NATURE AND ORGANISATION – BEAUTY REAPS THE BLOOD OF SOLITUDE – 1994 (UK) psychedelic dark folk

Nature and Organisation is a solo project by Michael Cashmore known for his work with David Tibet's Current 93 and Nurse With Wound. Both of these bands in their own way evoke a dark surrealism, a dadaesque gothic feeling of disturbance and romantic decay. Current 93 have often used folk music to portray this most notably on their album 'Thunder Perfect Mind' which is referenced here on one track. Nature and Organisation carry on this doomed quality, a forlorn romance and evocation of the lost and afraid. The album commences with a terrifying post-industrial soundscape that has rarely been matched except by Nurse With Wound themselves or the first album by Techno Animal. On the surface the imagery on the cover seems to reveal little, perhaps hinting at darker realms but closer inspection shows Christian icons in sufferance and the lyrics talk about belief in god. The inside cover imagery (shown right) relates to mystical roscrucianism and so a daunting premise is established in the listener. After the harshness of the first track we are treated to a perfect, defining cover version of Willow's Song from The Wicker Man soundtrack with vocals by Rose McDowall. This song is the best version of may found outside the film itself and for many justifies the purchase alone. The next track is a lonesome folk track of guitar and violin with spoken whispered vocals that survey some kind of post apocalyptic landscape and declare an undefined faith that god still walks the land. In 'My Black Diary' a shared dream state is explored with a good synthesizer pad suspended over guitar and gentle chimes. The album links together often quite lovely folk music with subtle but unsettling electronics. The vocals are not traditional in any sense, half spoken, half whispered in either David Tibet's higher voice or Cashmore's deep baritone. 'Beauty Destroyed' literally shreds the calmer romanticism and disturbs the flow, no doubt intentionally. It forces the listener to concentrate with orchestra, power drills and crashing planes seeming to meet. From here we move into the delicate black beauty of 'Skeletontongueworld' which is twisted with it's talk of a dark 'wickerfingered' god. Two short instrumentals of bassoon and violin lead into the epic last track 'Bonewhiteglory' which returns to the apocalyptic folk sound here talking about the return of a goddess. The lyrics of the songs are perhaps deliberately obtuse and intensely personal to the magical experiences of the writer The album is by turns on different listens beautiful, unsettling, reassuring and disturbing. It is not an easy album, in its way it is confrontational and demands the listen give intense dedication to it. Certainly those people with experience of magic seem to find it relevant but there is much here for the adventurous folk listener if they are prepared to let the lyrics wash over them. It is excellently played, wonderfully written and achieves the purpose it set out to, however to recommend it would perhaps miss the point. It is an album the listener must chose and find themselves. For some it may leave them unable to sleep, for others it will be revelation, the title of the album harks to beauty overcoming darkness and perhaps the last female spoken vocal of the album sums it up best 'how lovely, how sad'.

Michael Cashmore - guitars, mandolin, glockenspiel, keyboards, percussion, sounds
David Tibet – vocals
Douglas P. - vocals on track 5, e-bow on track 7
Rose McDowall – vocals
Steven Stapleton - sheep ventilator guitar
Benet Walsh – violin
Sally Wood - violin, keyboards
Mairéad Sheerin – cello
Lisa Oliver – flute
Amanda Jayne Edge – flute
Jason Burton – bassoon
1 Introduction 2:54
2 Wicker Man Song 4:33
3 Blood of Solitude I 1:17
4 Bloodstreamruns 4:38
5 My Black Diary 5:26
6 Tears for an Eastern Girl 5:41
7 Beauty Destroyed 1:34
8 Skeletontonguedworld 3:01
9 Obsession Flowers as Torture 1:51
10 Blood of Solitude II 1:52
11 Bonewhiteglory 9:46

For me it's a little mellower than Current 93, more meditative, more peaceful. It doesn't capture quite the same granduer, nor does it possess that deeply powerful, uplifting quality that the very best C93 albums do, but it could make you cry nonetheless. Naturally, I prefer the vocal tracks with David, who neither shrieks nor growls, but sings quietly and spiritually. He does, however stick to familiar lyrical territory and utilize imagery C93 heads will certainly appreciate. Even without David, the other pieces are lovely and never fail to keep me interested. Cashmore's guitar playing is really impressive too, almost reminiscent of John Renbourn in some places(namely that bit of "Obsession Flowers as Torture" before it goes industrial [terrific song title, BTW]). The best moments here can't quite compete with the dizzying heights of Thunder Perfect Mind or Of Ruine or Some Blazing Starre, but there's magic here, beautiful, sad, and glorious. If you are at all interested in apocalyptic folk (or really music in general) this is an essential recording.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! MONSTER!!!
Rip from CD 256@ (front cover)
Download link
http://link-protector.com/319440/