Sieben – Ten Hymns For Modern Times (Album – Redroom)
Genre/Influences: Experimental, Neo-Folk, Chanson, Electronic.
Format: Digital, 2CD.
Background/Info: Matt Howden and ‘Kev’ (his violin) have been highly active and prolific during the entire lockdown and ongoing pandemic. It resulted in numerous studio-live sessions, recordings and this new work featuring ten songs -which have been released as ‘studio’- and ‘live’ edits.
Content: The studio work takes off with a surprising, sensual driven and more Electro sounding cut. Quite progressively, Sieben gets back to its ‘familiar’ Chanson style revealing engaged -and sometimes a bit cynical, themes. The music becomes melancholic leading the listener into reverie. The live recordings are quite recognizable. I get the feeling Matt is sometimes improvising extra passages this way adding a bonus to the record.
+ + + : “Obscene Wealth Hymn” is a great opener. It sounds a bit unusual for Sieben, but one of the best and most accessible pieces I’ve heard from Sieben. The other songs left are less surprising although delivering a great production. Sieben’s music has something of a traveling effect and even if Matt Howden deals with serious themes -which he transposed into ‘hymns’, it has a dreamy effect on me. I like Kev’s melancholia, but Sieben first deals with a kind of ‘free-style’. I’m more into the studio edits although the live recordings bring a little extra. I also have to say a last word about the production of the vocals, Matt Howden being next to a great musician also a talented and expressive singer.
– – – : As I already mentioned I’m more into the studio-edits.
Conclusion: Sieben remains a unique experience in sound featuring a kind of crossover style. The music is poignant and diversified.
Best songs: “Obscene Wealth Hymn – Studio”, “Harvest Festival Of Closed Borders – Studio”, “Populist Hymn – Studio”.
Rate: 8.
Artist & Label: https://matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben
About Sieben
Sieben is the primary recording name of British violinist and songwriter Matt Howden, who blends song, spoken word and sonic experiment across numerous projects and collaborations. “Ten Hymns For Modern Times” was recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown period, combining studio versions with live edits captured during the same sessions. Howden has continued to release music beyond Sieben, including 2026’s “Language For Stone” with his father Keith Howden, built around the poetry of Keith Howden and recordings of Skiddaw’s lithophone stones.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
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.
