By Bona Pjarren
‘Mother Of Light’ is the epic first album by dark folk songstress Anne K. O’Neill, under her Serpentent banner. In the accompanying press blurb, her label, Svart Records, say: “As Serpentent, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Anne K. O’Neill weaves a deep cinematic spell of gothic folk, combining elements of European folk music and neoclassical influences. Transfigured by her extraordinary, evocative vocal style, Serpentent’s Mother of Light is a lush saga”. From what I can gather Anne is new to the scene but appears to be a very talented artist, indeed, samples of her art are included on this, her debut offering. I am intrigued and excited to get into it.
‘Sonette an Orpheus IV’ is the first track which starts with a spoken word intro leading to a nice neoclassical instrumental which gives way to the main theme of the song. It is certainly an ambitious start. The tribal style drumming adds some stirring punctuation to the piece as it develops. At over ten minutes long it really takes the listener on an intriguing musical journey.
‘The Descent’ is a far more modest number in length and offers some beautifully evocative mood music. Delicately picked guitar weaves a moving and complex pattern. ‘Ancient Tombs’ picks up from where ‘The Descent’ leaves off. But this time Anne K. O’Neill’s vocals are on full display and give a soulful and melancholic feel to this ballad. There is some memorable crashing piano chords that really add depth and gravitas to the proceedings alongside some very effective samples. A very nice piece of writing.
Next up is ‘Winding’ which distinguishes itself from what has gone before with a powerful tribal beat that gently propels the track forwards. Anne’s vocals float above it in an effortless soaring way. There is a dark brooding beauty to the album so far, and each track leads on naturally from its predecessor. ‘Oy Ty washes spectacular female harmonies with sparse atmospherics. It is such a simple song and feels like it has so much space around it that it has an up lifting spiritual feel to it.
‘Death’ feels like an obvious follow up track with its inspired picked guitar punctuated by big frame drum sounds. It is an impressive prelude to Anne’s distinctive vocals. Played to a waltz tempo it rolls effortlessly forward as the guitar work develops into a less intricate strummed style accompanied by a more prominent percussion rhythm, before trailing back off to a gentle ending.
‘Mother Of Light’, with its spoken word and distinctive arpeggio piano pattern, has a wonderfully dark drone like feel to it, accentuated by the introduction of cello. It is hypnotic in its delivery. It then breaks down and the piano chops chords while the cello takes up the atmospheric melody. It is a smooth transition into the next part of this song. The piano again heralds a change of musical ideas as it moves into the next section of Mother of Light. It is an epic piece of music as it moves seamlessly into its final refrain.
‘The Fountainhead Of Fire’ combines picked acoustic guitar with flute sounds to give a very Celtic feel. Anne’s mournful vocals float above the atmospheric background. Again there is smooth transitions between the various musical ideas as the song is expertly developed. The introduction of distorted guitar and drum kit is a surprise but works well in building the song. But then the piece drops into something more acoustically contemplative, obviously a lot of thought has been put into the constructing of this magnificent piece.
And so to ‘Rise And Fall’, which is the last track of the album. It is driven by strong tribal beats and roving rhythmic strumming. Anne’s ever present voice adds that familiar soulful feel to a robust final track with a strong folk feel.
This really is an incredible album with strong construction and bursting with ideas. It is a real tribute to Anne and I had to remind myself that this is her debut album. The transitions between ideas on the longer tracks such as ‘Mother Of Light’ and ‘The Fountainhead Of Fire’ are flawless. It is also a difficult album to pigeonhole, as although generally it fits with dark folk, it has a sound all of its own. ‘Mother of Light’ is a fantastically crafted and wonderfully compelling piece of work that is well worth listening to.
- ‘Ancient Tomes Volume I: Mother of Light’ is released on Friday (20 May). You can get your copy HERE.
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