Sieben - Ogham Inside The Night
Trisol Music Group
Neoclassical / Neofolk
Disc 1: 12 songs (60:00) Disc 2: 15 songs (70:00)
Release year: 2005
Matt Howden Official Site, Trisol Music Group
Reviewed by Misha

Sieben is a project of the passionate and dedicated ex-Sol Invictus violinist Matt Howden. The name won’t ring a bell for many, but in a Utopia where quality and popularity walk hand in hand, it would. Howden releases his instrumental neoclassical outlets under his own name, and his more song-oriented works as Sieben. He is the incarnation of less means more, with basically just two instruments, he manages to create music of rare richness. The way in which he masters the gentle art of pleasing the violin is merely one of the aspects there. Others include the well-woven layers, his deep and moving voice, the downright brilliant lyrics, excellent sense for detail and the ambition to bind these in music.

For life performance, the songs build up by the use of a loop pedal, layer over layer recorded, and are finished by the serene sound of Howden’s voice. Jason White provides in rhythm on most tracks with the cajon, a Spanish percussion instrument often referred to as the campfire drum kit. What diversity Sieben may lose to the limitations trying to be a two man orchestra, he gains by a wide range guest-appearances on roughly half of the songs. We are even given the voice of his eight-year-old daughter on one of the tracks. His own voice seems to have some British folk influences and together with the sublime lyrics, both in meter and word, the neoclassically rooted music is enriched with a neofolk-like feeling. However the songs grow louder in every loop, their unmistakeable beauty and serenity never fades. A voice can certainly not always enhance the feelings that live inside a violin, but Howden and his poetry are no less than on par with her eloquence here. As tradition gave birth to logic, this is again a pantheistic concept album. While wildflowers were the focal point on the last Sieben, Ogham Inside The Night deals with the different trees of the ancient British Ogham alphabet.

Ogham Inside The Night comes together with the previous release Sex And Wildflowers and four more songs added to the latter. All this sums to a neat pack with 130 minutes of tranquil melody and tribal drum, to hold spellbound the ear.

Samples:
SiebenOgham The Blade (from CD1, Ogham Inside The Night)
SiebenLove's Promise (from CD2, Sex And Wildflowers)

Note: In time these links will likely become outdated.

Killing Songs :
Yes, a lot actually!
Misha quoted 90 / 100
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