Woodsmoke

The basis for the Woodsmoke release had been laid with the track Enchantment for Few, which appeared on and opened the split release with the Norwegian black metal band Isaford. Unlike on the earlier demo and different in comparison with other tracks of the aforementioned release, this said track offered a combination of elements which the band began to embrace on Woodsmoke and to bring it on Trail of the Unwary in some kind of perfection.

On the band's early releases the emphasis had been on some kind of simple structured compositions with an emphasis on a kantele and on keyboards. These had created a slightly dark and depressive atmosphere; an impression fostered by the lyrics, despite their low amount in occurrence. Even though the Finnish band was able to create some fascinating piece of art, it lacked of something to give it depth and to support the instruments in some respect. On Enchantment for Few such could be found and this idea was brought on a new level on Woodsmoke. Samples and field-recordings are now all over this release and to listen to the seven compositions is like walking through an enchanted forest. Owls screech, water babbles, birds chirp and all is in perfect harmony.

A further aspect has brought the music on a new level and this has to do with the better sound of the keyboards. The early compositions had some sense of cheesiness in them and might be perceived as odd, the typical Casio-stuff some may say, but with Woodsmoke this era seem to have been over and their new sound is more natural and supports the music without leaving a bitter taste; yet, I wonder how the effect of more 'real' instruments would be. Drone like textures appear again in the background, while the motives played by the keyboards work together neatly with the kantele. They do not use the same melody line and work independently from each other; through this the music gains in volume and atmosphere, as to the listener a lot of ideas and a complex melody line is presented. Due to the little amount of repetition in the motives, the band is able to prevent any monotony from actually occurring. Further, samples of animals or water appear now and then, while occasionally the music slows down completely, the instruments vanish nearly completely and the voice of an owl can be heard for instance. This is what makes this music so fascinating. Unlike a lot of other bands, Nest did not merely throw the ideas together and attempted to have a mystical aura; this Finnish band created such on Woodsmoke. It is the richness in detail and the way everything had been arranged together which makes this album outstanding.

Final bits and bytes
This release easily creates a mystical atmosphere, which surrounds the listener from the very beginning until 'the end' of this piece of art. Ambient, folk and 'field recordings' (animals, water etc.) have been brought together in a fascinating unity and not very surprisingly does the good production have a positive effect on the whole concept. Yet, with more of these samples taken from the nature, the music could have been better, as well as with more real instruments. Even though the keyboards sound better than on the early outputs by the band, they are still not such as to fascinate entirely. Their sound is not natural and forms therefore some kind of contrast to the basic elements of the music; The Silvershade Lynx, to pick one, provides such an example as the pan-flute like play of the keys have not this natural feeling in the transition between the chords; further ones could easily be cited on other tracks.

Accordingly is the impression not entirely positive, but it is very easy to enjoy Woodsmoke for its atmosphere; also over a longer period of time. Some magical aura surrounds it and offers the listener always a place to turn back to; like an enchanted forest can never be explored thoroughly and remains in the memories of those who are familiar with it and enjoy it … as a place to let the soul drift towards.

Recommended to anyone who might search of a unique combination of ambient, folk and samples taken from nature.

To be fully truthful, I remembered not liking this album the first listen... which is the reason I only listened to it once. I don’t really know what I was thinking, since this is great. This style of music, really isn’t for everyone, as it relies heavily on atmosphere, less on a basic structure of simple music. It’s definately something that I think we need more of in the world, however just isn’t accepted as a ‘good’ style of music by most. This is art in the form of music, and it’s definately somewhat of an ‘impressionist’ type piece.

I really believe that this album shouldn’t be multiple songs, I feel that each of the tracks are useless apart, but play a greater role synonymously. This is clearly meant to reflect a certain atmosphere created by nature, and it damn well does that job completely. The first four tracks are very similiar in structure; Very much lead with a similiar sounding Kantele melody, and basslines, as well as ethereal drumming. The drumming is basically hidden and coexists with the music, without much power over the tune at all. It’s incredibly integrated into the music, and makes everything feel nice and paced. As soon as Summer Storm comes along, everything changes a little bit. The Kantele, though played just as prominantly as the past songs, is played at a convincingly different melody, and has a lot more breaks than before. This instrument is the single most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s so unbelievably captivating, and awe-inspiring, you’ll not help but get shivers with every note that gets played.

When listening to this, I imagine animals running in slow motion, being animals. I imagine flowing water, with leaves fluttering down a rushing stream. I picture a large bird soaring over a massive rock formation. Rabbits hopping about, living life without a care. I see untouched land, beautiful, free, and without the taint of the human race. Never has one band given me this imagery with just the sounds of instruments and occasional vocals. The vocals I might add, though coming in very small doses, are very effective. They aren’t necessarily comprhensible, but it makes no difference, because chances are, what he’s saying is going through your head as the music plays ever so melodicly.

This album is not without flaws though. Because many of the melodies feel similiar, it tends to seem a bit old on subsequent listens, and, this is essentially the reason I would have preferred to see this as one track. If I’m getting multiple tracks, I would like to see more variation. That’s not saying the entire album is exactly the same, as there are points in the record where, the whole mood shifts, but that’s after two to four tracks of similiar sounding melodies.

In short, and overall, this album is a brilliant work of art. My biggest complaint is that it’s fairly short compared to many other albums in this style, and I just never want the sound of the Kantele to stop. If you are a fan of nature, ambient music, light folk music, or Agalloch... I recommend this to you. If you are a metal newbie, this may be hard to stomach properly.