| Shadows of the Sun | ||||
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| Studio album by Ulver | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | Ambassaden, Oslo, Norway 2006-2007 | |||
| Genre | Dark ambient, experimental, art rock | |||
| Length | 39:58 | |||
| Label | Jester TRICK041 The End TE089 |
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| Producer | Ulver | |||
| Ulver chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
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Vinyl release cover.
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | (favorable)[1] |
| Sputnikmusic | [2] |
Shadows of the Sun is the seventh studio album by the Norwegian experimental band Ulver, released on October 1, 2007 in Europe[3] and on October 2 in the United States.[4] The title was announced on July 13, 2007 and the album was described as "low-key, dark and tragic".[3] Shadows of the Sun received generally positive reviews by critics,[5][6] and in February 2008 the album won the Oslo Awards for album of the year 2007.[7] The album was also voted best album of 2007 at the website Sonic Frontiers.[8]
Contents |
According to an official press release, Shadows of the Sun would consist of Kristoffer Rygg's vocals, "soothing electronics and natural percussion," while artists like Pamelia Kurstin would be contributing with instruments like the theremin. Furthermore, Christian Fennesz, an Austrian white noise musician, would be adding touches of his associate, the English singer, musician and composer David Sylvian's soft style, helping Ulver to correspond with their vision on the final product.[4]
The track listing and the album front cover was released to the public in a press statement by Ulver's American record label The End Records.[4] As a teaser, the song "Vigil" was released on MySpace on August 29, 2007.[9][10] On August 30, a blog entry on Ulver's MySpace page announced a release party for the upcoming album to be held at the Europa Night Club in Brooklyn, NY on September 20, 2007. Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker were DJing the show while the bands The Austerity Program and Lapdog of Satan were playing live.[11] On 13 September, Jester Records made it possible to pre-order the album, accompanied by several bonus artifacts, including a limited vinyl edition (with alternate front cover by David D'Andrea), a t-shirt, an autographed photo and stickers. The collector's deal also included a 10" red vinyl edition of A Quick Fix of Melancholy.[12] The End Records also released a special deal consisting of the CD edition of the album, a T-shirt, and a screen print by Tomi Lahdesmaki in a limited run of 200. On MySpace, "Vigil" was replaced by the song "Funebre", on 14 September 2007.[9]
The entire album was leaked to the Internet on September 17, 2007.[13] Although it was announced that Shadows of the Sun was to be released on October 1, record stores in Norway had not received the album by that date. According to cdon.com, the album was due for release on October 8 instead.[14] In the American market, the album originally set-up for October 2 release was pushed to October 9.[15] The delay of the preorder may have been caused by problems of the vinyl manufacturing.[16] Shadows of the Sun was distributed by Plastic Head, the UK's 10th largest distributor,[17] in Europe.
In an interview with Music Information Centre Norway, Ulver member Tore Ylwizaker commented on the album. He said it would be downplayed and inspired by chamber music in both style and crew. Ylwizaker also took a year off to study classical composers and composition techniques, and said he took a particular liking to Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird.[18]
The genre of the album has been called experimental by Jester Records themselves,[19] but also dubbed new age and art rock by critics.[20] Shadows of the Sun has also been claimed to be influenced by artists and bands like Pink Floyd, David Sylvian, Nick Cave, Coil, Radiohead, and Univers Zero,[21] as well as Guapo and King Crimson.[22]
"Solitude" is a Black Sabbath cover; the original version appears on their 1971 album Master of Reality, while "Eos" is a revisited version of "Gravferd" from the soundtrack of the Norwegian film Uno. "What Happened?" contains approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds of silence at the end.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eos" | 5:05 |
| 2. | "All the Love" | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Like Music" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Vigil" | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Shadows of the Sun" | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Let the Children Go" | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Solitude" | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Funebre" | 4:26 |
| 9. | "What Happened?" | 6:25 |
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The front photo is taken from the 1978 October issue of Natural History Magazine.[23] Shadows of the Sun is the first album without an appearance from Håvard Jørgensen, a full time member on Ulver's first four albums and a guest on their last two.
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