AllMusic
Review by Ned Raggett
One of the more surprising and
fascinating releases from a younger band in the mid-'90s, Mourning Cloak eschewed nearly all open
connections to rock to explore a rich, varied background in folk and roots
musics of many different traditions. Even the start of the CD gives a hint at
the roots of things -- the first thing one hears on the lengthy, elegantly dark
"Honey Mushrooms and the Nature of Darkness" is a record needle
spinning in a vinyl side's end groove. That Timothy Renner would go on to found and lead Stone Breath is perfectly obvious, not merely
from the impressive list of instruments he plays (everything from Tibetan bells
to zitherlins; bandmates Paul Chavez and Alison Renner also perform with
an equally varied selection), but from his obsession with poetic, mysterious
imagery, lyrically and visually. The partially whispered apocalyptic folk of
bands like Current 93 is a logical touchstone for the music
on In Dreams You See, as is the accomplished
cross-cultural experimentation of the Incredible String Band and Dead Can Dance, plus any number of earlier and
later inspirations. "The Eleventh Letter" most consistently ranges
far afield, with a variety of percussion instruments mixing with sitar to
create an unsettled, dreamy mood that then expands into an extended jam (of
sorts) before concluding on the notes of a music box winding down. Certainly Renner and company aren't interested in simply
recreating the pre-Industrial Revolution past, though. Backwards guitar and
sudden, harsh distortion bursts form the basis of "The Secret Path,"
while the blend of acoustic and electric drones on "Butterly Sleeping
Wind" and, especially, the astonishingly beautiful pinnacle "The
Space Between Everything" are utterly captivating. Alison's singing
provides a gentler balance to Renner's sometimes darker approach, though she
can be just as apt to hauntedly whisper than directly sing.
Tracklist
| 1 | Honey Mushrooms And The Nature Of Darkness | 9:39 |
| 2 | Darkened Day's Memory | 1:17 |
| 3 | The Secret Path | 2:13 |
| 4 | Chrysalis Repose | 2:24 |
| 5 | Mistbreather | 2:25 |
| 6 | Butterfly Sleeping Wind | 5:55 |
| 7 | Incantation | 2:36 |
| 8 | Entelekia | 0:49 |
| 9 | The Space Between Everything | 6:56 |
| 10 | Dreamlines | 4:11 |
| 11 | Moth's Wing | 1:34 |
| 12 | The Eleventh Letter | 13:33 |
| 13 | Bright | 6:01 |
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