Ulver Album: “Silence Teaches You How to Sing”

Ulver's Perdition City was one of my favorite discs for quite some time, even though it was not at all my style of music. There was something about it that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. With that in mind, when I saw Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing The Singing at a local record store, I had to buy them. Silence is composed of a single 24 minute track. This single track, I'm assuming titled Silence Teaches You How to Sing, is very strange to say the absolute least. But, as strange as it is, it really wasn't surprising that this disc turned out like it did. If you couldn't tell where Ulver was going based on the transition from their black metal days to Themes, and then even firther into the odd and uncharted, Perdition City, then this CD would completely surprise you. Personally, as a black metal fan though, I really was unimpressed by Ulver in their black metal days. What they're, or what he's, doing now is much more what should be done. Ulver seems to be in its element doing this strange experimantal noise/music. Back to my description of Silence though, the one track is a twenty plus minute one, but I would call it anything but an "epic." It's more like strange, yet quite structured noises with some song type things scattered throughout. That is to say, its often just wierd tones and noises, but every now and then theres a short piano part or some more musical use of tones. This CD is a very interesting and worthwhile addition to any collection, if for no other reason than that it's great to listen to when going to sleep. Seeing as though it was limited to a very few number of copies, you should try to get your hands on it as soon as possible. Not many record stores will ever have this in stock, I just got lucky.

This is the best single song I have heard ever! All they need for this album is one track. From the introductory robotic noise to the piano (keyboard) to the synths and back again, this album has it all.

Since those reading this now have probably realized this album is not made anymore, you will probably have to invest in Teachings in Silence. All that does is add to the perfection of this song and give you more Ulver for your buck! The whole Teachings album so masterfully orchestrated you just may find your self disappointed in what you classifed as great music before.

Recommended for people of both extremely open and closed minded nature and all those in between. If you are open minded, you will find this refreshing and hopefully a plesant listening experience. If you are closed minded to metal, DJ music or anything else, this would make a great gift to an open minded person!

This album contains one 24-minute title-track filled with a swirling resonance of static, mysterious sounds, and haunting, surreal melodies and textures. It is probably the freakiest and the most bizarre Ulver album. Let me tell you... when I first started listening to music in general, I never thought I'd some day be enjoying something like this, but here I am.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to own the original version of this album, because it was limited to 2000 copies. I have "Teachings in Silence" which combines both of the "Silence" EPs (even that was relatively hard to find). That is now pretty much the only way you're going to find either of the albums now. This album made my Ulver collection complete, (well, this in place of the original, plus I don't have the demo, but it's only on vinyl and I don't have a record player). If you thought themes or perdition city were bizarre and unpredictable (well, they are, but...) this is 10 times worse. It is definitely not a solid, epic 24-minute song like something progressive rock bands do, instead it is a strenuous, chaotic experiment gone out of control. It is very laid-back though, the ideas are very spread apart and abstract rather than intricately jumbled atop one another, further proving Ulver's ultra-musical-flexibility and ingenuity. It's almost as if they were just fooling around with recording equipment and electronic instruments, and released whatever they came up with, barely refining it; but it makes for a very interesting and unique album and I'm not trying to insult the band.

The album begins with a creaking, buzzing noise, which continues on for a few minutes to build an atmosphere, until the first main melody is introduced. The advantage of dragging something on in music so long is when something finally changes, it is much more exciting. It changes into a very distant, brooding melody, that almost sounds like something from Godspeed You Black Emperor's "f#a#infinity" and then flips around into a more straightforward, very mysterious piano melody, sort of sounds like there was a radio out of tune before and finally it is coming in clear, which was unexpected. This is one of the best single melodies Ulver has made. It starts to fade out and some kind of robotic vomiting noises start to get louder (...yes). These are freaky when you listen to this cd while going to bed. It goes back to what the CD started off like, which I think is pretty cool, and then a sudden swirl of beeps appear and fade into a bunch of disorienting, scrambled sounds. Ok, I'm done explaining it. That's 16 minutes into the album, you get the idea.

This is a worthwhile addition to anyone's collection that likes unique music. It isn't even very similar to other Ulver releases, and that's saying a lot. It is another stepping-stone to the devious and prolific career of Ulver.