Berne, Switzerland, May 10, 2018: Elusive Sound is very proud to announce the release of “REQUIEM” by Silent Whale Becomes A° Dream on vinyl and CD.
Pre-Orders start Friday, May 11 at 8 PM / 20:00 CEST (Zurich). The release will be on June 1, 2018.
Silent Whale Becomes A° Dream at long last follow-up their unforgettable and awe-inspiring debut album “Canopy” with another astoundingly disarming opus of heart-rending movements depicting the searing, slow dissolution of the heart when faced with great loss and the realisation that our darkest illusions have been made flesh. The sea is our only solace. In it we remember who we were and recapture who we are. It embraces us with whispering endearments and the revelation of new horizons. “REQUIEM” is a celebration of undying love and of a life with meaning.
“Requiem stands as one of the rare albums that lives up to its lofty billing – possessing the uncommon ability to balance the siren’s-song quality that draw listeners into its dreamy calm and the sheer force to overwhelm entirely with a single powerful gesture. There is a sense that you have borne witness to something rare and important. It is moments of transcendence such as this that have garnered Silent Whale Becomes A Dream their reputation. In the face of weighty expectations, this is a victorious moment for artist and label alike, a validation of the hyperbolic exclamations of those devoted to Silent Whale prior to this release” David Zeidler, Arctic Drones
“Could the album possibly be large enough, full enough, generous enough to contain such competing ideas, to simultaneously step back from the precipice and to fly? It is. The strings, directed by Julien Costa, provide the undercurrent that amplifies the emotions while enhancing the power of the guitars. Their sound is the first to achieve prominence in “Dies iræ, dies illa”, which serves as an overture to the set. The title refers to an old requiem mass that was removed from worship as it was deemed “too depressing”! By co-opting the phrase, the band reclaims it for a new generation; and when the music crashes in like a giant wave in the seventh minute, one thinks, this is not depression, this is grandeur” Richard Allen, A Closer Listen
“Les larmes ne sont jamais loin, mais l’espoir, magnifique, s’ingénie habilement à surgir des profondeurs pour emporter avec lui la nostalgie et le chagrin. Avec « Requiem », Silent Whale Becomes A Dream se rend digne de l’attente qu’il a suscité, et signe non seulement un retour réussi, mais aussi ce qui restera, sans conteste, l’un des plus beaux albums post-rock de cette décennie.” Totoromoon
Liner Notes
The brightness of day has come to an end. The setting sun lays out a crimson path over the water. Our spirit flies free with the migrating birds effortlessly gliding through the spindrift then swiftly soaring overhead.
There are instances in life when one is left standing on a cliff contemplating what it would be like to leap off the edge. Standing on the edge of a cliff gets you thinking about the different outcomes of a possible situation. It also tests your decisiveness. There is a short moment of time when taking in the view, that our fear of heights is subdued by the desire to fly and perhaps even the sudden belief that we can. The longer we feed on these inconsistent thoughts, the less grounded we become and the more likely it is that we will leap and plunge to our death.
Overlooking an opulent ocean induces a dreamlike state. This is the sea. the sea that returns memories. It is a mirror to our soul. From high up we grasp our fists tightly, fully realising our insignificance, remembering and releasing everything we had chosen to forget. This is where all is laid bare with total abandon. Where we lose our inhibitions, remove the many masks and costumes that have hidden our tears yet failed to dispel our dejection. With no control and no restraint over our emotions, we engage in sincere resignation-filled monologues of acceptance uttering I have lost you, I shall never be with you again, oh my love, oh my heart, my life”.
To the sea, we release everything for it so zealously keeps our secrets. From the sea, we regain the will to rise again.
Mastered by Jeremy Henry at La Villa Mastering, “REQUIEM” sees the return of Yannick Tournier to recording and mixing and Julien Costa to string direction. Featuring the stunning photography of Christine Drouillard, the album will be released on three different one-time only 180g+ vinyl editions cut from 24-bit masters at 33RPM.
Lux Aeterna Book Sleeve Edition is a numbered limited deluxe editon of 50 featuring a 100% Swiss-made book-style sleeve of the highest quality, made of buckram and carton with hot gold foil lettering and numbering. The heavyweight book-style sleeve is the result of months of conception, testing and careful execution. It displays the album’s cover and title and houses the gatefold outer sleeve and LPs.
Lux Aeterna Edition is a limited deluxe edition of 50 with a slightly different vinyl color configuration and without the book-style sleeve. Both Lux Aeterna editions feature a vinyl colour combination of special Aside-Bside vinyl with splatter and are available exclusively through the official Elusive Sound website shop.
Anima Ascensionis Edition is a limited edition of 150 that features a special base color configuration on clear and milky vinyl, with splatter in various colours.
All vinyl editions feature a 350gsm gatefold outer sleeve on reverseboard with additional artwork, flood black printing on the inside of the gatefold-sleeve, black anti-static innersleeves and a 20x20cm sized heavyweight two-sided artprint with letter-pressed credits on 525gsm recycled FSC mix paper. The editions also come with an A7 printed inlay with a handwritten download code.
The CD Edition of REQUIEM is Elusive Sound’s first CD release. Glass mastered from 16bit masters, the REQUIEM CD Edition features a unique LP-Style gatefold design on 300gsm reverseboard carton and contains a printed CD-innersleeve on 215gsm paper as well as flood black printing on the inside of the gatefold pocket and CD-innersleeve. The item is shrinkwrapped and limited to 1000 units.
In commemoration of the release of REQUIEM we have three exclusive Silent Whale Becomes A° Dream T-Shirts designed by Alex CF and hand-printed by A Thousand Arms. The full design is printed on Anvil in Heather Galapagos Blue. The logo design is printed on either charcoal or navy blue. The sideseamed tees feature a uniquely soft fabrication, modern fit, crew neck and short sleeves.
The Lux Aeterna Deluxe Editions will be sold exclusively through the official Elusive Sound website shop. All other music items and apparel will be available through the official Elusive Sound website shop and via A Thousand Arms for seekers in North America and Oceania.
