Nickie’s Niches #36: December 2024

Start
Artist
Song
Time
Album
Year


0:01:38

Mariusz Duda & Steven Wilson
0:15




0:01:53
Steven Wilson
The Old Peace
5:37
The Old Peace (With Mariusz Duda) (CDS)
2014


0:07:30

Squrl
0:26




0:07:57
Sqürl and Jozef Van Wissem
Only Lovers Left Alive
5:03
Only Lovers Left Alive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2021


0:13:00

Orange Blossom
0:25




0:13:24
Orange Blossom
Meu Amor Se Foi.
6:08
Spells From The Drunken Sirens
2024


0:19:32

Rolf Zero
0:28




0:20:01
Rolf Zero
Elysium (part II)
5:14
Single
2024


0:25:15

Jo Beth Young
0:26




0:25:41
Jo Beth Young
Burning
5:15
Broken Spells
2024


0:30:56

Obiymy Doschu
0:27




0:31:23
Obiymy Doschu
Діти
6:54
Single
2024


0:38:18

Colin Masson
0:27




0:38:45
Colin Masson
Spered Hollvedel
8:17
The Visitor
2024


0:47:02

Ekaterina Shelehova
0:25




0:47:28
Ekaterina Shelehova & Thom’Art Raidho
Stand Still
3:42
Single
2024


0:51:10

Armchair Gods
0:19




0:51:29
Armchair Gods
Samhain
5:40
Ritual
2024


0:57:09

Chelsea Wolfe
0:28




0:57:37
Chelsea Wolfe
Dusk
3:16
Unbound (EP)
2024


1:00:53

Jonathan Hulten
0:21




1:01:14
Jonathan Hultén
Afterlife
4:16
Eyes Of The Living Night
2024








The Old Peace
by Mariusz Duda & Steven Wilson






What a lovely blending of voices these two have interwoven on this remix single. A bit of melancholy and dreamy wistfulness permeates the piece, leaving one wishing there were more to be heard in this vein from these two.






Only Lovers Left Alive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
by Sqürl and Jozef Van Wissem




favorite track

Sola Gratia (Pt. 1)


Original motion picture soundtrack for this utterly dark and captivating film. Thick, washy, reverb-y heavy electric guitar, some punk-ish garage, and lute combine to give just the right sense of depths of time and long, complex relationships. Toss in some Middle Eastern vibes and you’ve got a potent mix






Spells From The Drunken Sirens. WAV 24 Bit 48 KhZ
by Orange Blossom




favorite track

Meu Amor Se Foi.


A splendid mix of world music from Nantes, France. They magpie deftly about from Middle Eastern to Spanish flavours, and throw in electric instrumentation as well as the traditional, such as violin and kanun. The female vocals are sometimes eerily hair-raising. Just beautiful.






Elysium
by Rolf Zero




favorite track

Elysium (part II)


Aussies Rolf Zero return with a “single,” two parts of a related piece of music, which serve as an intro to their upcoming release “Poseidon.” All is accomplished with the usual suspects, guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, and some other percussion, but they manage to create a singular sound, both retro and au courant. The particularly inspired guitar solo in Elysium (part II) keeps me listening over and over.







Broken Spells
by Jo Beth Young




favorite track

Burning


Moody atmospheres permeate this folktronica/etherica offering (yes, I think I just made up “etherica,” as a folk genre). Besides Jo’s distinctive vocals, instruments are guitars, keyboards, synths, pianos, E-bow, bass, cello, and even a steel guitar. The result is mesmerizing, the lyrical subject matter complex, and keeps growing on me.






Діти
by Obiymy Doschu






Single track from Ukranian progressive / post-rock / contemporary classical outfit follows up their gorgeous full-length release of 2017, “Son.” Fronted by the effortless and evocative vocals of Volodymyr Agafonkin, with acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, viola, and drums, this teaser track brings everything and more to make me look forward to their promised upcoming release.






The Visitor
by Colin Masson




favorite track

Spered Hollvedel


Wonderful combination of 70s style progressive and Celtic pieces of music on this lovely release. Guitar is the star here, but it’s backed up by plenty of synths, bass, and drums. I love the epic (21 min) opening track, just a complete trip to somewhere else. The more Celtic piece, a traditional Breton piece, translated to “Universal Spirit,” that I first heard via Alan Stivell will stand as my favourite track.






Stand Still
by Ekaterina Shelehova & Thom’Art Raidho






Ekaterina’s latest collaboration is with Thom’Art Readho, who states that he composes “healing music.” I can attest that this piece, at least, is certainly uplifting in a magickal way. Ekaterina’s heavenly voice is the perfect pairing with this style of music, and I hope we’ll get to hear more from these two in the future.






Ritual
by Armchair Gods




favorite track

Samhain


UK duo inspired by an ancient stone circle, and a chance sighting of a woman leaving a garland there. The four pieces are named for Celtic rituals of equinoxes and solstices, and the lush music reflects their significance in denoting the passage of the seasons in ritual.






Unbound EP
by CHELSEA WOLFE




favorite track

Dusk (Unbound)


These are stripped down versions of material released elsewhere, with the exception of the final track, which is a cover. With her intimate introspections, this tack really suits her. You truly feel as if you are inside of her ruminations here, with mostly just voice, guitar, and piano. This was my favourite track on her “She Reaches Out To She,” release, and it’s my favourite here, too. It’s just devastating when it’s presented so starkly.






Afterlife
by Jonathan Hultén






Teaser single for Hultén’s anticipated January 2025 release,”Eyes Of The Living Night.” I just could not resist it’s lure and wait for the whole shebang. Otherworldly indeed, showcasing Hultén’s gorgeously lush vocals with a shimmering backdrop that draws back the veils. Eagerly awaiting the full release.