Ocrilim : Annwn
This music will test your understanding of what ‘music’ actually is. With a run time of seventy-nine minutes and only seven tracks (no track is under seven minutes long and the longest runs for a punishing fifteen minutes), Annwn subjects the listeners to vast expanses of cyclical riff formations, formed from a bass guitar and two leads. Oddly enough, despite the extremely hypnotic levels of repetition involved, there is also a large amount of variation involved as well, more so as the album progresses. Even so, this album has a reputation of alienating all but the most determined music fans, and to be completely honest, I feel that the reputation is not entirely undeserved. Yet I am also strongly convinced that much of the negative reactions are knee-jerk responses from the same sort of people who criticize musique concrete, ambient, noise, free jazz, and other ‘non-conformist’/’non-traditional’ genres. Either that, or there simply are too many people out there who cannot conceptualize ‘music’ outside the ‘classics’ and those spawned in a major-label ‘hit making’ factory for instant consumption and maximized profits. But if you have the patience, this album is a fascinating study in swiftly evolving guitar soundscapes. You will be amazed at how time itself seems to alter, especially if you listen to the album in it’s entirety. In short: Anwnn is epic.
John Lithium 