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The Gateway |
Music of the Fae
Music listed here is music that is about the fae, or music that sings
about love and peace,
spirituality, or is transformative.
If you have suggestions for fae music, email: kringle@lavendise.com
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Fairy of The Woods |
| Fairy of the Woods was started as two songs that I wrote for a play, "The Goblin's Bride", in 1993. In the beginning of the project, I probably got as much pleasure from designing and wiring "the system" of equipment as from actually making the music. I considered songwriting and recording to be a very nice "hobby" and change of pace from my "regular" job as an electronics designer. Over the next few years, I continued working in the little studio that I had put together, and eventually had a few songs recorded and finished to a state where I could play them for others and not feel embarrassed. A few years later, I was racking my brain for something to give to my girlfriend, Tamara, for her birthday. After many hours of coming up with nothing, I got the crazy notion that I could string together a few of my songs, and get some place to make a CD out of them, and give her one for her birthday. It was a nice present, but somewhat of a disaster- the company that did the CD's did a really bad job- they recorded them very quiet- and the music was fun to listen to, but rough. Tam thought it was great! (and I guess it worked, because I am now partners with her in a most wonderful "happy ever after" marriage!) Time went on. One day I was attending a gathering of friends, and I happened to strike up a conversation with some folks I had seen but never spoken to. In the conversation it came out they were the owners of Sequoia Records. They were interested in hearing my music, and when they did, they suggested that I work on it a bit more and they'd release it! What an opportunity! I worked very hard for a few more months, and then came time to do the the artwork. I had been friends with Scott Thom for many years, and asked if he'd do the cover painting for me, which he did. One thing lead to another, and finally "Fairy of the Woods" was born! |
The Mask And Mirror |
| McKennitt's travels through Spain and Morocco flavor this album with a distinctly Mediterranean tinge, from the opening "The Mystic's
Dream," with its dancing percussion arrangements, to "Marrakesh Night Market," to "Full Circle" and the instrumental "Santiago." "Marrakesh Night Market" is an especially strong performance, with an interesting musical texture; the balalaika, udu drum, and dumbek are played alongside a synthesizer. As usual, McKennitt has set a poem to music, this time Yeats's "The Two Trees," with a lovely introduction on the Uillean pipes. There's also "The Bonny Swans," a traditional lyric, and the CD closes with Shakespeare, as McKennitt sets some of Prospero's words from The Tempest to her own music. Excerpts from McKennitt's journals, included in the CD booklet, make for interesting reading as they shed some light on her source material and inspiration for writing each song. --Genevieve Williams |
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Promenade |
| Not to many people have talked about this album...ever, but it still remains Divine Comedy's masterpiece. Without the sometimes
overblown arrangements in his later albums (Casanova and A Short Album...) the songs on Promenade seem to be more focused and to the point. Each song seems to flow seamlessly from the beginning of the album to the end. A remarkable achievement considering each song sounds entirely unique. Neil Hannon's lyrics remain humorous yet insightful. Take the wonderfully swooning "Don't Look Down" where Hannon goes on a ferris wheel ride with a frightened lover-to-be. Hannon soon finds himself fending off the evils of Christianity during his trip on the wheel. Something you just have to hear for yourself. Of course, how could I finish my review without mentioning "Tonight We Fly". Perhaps the song of the decade. A song so beautiful and emotional that I demand anybody reading this to buy this album NOW! Then you can talk about it to all of your friends who don't have it, and don't give a damn. |
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Fairy
NightSongs |
| During the release of "Fairy of the Woods", I chanced to meet Laura Drew, also known as SinghKaur and
Lorellei, who had just released her CD "Spiritus" under the name Lorellei. We became instant friends, and Laura invited my new wife, Tamara and I to spend our honeymoon at her home in Hawaii.
Six months later, we took her up on her offer. While there, Laura took me into her recording studio and asked me to play something for her, "just for
fun". I played a short set of chords that sounded kind-of pretty, and that was that, or so I thought.The next morning, I woke up and took a walk around Laura's beautiful property. Over the sounds of the birds and wind in the bamboo,
I thought I heard some music somewhere, and as I neared the house, I heard Laura improvising upon what I had played the previous day.
I sat in the grass, wet with morning dew, and listened intently for an hour or so, until I realized that I had paid so much attention to what she was doing that I was soaked and didn't even know it! For a few days, Laura and I bounced the piece back and forth, adding our ideas as we went. One day Tam and I were returning from a drive around the island, and as we neared the house we could hear Laura singing to the piece. We were both stunned by the beauty of her voice. The song eventually came to be "darkness" on this CD. It was so beautiful and she was so much fun to work with that I asked her if she'd do a CD with me; the result is "Fairy NightSongs". We worked on the CD for the next year, Tam writing the lyrics, Laura and I both writing and playing the music, and all of us carrying on like kids in a candyshop. It was a blast, and rewarding. I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Laura, and I'll always remember this project with great fondness! |
