Tales from Tranquil August Gardens and Nine and Fifty Swans
General note:
Tirill released her first album through Michael Piper’s label The Wild Places in December 2003 with the title “A Dance with the Shadows”, just a few months after Linda Perhacs’ legendary “Parallelograms” remastered. The record got some brilliant reviews in international music press, and this first edition was relatively quickly sold out– thanks to Piper’s love and enthusiasm for this album.
During the years that followed, Tirill prepared songs for a second album, but in 2008 Michael Piper sadly died after a short period of illness. He left an empty space in the hearts of many a music lover, being a rarely sympathetic and sincere man in the US independent music industry.
In the wake of this, Tirill decided to start her own Norway based label for future releases. A re-release of the debut album also became part of the plans: a copy of the master tape was found, and ideas for new cover artwork took shape. The albums will be available from October 20th 2011.
The music contains elements from the singer songwriter tradition of the 70s, folk, progressive rock, classic and medieval music, and some modern infusions that give this music its particular sound. In earlier reviews, the music has been categorized as “Norwegian feminine gothic folk with progressive elements “– a description that mostly covers everything.
The musicians have a rather wide range of musical backgrounds that stretch from jazz and improvisational music, via folk and archaic music to classic, pop and electronica. They have collaborated with bands and artists such as Slagr, Mari Boine, Jaga Jazzizt, White Willow, We, Kristin Sevaldsen, Kari Bremnes, Silje Nergaard og Urban Tunells Klezmerband.
Tirill, who also arranges and produces the music herself, has a background in the progressive rock band White Willow, the psychedelic -lyrical band Dis and the medieval music group Schola Instrumentalis, as well as a study in arranging, guitar and percussion at Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio. Tirill has written music for official releases since 1994.
The albums are available on www.tirill.no/store from October 20th.
Digital distribution is being provided by www.thebizmo.com and should make the albums available on most internet download stores.
Web sites:
More about the albums:
Tirill – “Tales from Tranquil August Gardens” (FAM001/ FAM003)
Norwegian re-release of A Dance with the Shadows (WILD013 2003)
During the years of the recordings of the album (from 1998 – 2002), the demo tapes circulated with the name “Tales from Tranquil August Gardens” – with a painting by Knud Baade as cover. It is this title and artwork that now reincarnate into this re-release.
The very first recording took place at late nights in Oslo Lydstudio in fall 1998, and was a pure studio project. Being a spare time project between work and studies, the album took some years to complete.
Later on, the recordings were moved to Lydkjøkkenet, and it was here the other musicians were involved into the project. Friends from earlier bands and acquaintances from the music scene in Oslo participated benevolent in the project in order to make this album happen. The most important focus for Tirill was the arrangements and the sound landscapes, and no less than 17 musicians participated in the creation of it.
The album is genuinely atmospheric, with a “thick” and dynamic sound. The lyrics often describe the emotions of longing, and its metaphors and parallels in nature. The title and cover artwork is meant to illustrate this.
The music was played live on several occasions after the release, and the musicians that participated became the foundation for the recordings of the following album “Nine and Fifty Swans”.
Tirill –“Nine and Fifty Swans” (FAM002)
The album “Nine and Fifty Swans” is Tirill’s second solo album. Like the debut record, it exists in the sound landscape feminine gothic folk with elements from several styles. It is atmospheric music with worked through arrangements, while the selection of instruments this time is giving this album more space and air in the feel of it. It may be possible to hear that the musicians have played quite a lot together before the recordings. This is anyhow a main difference between this and the previous album that was a genuine studio project.
The albums, however, are having more in common than what makes them different from each other: the characteristic moods, the arrangements, the backing vocals and the participation of many of the same skillful musicians are making this album a clear and recognizable follow-up.
The lyrics are taken from the poetic works of W.B.Yeats, and are the source for the Irish inspired sound this album is characterized by. Yeats often used mythological elements to create his poetical world, and the swans were often describing a distant, purified beauty or the loss of love – or even the poet’s observation of a beauty exciting beyond reach or in lack of relation to him. Still, his poetry seems to describe the purity of observation of those moments, more than they are seeking answers. In a way, they are truth-carriers themselves, opening up a space of wonder and mystery. And it is this twilight hour that sets the mood for the album.