16 May 2020

MOURNING CLOAK In Dreams You See 1996

 



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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