Allerseelen/ Sangre Cavallum - Barco Do Vinho [Ahnstern - 2006]Barco do Vinho is rather a bizarre concept album with songs about boat driven wine production in Northern Portugal 100’s of years ago. Which is told with an equally strange musically pallet by the two contributing projects Allerseelen & Sangre Cavallum- they mix together Neo folk, industrial electronics, Almost Resident's like avant-grad moments and progy/ soundtrack traces. First up it's Austrian’s Allerseelen whom have been prying their own very strange mix of industrial, neo Folk and the avant-gard since the late 1980’s. Their set of tracks opens with Ó Coração Meu which is wonderful weird ‘n’ groovy mix of Residents like sampled horn stabs, accordion, violin to make a strange bouncing mix of world music and industrial edged sounds. Next is the equally impressive Zauberblut, which mixes an edgy and slighty playful new wave feel, with chopping industrial air and folky sawing volin undertones. The other two Allerseelen tracks are both good too, through the last track In vino veritas does slip somewhat into repetitive and a little clichéd European industrial waters. Next we get four tracks from Northern-Portuguese group Sangre Cavallum, whom though follow on with the atmosphere from the Allerseelen tracks manage to carve out their own very distinctive sound which mixes together; neo folk, prog rock, a surreal almost Eurovision vibe , magic mushroom fairground tinged air and soundtrack elements. Often some of the musically moments/ themes here could easily have come from an 80’s a horror or Gallio prog/ synth soundtrack by the likes of Goblin , with of course more than a little leaning towards odd folk mixed in and the often very strange Germanic vocals. Really an excellent collaboration where the pair complement and enhance each others sounds to make a bizarre and fascinating concept album, which can been brought in either standard Digipak form or in a carved winebox version?!. To find out more and download samples go to this vineyard of sound. Roger Batty
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