Ulver Album: “Shadows of the Sun”

Being a relatively new, yet very enthusiastic fan of Ulver, I can honestly say that I have not anticipated any one of the myriad of great albums to released this year more than I have Ulver's "Shadows of the Sun." With such a serious caliber of genius as Ulver has proven to command, (Most apparent in 1998's "Themes from William Blake's the Marriage of Heaven and Hell," and in 2005's "Blood Inside") I knew that the musical world was in for another otherworldly masterpiece. Of course, Ulver has once again, surpassed my expectations, though not in the same fashion as I had expected.

Completely forgetting Ulver's natural tendency to evolve, I was expecting another album filled with charisma, and widespread vision such as "Blood Inside" was. Upon first listen, any one with similar expectations for this album will indeed be initially disappointed. This album is almost a polar opposite to "Blood Inside." Where there once was powerful and grandiose structure there is now a dark, slow and brooding semi-ambience. Where there was a dark, yet somehow beautifully colorful texture there is now only black and grey. Where there were once layers upon layers of Garm's soaring vocal harmonies, there are much darker, melancholiac, and slower dirges. Ulver have obviously made another 180 degree change in musical direction, and though it may seem for the worse, it really is not.

Make no mistake, this is a VERY dark and depressing album. It is vital that you understand that by dark, I do not mean the theatrical evil act that metal bands shamelessly delve in, but very real and very serious melancholiac suffering that is very clearly displayed in musical form. There is not one lighthearted moment in "Shadows of the Sun's" entirety. Of course, Ulver has always been more in tune with the darker spectrums of music; (Even having a couple of black-metal albums under their belts.) but not even this foresight could prepare you for the downright bleak and beaten experience that embodies this release. The album almost entirely lacks percussion, giving it an almost ambient feel. "Shadows of the Sun" is made up mainly of slow, subtle melodies, driven by weeping string sections, and sometimes choral like effects. There is even an appearance of a trumpet on three of the tracks which really adds a nice shimmer to this dark sonic pool. While being undeniably melancholic, this is still a very intelligent album that is still unmistakably Ulver. The piano sections, particularly in `Like Music' are absolutely beautiful, as are most of the arrangements throughout "Shadows of the Sun." in their own grey and twisted manner. The only slight fault I can possibly convict this album of is its length, clocking in at barely over 40 minutes. Then again, perhaps the short length is only meant to protect us from becoming overly immersed in this bleak state of existence.

This album has a very distinctive beaten feel about it, as music seems to collapse under the weight of the unjust world. The very heavy emotions that have been so vividly captured in this work of art are sure to bring even the most lighthearted listener down into the depths of momentary depression. Surely to some of you, this sounds like nothing you would voluntarily want to put yourself through, as if you don't have enough problems in our day to day lives to deal with without Ulver's very real display of utter sorrow. Personally, I find this album very therapeutic, taking me and my hyperactive imagination to a myriad of cloudy places. Granted this album is definitely not for everyone, though I suspect if you find Ulver's previous releases as enchanting as I do, then you will not be disappointed. Ulver's "Shadows of the Sun" is definitely not something that I would listen to on a daily basis, but nevertheless is an impeccable work of beautiful art, that deserves recognition.

As Garm said, this is a dark and tragic collection of music. Beautiful and sorrowful. Again, this is a departure from almost anything they have released before. This is intelligent music,and a very dark mood setting CD. It reminds me of the slowest and most thoughtful songs from the Blood Inside collection. If you love Ulver, go ahead and buy this CD. You will find no Black Metal here nor any Metal type of music at all. The only thing that comes to mind is Sunno))) although it sounds nothing like them? They can do no wrong....

There are a few moments of brilliance in some of these "songs" but they are never realized. It's as if the group sat down and recorded a 15-45 second song idea or cool Ulver moment and instead of developing it, wrapped an additional 3-4 minutes of unrelated drool around it. This is the most irritating thing about this record. And any kind of song build up is quickly killed by the short track length. Sci-fi/easy listening + random seemingly improvised vocals is a good way to describe the sound. Take out the vocals and you'd have a great soundtrack. Overall the album feels empty and incomplete, way too slow and way too short.

I've been listening to this album for a while now. It has become one of my favorite albums of all the time. Ulver will take you into one of the most dark journeys that you can imagine. I would recommend the use of headphones when you listen to it. There are many layers of sounds in the songs and may find yourself discovering new sounds with every time you listen to it.

Besides the usual words used to describe this album, (dark, tragic, solitary) I think I would use the word "human". Shadows of the Sun is an album that I think everyone should listen to at least once. I can see that it may not be enjoyable for some, but it speaks that part of our human condition that sometimes it's hard to talk about.

You have to be an Ulver fan first off. Rather, you could also just appreciate the song writing process in general to know this album is just another step in the (cliche) Ulver legacy. I dont say cliche like it is a bad thing, but this is one band who never completely settles on style, or even considers that a true word of the music business. Everything changes, everything evolves with Ulver, just like the evolution of mankind, whereas man seems at a standstill progression wise, Ulver musically show that nothing is taboo when music is the heart of the matter. I consider myself a true Ulver fan, only lacking one album (Metamorphosis E.P) in their catalog and never know what to expect from them record to record, but one thing reigns true after hearing each new thing, it is fresh and never NEVER ceases to amaze. The album begins and could almost end at that, on an extremely somber note. Beginning to end the songwriting of this album is in summation one word, Bitter. This is the saddest Ulver album to date, everything before this seems to have alluded to this point. You cannot be a fan of Ulver if you dislike change because that is what they are all about. The song Lost in Moments from the Perdition City cd comes to mind, because their use of so many styles compliment who they are, and they do it with perfection. They even cover a Black Sabbath tune, I cannot stand Sabbath, but if this is an indication they could cover a Dolly Parton song and make it amazing. If you are an Ulver fan, you already have this cd, if not and you are a fan of brilliance musically, pick it up. Listen to it alone, in a room with no windows or doors. Ulver is the epitome of the thinking mans music, thank you Ulver.