Ravensong
In 1997, a then 18-year-old Emilie Autumn created a band intended to alter the course of the classical music industry. Named after one of her guardian creatures, an ominous black bird with an eye for anything sparkly, Ravensong adhered to the following ideals: World-class technique, near-supernatural virtuosity, a ground-breakingly modern approach to the research and execution of Renaissance and Baroque music, a seamless merging of styles and eras, an unashamedly theatrical stage performance, and the belief that a man is never so fetching as when he is wearing tights.
Over the years, the group has honed its skills, popping in and out of record deals, and branching out into a number of side projects, including the emergence of Emilie Autumn as solo vocalist and songwriter, but never released a full-length album. Finally, with the advent of Traitor Records, Ravensong is finally completing the monumental research necessary to record their debut album, "Ancient Grounds." A concept album based on several "grounds" (ancient repeating basslines with dazzling improvisational variations), and the hypothesis that history repeats itself in ever circular patterns, the album promises to bring new audiences to old music as well as Autumn's original classical compositions. The group is thrilled at the prospect of sharing their bizarre approach to period performance with the public at long last, and welcomes the scorn they claim they will inevitably receive from the classical music critics. Indeed, Autumn, Ravesong's leader and spokesperson, says they have no intention of marketing "Ancient Grounds" as a "classical" album at all, instead putting it out as "uncategorizable music" in order to avoid the pigeonholing intended to target certain audiences and keep out certain others.
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Hear "Ancient Grounds" on A Bit O' This & That. |