The Moon And The Nightspirit – Osforras
Equilibrium Music - EQM023BK - 2009
By Simon Brand
I've never really been one for folk. My first real contact with it was in the form of various folk metal acts, which I often found derivative and not particularly interesting. It has only been recently that I have delved into the realms of true folk and neo-folk and
The Moon And The Nightspirit are easily among the best I've heard.
Hailing from Hungary, this duo plays a very interesting brand of traditional pagan folk. You can just picture the heathens dancing naked around the fire, chanting ancient rites to break their enemies. This image is constructed with the use of many traditional instruments, such as the Fujara (a large wooden flute) and the Morin Khuur (a dual-stringed, bowed instrument) alongside violins, percussion, various woodwind instruments and 6- and 12-string guitars.
Vocals are shared between the two members; one female, one male. The female vocals are nothing short of astonishing, with Ágnes using her beautiful voice as another instrument; sliding around, whispering, harmonising, using every form of expression available to her. The male vocals provide a very effective offset at points, keeping with the style of the music completely by using a kind of half-chant, half-song.
The percussion use here is fantastic, very tribal with some rather technically proficient rhythms going on. It really impresses the listener thinking that two musicians can play all of these instruments at this standard.
Most of the melodies are very memorable, but not in the way that they are simple and made just as hooks, these are very musically interesting phrases which also stick in your head, I find myself humming them to myself every now and again after listening to the album a few times.
If you are a fan of the band's previous works, if you are a fan of folk music or is you are a fan of music in general, I urge you to pick up this album. Every song is so rich in tone, timbre and intelligence that it has something in it for fans of any genre. All of their albums are available to buy from their website, so what are you waiting for? Your collection deserves this release!
Official The Moon And The Nightspirit website
Official Equilibrium Records website
