Silber Rec.
Tara VanFlower : My little Fire-filled heart (US,2005)*°°
Tara VanFlower : My little Fire-filled heart (US,2005)*°°Tara since 1988 is most known for her collaboration with ambient soundscape creator Mike Van portfleet, under the duo group name of Lycia, a group which is listed usually under the darkwave genre. Her own look is Goth’-like, as a “child of Gothic”. Her expressions have a slightly different scope, and are also comparable to (-the Nurse With Wound related-) Chrystal Belle Scrodd but a bit more directly-constructive and spherical and with a tendency to expose some feminine aspects and also to be minimal.
On the first tracks especially, but also elsewhere, there are some great, almost magical background voice effects and vocal harmonies, growl-and dog-humming (multitoned) as if recalling spirits from beyond a gate to one level beneath and beyond this existence, still reflected with some peace-inside, while Tara sings with a desolate but not a sad voice. There are many voice driven experiments. Tara is sometimes half reciting, half singing with desolate echoes, or reverb touches, or with ambient swelling sounds and clicks, like on “Rabbit”. On “Naked King” we hear multi-subtonal vocal harmonies (crying out) pulses, with almost sexual and concentrated forward energy. This track is perhaps a bit too minimal, but still rewarding. On “Silverback” especially I’m reminded of vocal experiments on some Nurse With Wound/ Diana Rogerson albums, like perhaps from “Live at Bar Maldoror”. There are two covers or interpretations that fit the album well : The Honour of Silence” from Death In June, and “A Conversation With Death” a traditional with overlapped repeated singing.
Note : Tara Vanflower is currently working on a collaboration with Timothy Renner of Stone Breath called Black Happy Day. I’ll keep you informed !
Audio : "I lost the moon"
Russian fan-page of Lycia : http://lycia.darkside.ru/
Info on earlier release : http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?dept_id=10&sku=PRO00093.
