Poor little sister, I hope you understand

April 8, 2017 9:04 PM

The babe in the woods will be taken by a wolf

The Assassination of Julius Caesar - Ulver

With a body of work spanning ambient film soundtracks, somber requiems, sophisticated and jazzy trip-hop, searing black metal, and experimental rock, Ulver are no strangers to taking risks. Yet new record The Assassination of Julius Caesar is something unexpected:

Rather than another step into the avant garde world, this time around Kristoffer Rygg (aka Garm) and his cohorts, most notably producer Youth, have embraced the synth-pop sound of the ’80s. This is not an exercise in parody however, but an appropriation of a sound closely aligned to cold-war politics, pop-excess, and cold, robotic emotions.

The Quietus:

A lifetime of setting words by the likes of Fernando Pessoa, Christian Bök and William Blake to music has given Garm a real understanding of poetic structure, and much of the material he’s stored away through their latest instrumental phase is as much a pleasure to read as it is to listen to. “I want to tell you something about the grace of faded things,” he begins on ‘Southern Gothic’, a promise which he largely sticks to over the course of the album. His lyrics are preoccupied with the bonds that link together legend, history and modernity, and the manner in which once-current events gain mythological prestige the further they parade into the past. In the record’s lyric booklet there is a picture that perfectly encapsulates this process: Jean-Léon Gérôme’s Bonaparte Before the Sphinx, an iconic image of a soon-to-be legend dwelling on those other legends that preceded him.

Lead single Nemoralia juxtaposes Depeche Mode synths with almost impressionist descriptions of Nero burning Christians to light his gardens at night.

Ulver previously - ATGCLVLSSCAP

posted by Existential Dread (13 comments total)

Album release show at Roadburn in a couple of weeks. There may still be some Sunday-only tickets left if you're in the area.
posted by effbot at 3:09 AM on April 9, 2017

It hasn't shown up on their BandCamp. Have they signed a record deal that has taken them off the platform?
posted by acb at 5:33 AM on April 9, 2017

I don't know, I've been trying to figure that out. I've seen the vinyl for sale through House of Mythology, which appears to be the label releasing the record, but only found the downloads via Amazon. It's weird.
posted by Existential Dread at 6:46 AM on April 9, 2017

Thanks for posting this. This is the first time in a long time I've heard a new album that I wanted to sit down and listen to as an album in its entirety.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:48 AM on April 9, 2017

12:15 - ok, now I believe this is Ulver.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:54 AM on April 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

House of Mythology is on bandcamp, so it'll probably show up there sooner or later. In the meantime, the album's on Spotify, YouTube, etc. Or you can get a physical backup copy...
posted by effbot at 10:47 AM on April 9, 2017

Ok, checked their Facebook:

Is this going to be available on Bandcamp?
Ulver: Yes, we have just forgot to upload. Will do so over the weekend.
posted by effbot at 11:05 AM on April 9, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is an excellent surprise. So far been really enjoying it & can't wait to give a few listening rounds. Also, I love the fact that Ulver never stops evolving & experimenting.
posted by Ravneson at 12:51 PM on April 9, 2017

Just put this on for my ride across town and back. It is so radically different than previous Ulver ... But still very much them. I saved the entire album for a second listen.

Seriously, thank you for posting this.
posted by thebotanyofsouls at 1:41 PM on April 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

Ulver are so great. This is probably my favourite, but I've yet to listen to their new record. Thanks!
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:27 PM on April 9, 2017

The record is up on their bandcamp now (link for those interested).
posted by Ravneson at 12:08 AM on April 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Bought and listened to last night. It's excellent. I can already tell its going in the short stack of albums that I have on heavy rotation and I'll get a lot of listens out of it.

What's surprising is how catchy some of it is, while still being so very, very Ulver.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 12:58 PM on April 11, 2017

Album release show at Roadburn in a couple of weeks.

Can report back that the release show was excellent. Beat my expectations, as expected.
posted by effbot at 10:24 AM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]