Midnight Calling (USA)
The Deadfly Ensemble- ãA Seed Catalog·ä
Review by Aiden
Fine debuts are normally hard to follow, but with Lucas Lanthier and associates I knew this would not be a concern. Yet even I was taken aback by the sheer excellence of this release. To be sure, ãA Seed Catalog for Extinct Annualsä follows in the footsteps of "An Entire Wardrobe·ä, but takes an unexpected, meandering musical course that sometimes runs parallel to their earlier endeavor, and sometimes wanders off to the fringes of their haunted, neo-Victorian world to explore ominous shores filled with foreboding portents, before turning to flee back to more familiar confines, but only momentarily before dashing into the shadows again.The apocalyptic instrumental ãIntroä, aptly sets the stage. After a distant, operatic opening, the melody of ãPolymelia and the Satyrä proves deceptively simple, like a dark nursery rhyme that proves addictive, staying in your head longer than the latest televison jingle. Marziaâs cello provides a superb melancholic counterpoint. The compelling arrangements of ãRevenge on the Nursemaidä also stay with the listener long afterwards, with staccato percussion and flowing cello anchoring Lucasâs somehow disquieting vocals. ãMeaty Bones and Porridgeä has a bit of a rollick, opening with a nearly martial percussion. Lucas growls along with Marziaâs cello which rises and ebbs between the driving bass and guitar. ãThe Adventures of Jonas Maukenä is one of my favorites, a dark nautical tale featuring haunting piano and eerie vocals, which evokes visions of cobwebbed tintypes and long-forgotten waltzes. ãDirty Weatherä is simply masterful. Another haunting tale of the sea, with a rather catchy refrain, belied by the poignant and reflective ending. ãQueen Maudeâs Piratesä continues the seafaring theme, with a great moody bass line that alternates with up-tempo stanzas before a rather chilling end. The superb guitar in ãUrsusarktos the Bachelorä hints of the Spanish Renaissance, with languid vocals and cello underlaid by muted bass. ãDishonest Corsetä, another favorite of mine, begins with eerie vocals and cello before launching into fierce guitar and bass. A touch of gypsy strings and lends an exotic air, while the steady percussion pushes the song to an abrupt ending. ãTiny Little Thingsä begins rather morbidly. Military percussion and solemn piano ensue, joined by strange, otherworldly vocal effects. Dirge like bass and guitar complete this funereal vignette, which dramatically creates a mounting sense of unease and suspense. ãLecture: The Pre-Decimalization Monetary System of Great Britainä is a strange documentary with a soundtrack of whistling that should be annoying, but somehow isnât. It is actually quite interesting, and I learned the exact value of a Groat! Throughout the CD, the overall consonance of the instruments and vocals is remarkable. Lucasâs lyrics are a study unto themselves. His unconventional storytelling style is quite effective. Like classic fairytales, they conceal quite profund concepts beneath a seemingly simplistic storyline. (As a Childrenâs Librarian with over a decade of experience, I feel qualified to make that assessment!) The atmosphere of ãA Seed Catalog for Extinct Annualsä is thoroughly macabre, though in an understated sort of way that only increases the effect. Shades of Baudelaire and Poe ramble through this theater of dark imagination, superbly crafted by The Deadfly Ensemble. The Deadfly Ensemble is one of the most innovative bands in todayâs music scene, and both their releases are indispensable for the music connoisseur.
Liar Society (USA)
The Deadfly Ensemble - A Seed Catalog for Extinct Annuals
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Deadfly Ensemble returns with another album's worth of dark whimsy. The experience of listening to A Seed Catalog for Extinct Annuals is a bit like blowing the dust off of a long-neglected specimen jar; you just don't know what you'll find floating in the formaldehyde. Sometimes you get rum-soaked pirates, sometimes you get a magic trick. Obscure narrative lyrics bob to the surface, only to submerge just when you think you've got a grasp on things. Galloping, churning melodies comprised of delicate guitar, sonorous cello, and lumbering bass weave delicate patterns that duel with the lilting voice of frontman Lucas Lanthier. Such is the stuff of dreams, no? Equal parts Olde Timey morbidity and neo-folkloric myth making, on their second outing the Deadfly Ensemble proves it's place among art-oddity heavyweights such as Andi Sexgang, Sopor Aeternus, and Dame Darcy. This isn't just an album, it's a glimpse into a peculiar, visionary world of the fantastique. All this and a lecture on the pre-decimalized monetary system of Great Britain.
Link to Liar Society review
Sonic Seducer (Germany)
CD: A Seed Catalog For Extinct Annuals
Lucas Lanthier ist einzigartig. Bereits mit seiner Band Cinema Strange sprengte er im Laufe von drei Alben alle mšglichen Genregrenzen. Doch dies scheint dem sympathischen Neu-New Yorker nicht zu genŸgen, denn mit seinem Soloprojekt The Deadfly Ensemble war Luc seit geraumer Zeit aktiver und prŠsenter als gemeinsam mit seinen beiden alten WeggefŠhrten, den Ribiat-BrŸdern. Rechtzeitig zur Tour mit Emilie Autumn erschien nun das zweite Deadfly-Album ³A Seed Catalog For Extinct Annualsã, welches schon auf den ersten Blick mit einem wunderschšnen und opulent gestalteten Artwork aufwarten kann. Musikalisch bleibt Lanthier unberechenbar wie eh und je. Lucas erzŠhlt wundervolle Geschichten, seufzt und jubelt, berichtet und umschreibt. Kleine MŠdchen wŸrden jemanden wie Lucas als MŠrchenonkel schŠtzen, da er nicht nur ein gro§artiger ErzŠhler ist, sondern sich auch noch lustige Kleider anzieht. ³A Seed Catalog For Extinct Annualsã ist keine einfache Kost fŸr diejenigen, die 4/4-Stakkatobeats gewohnt sind, die musikalische QualitŠt anhand der BPM-Zahl messen und die sich keine Ruhe gšnnen, um auch mal aufmerksam zuzuhšren. Wenn man letzteres mitbringt, kann man in die Musik des Deadfly Ensembles eintauchen, sich darin verlieren und eventuell sogar ein klein wenig den absurd-kuriosen Kosmos Lanthiers verstehen lernen. Wundervolles Kino fŸr das anspruchsvolle Gehšr.
Vertrieb / Label: Trisol/Soulfood
Autor: Thomas Thyssen
Ausgabe: 2008-02
Ondarock (Italy)
THE DEADFLY ENSEMBLE- A Seed Catalog For Extinct Annuals
di Mauro Roma
Deadfly Ensemble il side-project solista di Lucas Lanthier, meglio noto come il cantante dei Cinema Strange, una delle pi importanti formazioni in ambito gotico dell'ultimo decennio. Nella storia del Deadfly Ensemble questo nuovo catalogo di lugubri racconti illustrati segue e migliora sensibilmente il debutto di due anni fa; la vena artistica di Lucas ispirata, libera e felice: rispetto alla band madre il nostro accentua la spiccata attitudine teatrale, figlia dei maestri Virgin Prunes e sorella di realtˆ oscure come Sopor Aeternus e SexGang Children. Libero inoltre dai compromessi con le altre due menti pensanti dei Cinema Strange, Lucas accentua anche le tinte fosche e instabili derivanti dal suo canto dolcemente psicotico e da un accompagnamento musicale particolarmente ricco e variegato.
"A Seed Catalog..." si snoda dunque come un notturno vagabondaggio in un luna park vittoriano ormai da tempo abbandonato, un polveroso palcoscenico nel quale i protagonisti di storie tragiche e sepolte riprendono vita in quadretti surreali come "Revenge on the Nursemaid" e la pi muscolare "Meaty Bones", il pezzo pi vicino ai Cinema Strange con le sue accelerazioni al limite del death-rock, sebbene arrangiate per ensemble folk/cameristico. Spettacolo a luci spente, balletto di spiriti inquieti, catalogo di storie maledette magicamente evocate dal cantastorie Lanthier, sorta di incrocio tra Artaud, Stan Laurel e Gavin Friday, l'album si snoda con eccentrica eleganza in ogni sua scena, ogni brano un piccolo capolavoro di arrangiamento, al confine tra gotico da camera, art-rock, folk e tanto altro.
Su tutto le querule narrazioni di Lucas che si cimenta con successo tanto nella fiaba ("Polymelia And The Satyr") quanto in movimentati racconti di vita come l'eterea e accorata "Ursus Arktos The Bachelor" e la splendida ballad pianistica "The Adventures Of Jonas Mauken".
Con la vibrante "Dirty Weather" il nostro sembra invocare la protezione di David Tibet, mentre un forte retrogusto progressivo alimenta le allucinate visioni di "Queen Maude's Pirates" e "Dishonest Corset". Al culmine dell'ambizione, Lucas azzarda la lunga suite strumentale con "Tiny Little Things", 15 minuti farciti di effetti "spettrali"in lenta evoluzione; e per˜, malgrado lo spiegamento di mezzi, questa lunga gita nella casa stregata sorprende e coinvolge molto meno del resto dell'album.
Un album che in ogni caso un trionfo di radiose e atmosferiche ballate nere popolate da una folla di personaggi ora fantastici, ora tragicamente reali, tutti amabili e grotteschi; storie messe in scena con grande talento narrativo/musicale e con un senso del macabro mai scontato e stucchevole, bens“ sempre in miracoloso equilibrio tra i reali e incurabili tormenti di un Rozz Williams e l'ironia leggiadra e infantile di un Tim Burton. Per un risultato complessivo che spesso e volentieri supera gli stessi Cinema Strange, senza indulgere in troppi contorsionismi e effetti speciali, mirando invece dritto al cuore e centrandolo in pieno.
ReGen Magazine (USA)
The Deadfly Ensemble- ãA Seed Catalog For Extinct Annualsä
Trisol Records
Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2008
By: Matthew Johnson, Assistant Editor
Gloriously bizarre death rock, acoustic in style and nautical in theme
When Lucas Lanthier first announced the formation of The Deadfly Ensemble as an acoustic cabaret act, many fans presumed the new project would offer a glimpse of the softer side of his other band, the noisy death rock outfit Cinema Strange. If anything, the opposite is true. Rather than subduing Lanthier's manic energy, the acoustic instruments and comparative lack of feedback merely bring his frantic yelps and jumpy musical arrangements into sharper focus. The group's second album begins with an introduction of overdriven acoustic strumming and muffled orchestral samples, then lurches into the fractured mythological tale of "Polymelia and the Satyr," Lanthier squealing in quavering falsetto as Marzia Rangel's stately cello tries in vein to keep things grounded. On "Revenge on the Nursemaid," Lanthier takes on one of his favorite roles, the creepily precocious child, as gypsy-tinged guitars shuffle over Dizhan Blue's cabaret-inspired percussion, while "Meaty Bones and Porridge," a gruesome fairy tale, comes closer to straightforward death rock, distorted guitars wailing alongside the moaning cello. While Lanthier's affected vocal acrobatics make a printed lyrics sheet a necessity rather than a convenience, careful study rewards the listener with plenty of clever stories of a comically dark Victorian bent, vaguely suggestive of Edward Gorey, Oscar Wilde, and perhaps a hint of Tim Burton. Despite its botanical title, A Seed Catalog for Extinct Annuals adds the pirate-themed folk ditties of Dame Darcy and the sailing stories of Tony Millionaire's Maakies cartoons to the mix; "The Adventures of Jonas Mauken" tells the tale of a lucky but hapless sailor cursed to sink every ship he boards, with pianos pounded by Christian Norton standing in for crashing surf and gale-force winds, while "Dirty Weather" tells a similar tale, this time from the point of view of one of the drowned victims, the erhu (a Chinese stringed instrument) of Yi-Hsiuan Lee providing an appropriately shivery sense of nautical ghostliness. "Queen Maude's Pirates" is, appropriately enough, a pirate song, this time done up as acoustic death rock with plenty of wheedling treble guitar, while the surrealist fairy tale of "Ursusarktos the Bachelor" goes in the opposite direction with bassist James Powell keeping things deep and moody. Finishing the album off are "Dishonest Corset," a faintly Indian-sounding assemblage of twanging strings and wordless yips, and "Tiny Little Things," an extended, mostly instrumental performance that feels rather like a gothic jazz session, if only because each musician is given ample chance to show off his or her chops. Tacked on at the end is a lecture by Lanthier, entitled "The Pre-Decimalization Monetary System of Great Britain," which is exactly what its title says it is, and also features whistling and scatting in the background. Hardly the drowsy and sober neo-folk you might expect from an all-acoustic crew of eccentric goths, this is death rock through and through, with all the abrasiveness and theatricality that entails. Fans of Sex Gang Children, Virgin Prunes, and Christian Death, don't be fooled by the cello; A Seed Catalog for Extinct Annuals was made for you.