinsky
's The Firebird
.
The genre of the album has been called experimental by Jester Records themselves, but also dubbed new age
and art rock
by critics. Shadows of the Sun has also been claimed to be influenced by artists and bands like Pink Floyd
, David Sylvian, Nick Cave
, Coil
, Radiohead
, and Univers Zero
, as well as Guapo
and King Crimson
.
"Solitude" is a Black Sabbath
cover; the original version appears on their 1971 album Master of Reality
, while "Eos" is a revisited version of "Gravferd" from the soundtrack of the Norwegian film Uno. "What Happened?" contains approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds of silence at the end.
The front photo is taken from the 1978 October issue of Natural History Magazine. Shadows of the Sun is the first album without an appearance from Håvard Jørgensen, a full time member on Ulver's first four albums and a guest on their last two.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
band Ulver
Ulver
Ulver is a musical group from Norway. Since their first, folklore-influenced black metal release entitled Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler , Ulver’s musical style has been fluid and increasingly eclectic, blending genres such as rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise and...
, released on October 1, 2007 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and on October 2 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The title was announced on July 13, 2007 and the album was described as "low-key, dark and tragic". Shadows of the Sun received generally positive reviews by critics, and in February 2008 the album won the Oslo Awards for album of the year 2007. The album was also voted best album of 2007 at the website Sonic Frontiers.
Promotion
According to an official press release, Shadows of the Sun would consist of Kristoffer RyggKristoffer Rygg
Kristoffer Rygg , also known as Garm, Trickster G. and recently also God Head is a Spellemannprisen nominated vocalist, musician and producer known as the frontman of Ulver and former vocalist for Arcturus...
's vocals, "soothing electronics and natural percussion," while artists like Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Kurstin is a theremin player who has performed and recorded with artists such as David Byrne, Richard Cheese, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and Ulver and has performed on the television show Saturday Night Live...
would be contributing with instruments like the theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
. Furthermore, Christian Fennesz
Christian Fennesz
Christian Fennesz is an Austrian guitarist active in electronic music, often credited on albums simply as Fennesz....
, an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n white noise
White noise
White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, would be adding touches of his associate, the 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...
singer, musician and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
David Sylvian
David Sylvian
David Sylvian is an English singer-songwriter and musician who came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan...
's soft style, helping Ulver to correspond with their vision on the final product.
The track listing and the album front cover was released to the public in a press statement by Ulver's American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
The End Records
The End Records
The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved...
. As a teaser, the song "Vigil" was released on MySpace on August 29, 2007. On August 30, a blog entry on Ulver's MySpace page announced a release party for the upcoming album to be held at the Europa Night Club in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, NY
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 20, 2007. Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker were DJing the show while the bands The Austerity Program and Lapdog of Satan were playing live. On 13 September, Jester Records made it possible to pre-order the album, accompanied by several bonus artifacts, including a limited vinyl edition (with alternate front cover by David D'Andrea), a t-shirt, an autographed photo and stickers. The collector's deal also included a 10" red vinyl edition of A Quick Fix of Melancholy
A Quick Fix of Melancholy
A Quick Fix of Melancholy is the fourth studio EP by Norwegian avant-garde band Ulver.-Track listing:#"Little Blue Bird" – 6:35#"Doom Sticks" – 4:40#"Vowels" – 6:18; lyrics taken from a lipogram poem of the same name by Christian Bök....
. The End Records also released a special deal consisting of the CD edition of the album, a T-shirt, and a screen print by Tomi Lahdesmaki in a limited run of 200. On MySpace, "Vigil" was replaced by the song "Funebre", on 14 September 2007.
The entire album was leaked to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
on September 17, 2007. Although it was announced that Shadows of the Sun was to be released on October 1, record stores in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
had not received the album by that date. According to cdon.com, the album was due for release on October 8 instead. In the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market, the album originally set-up for October 2 release was pushed to October 9. The delay of the preorder may have been caused by problems of the vinyl manufacturing. Shadows of the Sun was distributed by Plastic Head, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's 10th largest distributor, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Musical style
In an interview with Music Information Centre Norway, Ulver member Tore Ylwizaker commented on the album. He said it would be downplayed and inspired by chamber musicChamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
in both style and crew. Ylwizaker also took a year off to study classical composers and composition techniques, and said he took a particular liking to Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's The Firebird
The Firebird
The Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
.
The genre of the album has been called experimental by Jester Records themselves, but also dubbed new age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
and art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
by critics. Shadows of the Sun has also been claimed to be influenced by artists and bands like Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, David Sylvian, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, and Univers Zero
Univers Zéro
Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero....
, as well as Guapo
Guapo (band)
Guapo is a British experimental rock/art rock band formed in the mid 1990s by drummer/percussionist Dave Smith and guitarist/vocalist Matt Thompson...
and King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
.
"Solitude" is a Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
cover; the original version appears on their 1971 album Master of Reality
Master of Reality
Master of Reality is the third album by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in July 1971. It is sometimes noted as the first stoner rock album...
, while "Eos" is a revisited version of "Gravferd" from the soundtrack of the Norwegian film Uno. "What Happened?" contains approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds of silence at the end.
Track listing
Credits
- Kristoffer RyggKristoffer RyggKristoffer Rygg , also known as Garm, Trickster G. and recently also God Head is a Spellemannprisen nominated vocalist, musician and producer known as the frontman of Ulver and former vocalist for Arcturus...
– vocals, writer, producer, engineer, programmer - Tore Ylwizaker – keyboards, writer, producer, engineer, programmer
- Jørn H. Sværen – miscellaneous
- Oslo Session String Quartet
- Hans Josef Groh – 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...
, solo on track 3 - Dorthe Dreier – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- André Orvik – 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....
- Vegard Johnsen – violin on tracks 1, 4 and 9
- Mathias Eick – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
on tracks 2, 6 and 7 - Christian FenneszChristian FenneszChristian Fennesz is an Austrian guitarist active in electronic music, often credited on albums simply as Fennesz....
– supplemental shimmer on track 4 - Espen Jørgensen – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
on track 4 and electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
on tracks 3 and 7 - Pamelia KurstinPamelia KurstinPamelia Kurstin is a theremin player who has performed and recorded with artists such as David Byrne, Richard Cheese, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and Ulver and has performed on the television show Saturday Night Live...
– thereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
on tracks 1 and 8 - Audun Strype – mastering
- Trine Paulsen – cover and artwork
- Kim Sølve – cover and artwork
- David D'Andrea – LP cover artwork
- "Solitude" is written by Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Tony IommiTony IommiAnthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
, Geezer ButlerGeezer ButlerGeezer Butler is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.-Career:Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of...
, and Bill Ward
The front photo is taken from the 1978 October issue of Natural History Magazine. Shadows of the Sun is the first album without an appearance from Håvard Jørgensen, a full time member on Ulver's first four albums and a guest on their last two.
External links
- Jester Records – ULVER Shadows of the Sun The label's own page about Shadows of the Sun.
- Ulver's official homepage The band's official site.
- The End Records Mail-Order Direct link to the album.