Review: Sylvaine - Wistful

Have you ever felt Nostalgia? Of course, who doesn’t? But how about a feeling similar to nostalgia, a longing for something remote and far away that doesn't have to be in the past. A forlorn yearning to something you perhaps cannot even identify. The feeling something is amiss, and empty, that rears up in the depths of night and keeps you up until morning comes.

We refer to that feeling as wistfulness, and this appears to be premise of Norwegian artist Sylvaine’s second full length: Wistful. Released two years after her debut, ‘Silent Chamber, Noisy Heart’, the album continues where its predecessor left off; gentle atmospheric post-metal with emphasis on atmosphere, haunting melodies and mostly cleanly sung vocals. Lush layers of keyboards and shimmering guitars constantly weave a dense ambiance and serve as the perfect backdrop to showcase her angelic, often soothing voice in a familiar Alcestian way yet clearly distinct.

Opener ‘Delusions’ is a perfect example of the above and really sets the tone well for the remainder of the album. Soft vocals lure the listener in into a sonorous landscape that takes time to fully appreciate. At first, the instruments seem to blend together into one impenetrable entity, and multiple playthroughs are required to fully separate the individual instruments and marvel at their melodies. In fact, this album requests your undivided attention in a soft and polite way, quite alike a faded photograph of your youth that draws you in and takes you out of the here and now. Like with the photograph, this music invokes all sorts of memories, and not all them pleasant.

With that I lead into why I experienced difficulty listening to this all day, the music is outright sad. The lyrics, poetic and heartwrenching, dig into the mind of the listener and linger there, long after the final note fades away. After four consecutive listens I found my mood dropping quite far below median, and I simply had to do something else. No, this is not what I would listen to all day, but savour for when the time, setting and mood align into a perfect melancholy that can only be accentuated properly by Sylvaine’s haunting voice.

A detail that immediately sprung out to me in two of the tracks is the use of screams, again reminiscent of Alcest. They are good, well executed and in my opinion, that of a seasoned black metal veteran, only add to the mood. However, I could see that some listeners coming from a post-rock climate might find them distracting or overpowering.

Wistful isn't easy listening, neither emotionally nor musically, but it is something that must be experienced nonetheless. If you don’t mind melancholy and the occasional Myrkur-vibe, I highly recommend giving this a few spins. Sylvaine said she poured very personal moments into her music, and it’s conveyed well, exactly what art should be all about. When the times are calling for it, I shall definitely return to this throughout the year and beyond, and I hope you will too.   

'Wistful' was released through Season Of Mist on May 13th. 

Purchase link EU: http://shop.season-of-mist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=sylvaine

Purchase link USA: http://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=sylvaine

Bandcamp: https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com

Youtube playlist: https://youtu.be/Lky6KocRb3Y…