An American artist on a Polish label, anything goes. This is the first release from Perun, based in Warszawa. The Blue Hour is a project from Brain Hodges, who started it in 1993. This debut cd compiles material from some previous cassette releases. In the past The Blue Hour also appeared on a few compilations and did support concerts for Sol Invictus and In Gowan Ring, to name a few. Brian Hodges was also a member of the gothic band Black Atmosphere, which I do not know.
Brian Hodges sings and takes cares of most of the instruments. He has also written some beautiful, poetic lyrics. Hodges is supported by Christoph Gladis on guitars and Tom Moller on percussion. Keyboard layers, classical and steel stringed guitars, flutes and chimes are dominant factors on this album, plus the peculiar high and little theatrical voice of Hodges, who is sometimes almost whispering. The music on this album is generally very quiet, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. Traditional folk melodies are combined with ambient moods and classical structures.
As a whole this album has a beautiful intimate sound, it is hard to pick out individual tracks. That is also my main criticism: there are no real highlights, the music is continuing slowly till the end. Well, nevertheless a few tracks stand out a little: ‘Eyes of nature’, ‘I am the wind’ and the Sol Invictus cover ‘Lex Talionis’.
“Evensong” is a nice album though, with subtle acoustic atmospheres, alternated with delicate sound collages. Although it is a warm summer day today, this album gives me an autumn feeling. Recommended for lovers of tranquil, acoustic folky music with classical touches.
