Words. Words help us to identify with everything around us. We try to explain to others with our mouths the feelings and thoughts of what we see, to connect with each other and know that what we are weaved together within the fabric of mankind. To relate. The most feared form of torture in our society isn't waterboarding or the denial of freedom.......it's solitary confinement. Isolation. We need other people, as much as some hate to admit it; we are nothing without others letting us know that our true ideas are not bordering the frayed edges of sanity. Communication.
Sometimes, words as a form of communication can only relay so much. Sometimes, you can't explain the sadness and beauty of the life around you, the unquenchable love and intense hatred that subsides in the heart, beating in rhythms.......the true fuel of our being.
There is no greater feeling than connecting a personal thought with someone else that you consider an equal. To know that you share something special.
Music is an idea in itself. It is nothing without us, bringing these thoughts from within ourselves to be projected to others all in the hopes that there is someone out there that relates, that says "I understand". Notes can speak when syllables fail us.
Ulver has been around for a very long time. They started out as a black metal band from Norway back in the 90's, and have progressed into one of the more interesting avant garde/psychedelic rock/experimental bands today. The song above is from their latest release, Messe-I.X-VI.X, and is a perfect example of their craft. Their music, like language, is not relatable to everyone. It is a long, hardened road of huge atmospheric soundscapes, comparable to an oncoming storm that looks like it's going to destroy everything in sight, only to pass over without a whisper as it brings with it a kaleidoscopic sunset that brings tears to your eyes.
They have over ten albums now in their discography. This is a band that is insistent on doing something different with every release, so it is guaranteed to be polarizing in certain areas. To listen to a single album by Ulver (Norweigan for wolves) and assume you have them pegged would be a pretty big mistake. While their music can be haunting and dark, it can also be very bright and uplifting as well.
Music. It's the ultimate purveyor and navigator of an underlying feeling that we cannot express. When you find a band that you feel helps you understand this, you want to share it with others in the hopes it can do the same. These guys might not be for everybody, but if Ulver speaks to you, I'm thinking that you are going to want to listen.
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