Hymnambulae – Nausikaa (CD Album – Hypnagoga Press)
Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, experimental, ritual.
Background/Info: Hymnambulae is a Swedish project set up and driven by the siblings Pär Boström and Åsa Boström. We of course know Pär Boström for his involvement with projects such as Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast, Bonini Bulga and co. “Nausikaa” is the second album by the duo (again released on their own label), which is a ‘long-held vision to combine the electroacoustic ambience of Hymnambulae with voice recordings by the Swedish mystic, poet and translator Gunnar Ekelöf’. The album is available on vinyl, cassette and CD.
Content: The sonic universe of the Boström duo is a mix of dark-ambient passages and something more mysterious and a bit ritual like. We feel like diving into an abyssal universe joined by spoken, ghost-like vocals of an old man. It creates a scary feeling, which is accentuated by the dark tones of the music, but also with some passages featuring piano.
+ + + : Hymnambulae is touched by the hand of a demon. This duo creates a visual world where you get the impression of facing evil forces. But even if the music is dark, it also has something relaxing. There even is a kind of inhibited and very intimate sphere hanging over the tracks. The spooky, spoken words only empower the mystery of the production and are essential in the global production. Pär Boström never stops to take his audience by surprise.
– – – : The songs are maybe a little bit repetitive in their global approach, but you don’t hear me complaining.
Conclusion: “Nausikaa” is a world of isolation creating fear and yet leading the listener into some prosperity. It’s a remarkable dark-ambient production, which I highly recommend.
Best songs: “Dykaren I Drömmen”, “Den Hypnagoga”, “Totemdjur”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.hymnambulae.com / www.facebook.com/hymnambulae
Label: https://hypnagogapress.com / www.facebook.com/hypnagogapress
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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.
