Review For
Samhain by Elenniyah
by Kerry Barnes
Joran Elane – Vocals, lyrics, music and whistle
Paul Landry – Music, guitars, keyboards and vstis
INTRODUCTION
What a wonderful pairing from this very talented duo, the beautiful German folksinger Joran Elane and the UK multi – instrumentalist Paul Landry.
They know each other’s musicality deeply, trusting and complete. This track is very high
quality and I just love listening to it through my headphones, where I feel transported.
Truly beautiful!!
“Samhain”
Pronounced ‘sown’ or ‘saun’ this Gaelic festival signals the end of harvest and the beginning of winter or darker half of the year. The ‘crossing’ is very brief I believe, starting on the 31st of October and ending on the 1st of November, and that’s it!!
Come on, chop-chop!!!!
However the track is in Long-Form and coming in at 6.32, for me, pure bliss. If you treat yourself to this music, you won’t be disappointed.
A glistening guitar like light on water starts us perfectly, I feel a gentle ‘shine’ on my face, in silver reflections. Very wise choice Paul. Then in she comes …….the force that is Joran Elane. What an expressive folk-alto. She has many colours
in her musical palette. How interesting. In total contrast to Paul’s first sounds, Joran is breathy and ethereal singing on the ‘ah’ vowel. An echo follows her wherever she goes, immediately centering us right in the middle of this spiritual triumph of life over death.
Then ‘BOOM’, wow, the biggest, bassiest (made that word up!) drum in the world with all the power and resonance of an ancient tribal ritual on steroids!!!! It is literally rocking my ears out! I am sooooooo loving this sound world! Beautifully blended vocals dance in an amber light, shaped by an autumn leaf
with stars at every point. I’m getting James Horner’s ‘Avatar’ (rest in peace you God of music). These ceremonial people live high up in moonshine, and regularly experience moonlight on their skin as Joran sings of the ‘eye of the storm’ which she protects everybody from. Paul’s ‘tremolando’ guitar work scintillates me as he searches for the ‘New Born King’ and as he does so the strength and deep
red veins in his body pulsate in empathy with this rhythm. It is ‘Pagan’ not evil. Joran’s vocals are beautifully in ‘unison’ and an octave apart to add depth, and sometimes I can’t quite hear the ends of her phrase lyrics, and the music becomes
more divine because of this, she’s keeping us all ‘searching’ for something only she knows of.
The harmonising is exquisite and layered, what a fantastic bit of recording from these two artists, and amazing mixing and mastering by Paul.
Joran pauses to sing of her idol ‘you’re the key’ and a momentary scaling back of tapestry flushes towards my face, in my face and I feel it as a deepest blue.
Oh, what a lovely surprise, a wooden flute gently flurries up and down, tingling with my spine, a five note pattern that bursts with sun and tenderly touched and kissed by light. I’m swimming in this ‘river of dreams’.
As we approach the Coda, a stringed instrument gently whispers in song, the stream fades before our eyes into a vision that we all know. Time to rest and sleep.
Samhain by Elenniyah
by Kerry Barnes
Joran Elane – Vocals, lyrics, music and whistle
Paul Landry – Music, guitars, keyboards and vstis
INTRODUCTION
What a wonderful pairing from this very talented duo, the beautiful German folksinger Joran Elane and the UK multi – instrumentalist Paul Landry.
They know each other’s musicality deeply, trusting and complete. This track is very high
quality and I just love listening to it through my headphones, where I feel transported.
Truly beautiful!!
“Samhain”
Pronounced ‘sown’ or ‘saun’ this Gaelic festival signals the end of harvest and the beginning of winter or darker half of the year. The ‘crossing’ is very brief I believe, starting on the 31st of October and ending on the 1st of November, and that’s it!!
Come on, chop-chop!!!!
However the track is in Long-Form and coming in at 6.32, for me, pure bliss. If you treat yourself to this music, you won’t be disappointed.
A glistening guitar like light on water starts us perfectly, I feel a gentle ‘shine’ on my face, in silver reflections. Very wise choice Paul. Then in she comes …….the force that is Joran Elane. What an expressive folk-alto. She has many colours
in her musical palette. How interesting. In total contrast to Paul’s first sounds, Joran is breathy and ethereal singing on the ‘ah’ vowel. An echo follows her wherever she goes, immediately centering us right in the middle of this spiritual triumph of life over death.
Then ‘BOOM’, wow, the biggest, bassiest (made that word up!) drum in the world with all the power and resonance of an ancient tribal ritual on steroids!!!! It is literally rocking my ears out! I am sooooooo loving this sound world! Beautifully blended vocals dance in an amber light, shaped by an autumn leaf
with stars at every point. I’m getting James Horner’s ‘Avatar’ (rest in peace you God of music). These ceremonial people live high up in moonshine, and regularly experience moonlight on their skin as Joran sings of the ‘eye of the storm’ which she protects everybody from. Paul’s ‘tremolando’ guitar work scintillates me as he searches for the ‘New Born King’ and as he does so the strength and deep
red veins in his body pulsate in empathy with this rhythm. It is ‘Pagan’ not evil. Joran’s vocals are beautifully in ‘unison’ and an octave apart to add depth, and sometimes I can’t quite hear the ends of her phrase lyrics, and the music becomes
more divine because of this, she’s keeping us all ‘searching’ for something only she knows of.
The harmonising is exquisite and layered, what a fantastic bit of recording from these two artists, and amazing mixing and mastering by Paul.
Joran pauses to sing of her idol ‘you’re the key’ and a momentary scaling back of tapestry flushes towards my face, in my face and I feel it as a deepest blue.
Oh, what a lovely surprise, a wooden flute gently flurries up and down, tingling with my spine, a five note pattern that bursts with sun and tenderly touched and kissed by light. I’m swimming in this ‘river of dreams’.
As we approach the Coda, a stringed instrument gently whispers in song, the stream fades before our eyes into a vision that we all know. Time to rest and sleep.