Wars of the Roses

There's a real problem with the idea of the avant-garde/experimental in metal. The label permits bands that deviate slightly from a more traditional forms of metal, to appear, well 'avant-garde'. Now if we dwell on the idea of the Avant Garde, that is art that is before it's time, innovative and rule-bending (and in some cases changing)- but most often with avant garde metal, we're dealing with a reliance dissonances and musical non-sequitors, or tired references to other genres of music. Sometimes, it is referring to other avant-garde work, but beaten dead horses leaving no artistic merit. In other cases, namely in regards to this album, it is simply taking from other pop genres, fusions that shape the metal, or vice versa. It would appear that rather than really doing something that new and contributory to any new line of thought in music, such as in playing styles, instrumentation, structure and harmony, all you have to do to be considered an avant-garde metal band, is be musically vague... and in this case, massively trite.

So here we have War of Roses, an album that rides of the avant-garde aesthetic of metal without, well, accomplishing anything. I suppose it doesn't properly come under metal at all, but an abstract alternate rock with a few references to prog. I actually think the only reason people consider Ulver credibly experimental (ie interesting, worthwhile) is that they used to be metal and now they're not. Only scraps of metal remain, if only in 'feel', which only serves to anchor further it in it's pretentious, feigned innovation.

Yes, this is the first Ulver album, and presumably last, I will get. I've heard bits and pieces of their other material, and prior to purchasing this I was already a bit skeptical, never too sure what they were supposed to embody other than 'metal ambience'. However, I heard 'February MMX' and thought it had an intense, but reserved energy worthy of a closer look, it seemed innovative. Unfortunately, whilst I still think it's a good track, with time it's started to sound like an opening theme to some kind of old prime-time quiz show, with only the the vocals and near drum-n-bass drums to disguise this notion. I mean this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's still effectively an engaging track, it's just once I began to realize 'well actually, there's a cliche in this track that stands to be different' my faith in the album began to wane. A mash up ideas rather than anything solid and driven...

And that's the best track on the album. The majority of them do try to take a dynamic range of ideas, but homogenizes them in a sort of post-indie-rock vagueness and boringness that I assume was meant to keep the album consistent. 'Norwegian Gothic' however attempts to be some kinda of tonal poetic narrative about dark deeds but oozes forth sounding a bit broken and ineffective, even down to the lyrics about 'fucking' being a phrased a bit laughably. 'Providence' is just awful, melodically cliched, feeling a bit like a an incomplete prog song lobotomized. The others are just uninteresting and repetitive, and final track Stone Angels is something that shouldn't be part of any LP that otherwise had songs on it- a 20 min ambient piece I seriously doubt brings anything new (or otherwise worthwhile and enjoyable) to the table in it's use of a spoken word poem and abstract tones. I don't feel there's any real interplay between what's be said and the music other than relying on the vagueness of the tones, which instantly causes me to call bullshit on it as a composition or narrative. Maybe I'm suppose to 'loose' myself in that one, but it just seems esoteric, and if not that, something you'd find on a sleep hypnosis tape.

I also have a cheap shot or two. Though 'Island' is actually a relatively immersive and one of the better tracks (if slightly trite), the steel-drum type instrument, and most likely it's just a coincidence, seems to ape the tune of the odious jingle for Moonpig.com that plagued British television a few years ago.

I find guy's voice is an intolerable husky baritone whisper thing that achieves little more than sounding like he's breathing down your neck in the most unpleasant way possible. My guess is that it's meant to have an eerie presence, like a ghostly quality, but it's generally just off-putting and irritating, and sometimes out of key sounding.

Maybe I've come in the wrong way excepting something remarkable and inventive but even ignoring that it's a boring album. The rating I give it may seem generous compared to what I have said but it correlates with it's obscene neutrality, not penetrating any lines of badness or goodness. It seems, that in the warm fuzzy tones, wish-washy production and slightly metal aesthetic we have what is just another post-rock attempt at ambience, offering nothing truly engaging, and under Ulver's banner of the experimental, nothing experimentally valuable. I feel the album is only held together by appearances of being experimental (and soft against it's metal background) rather than in its composition or energy, as ultimately it comes together as a collection of subdued and disparate ideas that just don't do anything. It's looseness doesn't come across as dynamic, but aimless with a lot of filler. You might get a bit of joy from the songs, perhaps it's in the atmosphere over it's music, and it's not all bad, but just very, very uninteresting. Not musically strong, and not strong as an aural experiment.

If Ulver has taught their fans anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. I’ve even prefaced reviews saying that their albums are so unexpected that it’s expected to be unexpected, therefore becoming expected. So it’s ironic that when I first popped this album in and not knowing what to expect at all, what I was hearing was very unexpected. I was totally confused, just like I just confused you. The last thing I expected was Ulver to make a mostly calm, sparse, rock sort of album. I can hear more regular ol’ drums than I’ve heard since Nattens Madrigal.

But this album is far from their best work. Many songs have not quite enough going on in them to keep me crawling back for more, notably “Norwegian Gothic” and “Providence”. I don’t mind calm or atmospheric songs at all. I mean, I like the Teachings in Silence EPs for God’s sake, but both of these seem a bit flat and parts of other songs, too. There isn’t much of any atmosphere being created, nor any ultra-experimental or wacky stuff found on every previous album.

“Stone Angels” is alright. It’s probably the most experimental song, but I usually don’t like songs with someone reading something over them, especially if they take up one-third of the album. My favorite song is probably “Island”, as I really do like the atmosphere this song portrays; it sounds like you’re on an abandoned tropical island listening to Ulver. Maybe more songs just need bird sounds. “February MMX” is probably my second favorite track and that’s probably because it sounds closest to something off “Blood Inside”.

Maybe I’m just hanging on to the past, but I really am having a bit of trouble with this one. Honestly, if this was another band and I was checking them out and listened to a few songs, I probably wouldn’t even consider buying it, and it hurts to say something like that about my beloved Ulver. You can see from looking at my previous reviews and lists that Ulver has been an obsession of mine and a very influential part of my music taste for years. I probably wouldn’t even be the same person I am today without Ulver. I’d probably be some guy who collects roadkill and shows it to my friends and finds amusement in shooting empty pop cans with rifles. I mean, I even wore my Ulver t-shirt to the mall yesterday.

Ulver has given us so much quality music over the years that this hits me really hard. It just seems so much tamer, like their elusive and uncanny qualities are starting to dim out. Keep shining bright, Ulver...

Ulver’s fans have come to expect the unexpected. There are very few bands on the planet that have as diverse of a discography as the Nordic legends. Even ignoring their early folk and black metal albums, their discography still varies from the industrial "Themes from William Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell" to the ambient "Lyckantropen Themes" to the symphonic "Svidd Neger." Ulver’s 10th full length release, "War of the Roses," is perhaps their most accessible album to date, taking inspiration from darkwave acts such as Depeche Mode and adding an avant garde twist. Theoretically, this is the perfect template upon which to explore the album’s lyrical theme; death, nihilism and the possibility of afterlife. However, the execution is a mixed bag. While some songs draw out the profound mystery of life and death, other songs are just plain lifeless.

When War of Roses hits, it hits hard. In the opening track, “February MMX,” a catchy upbeat rhythm section is contrasted with antsy piano and waxing synth. The tension brings to life the anxious, modernist theme of the lyrics. “Provence” is a somber duet that contains some powerful female vocals. The vocal melodies are most definitely pop, but the haunting piano lines give the saccharine vocals a force they normally would not have. “September IV” contains noble piano, a vivid account of a funeral and Garm’s best vocal performance of the album.

Unfortunately, there is also a lot of downtime on this album. A number of tracks lack much in the way of melody or song structure, repeating uninteresting, gloomy tunes for prolonged periods of time. The greatest culprit is the fifteen minute “Stone Angels.” Garm reads a dour poem by American poet Keith Waldrop that reflects on death, angels and afterlife. The reading is backed by church-like organ and occasional ambient noodling. Frankly, the song is as boring as going to church and like a perfunctory sermon, it drags on forever.

As usual, Ulver surprise. The lively tracks show that Ulver know how to take catchy melodies and give them substance. Certainly, if Ulver put their focus into this style, they can make a very good album. Sadly, this time out, Ulver also disappoints. The slower tracks fall into the trap every avant garde band faces—aimless wondering through uninteresting sounds. On the whole, "War of the Roses" qualifies as one of Ulver’s weaker releases. Fans will find some tracks to enjoy, but honestly, this band can do better.

(Originally written for www.deafsparrow.com)

Aaah Ulver you gorgeous beast, you. I can't think of many other bands, metal or otherwise, that have been as controversial as this one. Not because of visual provocation, unorthodox lyrics or in-stage shenanigans, but rather because of their daring experimentation and colourful catalogue. Not one album is like the next, yet there's enough homogeneity in each of their stages to satisfy several demographics. Oldschool metallers (me) can find solace in their first three albums, which are not only stepping stones, fundamental pieces of music for anyone interested on the genre, but they're also bloody brilliant, beautiful pieces of music to bout. Fans of avant-garde metal á lá Arcturus or Solefald (guilty again) have almost two hours of "Themes [...]" to feast upon. Coil fans (such as myself) can be highly appreciative of their 1999-2002 period, probably their darkest and most intriguing. And fans of experimental, hard-to-define music (you guessed it, I love that stuff) should be all over their 2003-2011 works. I know I am.

So, why bother telling you all this? Because as, speaking of Coil, Jhonn Balance once declared on Batwings, the key to joy is disobedience. And that, right there, is what Ulver is all about. Musical disobedience. The purest, most sincere form of non-conformist, a term that more often than not evokes visions of a 17 year old skinny little shithead brat complaining about his mom JUST NOT GETTING [MEEEE], here takes its most literal, most distilled form. Ulver is disobedience. And this album, right here, is nothing more than another step in the increasingly chaotic path the Norwegian ensemble has taken.

But here's the twist: With this album, Ulver realise that once you've been on the very top of the experimental, non-conventional musical food chain, the only way to still be rebellious, innovative and disobedient, is to use accessibility as a weapon. In this album, Ulver playfully flirts with non-oppressive atmospheres, mellow ambiance and even pop-rock-ish production to bring something that, as usual, goes beyond the mere sum of its parts. At first listen this will probably confuse and even enrage some listeners. I know that was my case. My first thought upon listening to the first 30 seconds of the first track was "since when is Ulver bloody The Cure??", but, seeing that most Ulver releases took me a while to appreciate, I knew I couldn't just surrender myself to first impressions. And I'm glad I did, because not too far underneath that first strike there's just as much depth and complexity as anyone would come to expect from such a great group.

Ulver have once again proved they have yet to run out of ways to surprise and shock listeners. This particular album takes as its main weapon not overtly baroque, chaotic experimentation nor harsh, intricate, electronic-based dark ambient, but rather sensible sounds and production, pop-rock undertones and softness. Yet, just when the listener becomes wary or even disillusioned by this newfound "accessibility", all songs are crafted in such way that each contains a strong element of surprise, keeping the listener at the edge of the seat, continuously defying expectations. Even with the strong and persistent use of mellow pianos, even with the lack of any real element that might be considered a deterrent or discouragement to any listener new to the Ulver experience, or to the experience with unconventional music as a whole, even with a producer such as John Fryerused, considerably more used to working with pop/rock bands and sensitivities rather than avant-garde in charge of the mixing, even with the presence of a goddamned tambourine (a tambourine!), Ulver remains the biggest challenge to the listener on the music business nowadays. As they have always been, they continue to be pure, aural, musical disobedience. And for that I am joyful.