 WINTER LADY CD|LP|DIGITAL |
 HIGHWAYMEN IN MIDNIGHT MASKS 10''|DIGITAL |
With allusions to dark-pop and classic broken-folk, the reverb drenched instrumentation, metaphorical fairytale lyrics, and anti-climactic compositions remind us that Alicia Merz is a singer songwriter for people who don't like singer songwriters.
With WINTER LADY, Alicia re-establishes herself as a true musical maverick - who is able to capture the imaginations of audiences as diverse as those of SIGUR ROS, GROUPER and ZOLA JESUS. In short, BIRDS OF PASSAGE's WINTER LADY is an album of authentic experimentation, masterful minimalism, immense tragedy, and glacial beauty. It is not surprising that already after the first album artists including AIDAN BAKER and NILS FRAHM belonged to the fanbase of BIRDS OF PASSAGE.
In line with the WINTER LADY release, Denovali Records will release HIGHWAYMEN IN MIDNIGHT MASKS as a 10’’. On the B-side: ‘i have my heart’ and ‘forbidden love’, a collaboration with prolific artist AIDAN BAKER (NADJA, INFINITE LIGHT LTD.). The track juxtaposes Alicia's harsh distorted guitars, with an ethereal flute drone courtesy of Baker. This unassuming contrast of polar opposites has visceral consequences: Alicia's signature vocals sit on top, telling a
story of a dark love affair, while Baker's vocal sits below - reduced to an ambient texture. The result: a 'Gregorian Chant' for fans of acid drenched drone, a 'Post, post-rock' love song of epic proportions, a lyrical journey of exploration in to the philosophical depravities of The Marquis de Sade.
Both records have been mastered by NILS FRAHM.
You are in India, or Indonesia, or somewhere in South-East Asia at least, somewhere hot. And humid. You thought the warmth would be pleasant after another cold northern European winter. It is not. Yet, it’s not exactly unpleasant either – that’s not the right word for it. More like: simultaneously sweet and unsettling. A languid state of emergency; a slow alert. You cannot move for all the solid weight of air pressing down on you. And yet, you cannot sit still.
Perhaps this goes some way towards explaining the classical Indian drone – constant movement without moving anywhere, a huge cloud of energy that seems to melt time even as it sharpens it… Perhaps such music could not have been developed without the state of highly agitated slowness that intense humidity brings. There are hints of classical Indian drone in the music you are listening to now – more classical than those European and American ambient soundscapes that often lay claim to the name ‘drone’. And yet there is a woman’s voice, she sings about Paris and lullabies and kisses, not in Hindi nor Brajbhasha but in English. The voice hangs heavy over fuzzy guitars, synths and manipulated acoustics like a heat haze over the horizon. The lush, warm sounds leave you unsettled and disarmed. They are as vague and intense as a dream, and they will not let you rest easy. “Dear and Unfamiliar” would seem a strikingly appropriate title.
Birds of Passage is a psuedonym of New Zealand musician Alicia Merz. For “Dear and Unfamiliar” she has collaborated with Portugal’s Leonardo Rosado, and together they have created an album of dense, unsettling beauty.[...]" - Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio
WITHOUT THE WORLD
CD/CD+BOOK/LP+BOOK
Out now! VINYL: limited to 300 pieces in 3 different colors; thick gatefold sleeves; 180g vinyl; thick 36page book including the poem collection "A Garden of Secrets" by Alicia Merz; illustrated by Bruno Merz CD: 6panel matte digipak
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You can listen to three songs of the twelve songs below or download them here.
"Without The World combines synthetic and natural drones with delicately lush vocals to create an eerie and absorbing atmosphere. The tone is simultaneously calming and unsettling, like the nervous experience of sailing a quiet river in dense fog." - The Silent Ballet
"...It is an album that would equally please fans of Aidan Baker or thisquietarmy as those of Sigur Ros..." - Fluid Radio
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