Childhood's End

Ulver

ULVER is a very special and unique band. Their music is not very easy to listen […]
By Vasilis Odontidis
June 12, 2012
Ulver - Childhood's End album cover

ULVER is a very special and unique band. Their music is not very easy to listen to and has a small yet dedicated fan base while their records are also special in their own kind of way. They have changed various music styles throughout their career from Black Metal to acoustic and from folk to experimental managing all the time to maintain their identity and still be ULVER. Cover albums usually come with a great skepticism because of high probability of being a fail. Of course there are always bright exceptions like the METALLICA "Garage" records. ULVER took a tricky decision to release a cover record of songs from the 60s so as to expose their fans to the music they like. Ladies and gentlemen you are not having any hallucinations we are talking about hidden psychedelic underground gems of the psychedelic era delivered by ULVER. And oh Lord, what an awesome work have they done.

Sixteen songs are included in this album and half of them are about two minutes. ULVER pressed a button on the time machine put on their tight hippie jeans grew up those long funky hair that offer zero vision and  ... tada ! we are back in those days. Starting from the stunning cover of the record with the famous picture of the nuclear bombing of Japan. Put this record to somebody that has no idea that this is a cover record. No one will realize that and that is because the record has great flow. All the songs fit together like one band sat down and wrote them all for one record. ULVER turned those songs into their own songs, gave them a bit of their own darkness and magic and became one and the same. Amongst them all I picked "Everybody's Been Burned", "Today"," Can You Travel in the Dark Alone?", "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night", "Magic Hollow", "Soon There Will Be Thunder" and "Velvet Sunsets" and I am damn sure I am doing injustice to some others.

I am really excited about this record. This is something totally different from all the stuff that is being released lately. ULVER took a great risk in my opinion by digging out old personal favorite gems from dusty records and long forgotten vinyl collections. All the glory of psychedelia and dark trips is revived and this is a great chance to remember those awesome songs. This record is about nostalgia of a childhood that has ended. I was born after these decades but still it is impossible not to recognize and appreciate the magic of those songs.

10 / 10

Masterpiece

"Childhood's End" Track-listing:

1. Bracelets of Fingers (The Pretty Things)
2. Everybody's Been Burned (Byrds)
3. The Trap (Bonniwell's Music Machine)
4. In the Past (Chocolate Watchband)
5. Today (Jefferson Airplane)
6. Can You Travel in the Dark Alone (Gandalf)
7. I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night (Electric Prunes)
8. Street Song (13th Floor Elevators)
9. 66-5-4-3-2-1 (Troggs)
10. Dark is the Bark (Left Banke)
11. Magic Hollow (Beau Brummels)
12. Soon There Will Be Thunder (Common People)
13. Velvet Sunsets (Music Emporium)
14. Lament of the Astral Cowboy (Curt Boettcher)
15. I Can See the Light (Les Fleur De Lys)
16. Where is Yesterday (United States Of America)

Ulver Lineup:

Kristoffer Garm Rygg- Vocals
Jørn H. Sværen- Miscellaneous
Tore Ylwizaker- Keyboards
Daniel O'Sullivan- Guitars, Bass, Keyboards

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