Review: E GONE - The Third Is A Mountain Which Holds A Dagger

E GONE is another fave of this blog, he (he being Daniel Westerlund) has graced these pages before, consistently turning out quality music which has the power to beguile and bewitch. He has sneaked out a mini-album (out today via Bandcamp) - I use the word sneaked but there is no subterfuge or anything clandestine but simply released without any fanfare or advance publicity....such modesty. 'The Third Is A Mountain Which Holds A Dagger' continues a run of sublime releases, all richly evocative and all beautifully crafted.

'No Audience, No Metronome' is a short, simple but beautifully effective piano refrain that is over all too quickly. 'A Decoy for the Hunt' sees Westerlund revisit his folk days as a member of the Swedish psych folksters The Goner. His unique voice conveys a melancholic mood that is counterbalanced by some lovely picked acoustic guitar and some lush organ drones. I know folk is the most divisive of genres...some people love it and some people hate it but to all I say, give this a listen. As with all of E GONE's material there is an inherent undercurrent that raises it above and beyond and his willingness to subvert recognised styles always makes for an interesting listen. 'The Tellurian Omega' has a more eastern motif to it, again with some rich drones and the twinkling of bells. 'Rogue Diplomat' continues the eastern theme, this time more obvious and authentic. Westerlund has always had a penchant for utilising ethnic instruments and this is precisely why - the track immerses you in the atmosphere of the souk and you can almost feel the rose tinted sun beating on the back of your neck....beautiful! 'Habit Hides You' returns us to more pastoral vistas with another folk based track (sounds like a banjo but could be wrong) but underneath the exquisite acoustic instruments lay some rich synth drones that takes the track to another dimension. 'I Have Been Given Much' is another vocal track, that recognisable voice accompanied by some funereal organ drones and more acoustic pickings. The last track, 'Give' is by far the longest at over seven minutes and opens with the now familiar organ drones and acoustic guitar but slowly an electric guitar is introduced with rich chords ringing out, matching the melancholic air of the underlying drones. The longer the track progresses the more pronounced the drones become until it is awash with lush swathes of sound that undulate and rise and fall like a boat on the ocean. If anything, I wish this track was longer - the resonating drones and snatches of electronica create such a blissful ambience it is hard not to lose yourself in the music..such is its glorious power.

Needless to say 'The Third Is A Mountain Which Holds A Dagger'is another unqualified success...I struggle to think of another artist who consistently releases such quality and creative music. Westerlund sees music in a unique way and his approach to creating such results in tracts of music that are simply brimming with ideas and inventive techniques. But what I really love about all of his output is the range of emotions that the music evokes....all his many EPs, albums etc are evocative instruments in themselves, able to induce a range of feelings and atmospheres, all produced via his clever use of instrumentation. In short, and I've said this before, the guy is a genius! 'The Third Is A Mountain Which Holds A Dagger' is available via the E GONE Bandcamp page here. It is available as a download only at the moment (a snip at $4) but fingers crossed for a physical release sometime.