Dandelion Wine – Le Coeur (Album – Dandelion Wine)
Genre/Influences: Ethereal, Cinematographic, Electro-Folk.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: Australian combo Dandelion Wine is back on track. This Ethereal formation has already been busy for more than twenty years now, but “Le Coeur” is their first new album since 2010. Originally released as a limited CD edition in 2018 on the Lithuanian label Dangus, the opus is now available in a digital format featuring nine songs. The current line-up of the band consists of core members Naomi Henderson (voice, wind, electronics) and Nicholas Albanis (strings and electronics) plus Francesca Mountfort (cello and voice). The album also featured multiple guest musicians.
Content: Time seems to have no impact on the Ethereal and Folk-like composition of this band. When evoking Australia and Ethereal music Dead Can Dance comes naturally to mind. I’m not comparing this band to Dead Can Dance, but there clearly are some comparisons, especially in the use of authentic instruments creating a mysterious –and often Eastern-like, atmosphere. Some passages are into pure reverie, creating a strong Cinematographic feeling. Especially the last tracks from the album reveal the real potential of this formation.
+ + + : This album stands for an astonishing return, a true artistic creation mixing authenticity and sensibility. The work is enchanting and very intimate. The ethereal chants are leading you into a higher dimension, like a mystic meeting with nymphs. The cello and guitar both empower this surreal feeling, which comes to a climax at masterpieces like “Pilgrimage” (still released as single) and “Persistence Of Vision”. The last mentioned track also has something transcendental.
– – – : No real minus points to mention, expect this new edit is not available in a CD format.
Conclusion: Dandelion Wine strikes back with a bang! This album is a meticulous and detailed composition, which sounds like touched by the hand of Apollo… the God of music! This is for sure one of the best albums from this year.
Best songs: “Persistence Of Vision”, “Pilgrimage”, “One Of My Friendly Days”, “Le Coeur I – Gislebertus Hoc Fecit”, “Hall Of Leaves”.
Rate: (9).
Artist: www.dandelionwine.band / www.facebook.com/DandelionWineAU
About Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine is an ethereal/dark-folk ensemble based in Melbourne, Australia, that originated as a four-piece outfit in mid-1996. Core members Naomi Henderson and Nicholas Albanis are the only remaining members of the original line-up, and the band combines medieval and Middle Eastern instruments with electronic beats, analogue synths and swirling guitars.
“Le Coeur”, first released on the Lithuanian label Dangus in 2018 and issued digitally in 2020, was the band’s first album since 2010. The follow-up, “Hereafter”, arrived in 2023, preceded by the single “Faerie Lullaby”.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
