V▲LH▲LL - Shadows

It was just this month that V▲LH▲LL released their label debut on Artoffact Records, the very well received Leaning On Shadows. With the physical version of the release, there were two options; either get the regular CD, or get the limited fan edition. I chose to get the limited fan edition, and it not only came with a patch and the CD, but also a cassette entitled Shadows.

This cassette served as a mirror to the album itself, perhaps a darker image projected through this imagery, but nonetheless a working of the witch house duo. Not one to make their efforts redundant, Shadows features two semi-ambient pieces that rework and touch upon themes and sounds from the original album itself, all while keeping its identity completely different from Leaning On Shadows.

The two tracks on the album are simply titled Shadows I and Shadows II, and the cassette is absolutely lovely. Not just in terms of musical quality, but also in terms of design. The logo of V▲LH▲LL covers the front of the cassette, with the title of it just below. The black cover reveals a very faint face, faded, but fitting very well as the cover art. The actual cassette is a see through red, which is vibrant, and comes with a white variant of both the logo and title of the act printed on it. For collector's you can't go wrong with this.

Now, onto the music itself. Both Shadows I and Shadows II last for fifteen minutes each, which comes to a total of thirty minutes of grand sounding and haunting music. The very essence of these two pieces that I enjoy the most is the blend between witch house and ambient music that is presented. Each piece starts off rather slow, but have a more electronic flavoring to them. They follow through, and eventually the dragging elements that come along from the witch house genre present themselves. Expect faded lyrical delivery from great vocal work, eerie sounds, and just an overall sense of uncanny bliss. The two tracks were fantastic.

I think the main reason I enjoy these two tracks so much is rather because it's an evolutionary experience to sit through both tracks. They're able to pull off both witch house and ambient, sometimes flowing into blacker territory, better than a lot of other guys associated with both genres. Crossing boundaries and experimenting was successful, and can possibly even lead to future genre-bending formulas in forthcoming releases. Either way, I am both glad to own this cassette and the music that comes along with it, and am even more proud to speak out loud about it. And V▲LH▲LL should be damned proud of the work they put out, and the praise it receives. Nov 21 2014