Genre: Ethereal Post-dreampop

01 Stable
02 Found
03 Muscle Memory
04 Malphacyte
05 Tulip Eyes
06 Black Glitter
07 Starry Messenger
08 Little Pieces (I)
09 Little Pieces (II)
10 For The Next Time The Whole World Floods With Tears

Quite a while ago I was studying some boring stuff, and needed a break before my head was about to implode. So I decided to check my email. What do you know, I had mail! A mail from Malahki, asking if some bands would fit my taste, so I could review them. One of these was Dandelion Wine. Of course, I googled before replying a firm yes. I came on http://www.dandelionwine.net/ this website of two older man playing ‘filk music’. Seemed promising. The songs I grabbed from their website were pretty cool, and actually made me wonder why Malahki asked me whether I’d like this or not. I mean, come on, it’s folk. That’s totally my style.

Well, when the new package-o-CD’s arrived, I noticed quite soon that I was wrong. Just by looking at the front of the digipack. I just doesn’t fit two older man (with all respect, of course). I turned it around, and there was the website of this band. Not a .net address, but a .com.au one. My mistake was clear, I found the wrong band with the right name. There are few things less annoying than two (or more!) bands with the same name. But my search went on. Ars Musica Diffundere was printed on the back. Well, that was promising. Ars Musica Diffundere is a small sublabel of the well known Black Rain label, having released music from Novalis, Predella Avant, Days Of The Trumpet Call and Kutna Hora. Not the worst bands around, and Dandelion Wine is now their label mate.

Dandelion Wine describes their music as ‘ethereal post-dream pop’. Well, it’s ethereal at times for sure, but the music can be pretty rough at times as well, in ‘Malphacyte’ for instance. Everything is pretty well balanced between soft dreamy pop and parts with a bit more energetic sound. There is plenty diversity to keep one entertained for the entire length of this release.

The longest track, ‘Starry Messenger’, deserves some special attention. It’s by far the longest track on this release, with a grand total of over eleven minutes in length, while the second longest track is shorter than seven minutes. It starts off with some nice acoustic guitar play, soon to be joined by a flute and some percussion/drums. These three instruments keep you hooked for around five minutes, with their hypnotic and beautiful play. Usually, the instrumental songs are the shortest ones on a release. Dandelion Wine turns it around, making their only instrumental piece of music the longest on this release. Six minutes before the end, ‘Starry Messenger’ turns into some ambient song. Though a lot of ambient music is thought of as boring, one can’t call this piece boring. Just give it a very good listen.

Then were all of a sudden listening to Love Spirals Downwards. Well, of course we’re not, but damn me if ‘Little Pieces (I)’ does not remind one of Love Spirals Downwards, one of my favorite bands I should listen more. Another point scored for Dandelion Wine. The follow up track, ‘Little Pieces (II)’ has a rather neofolk sound to it. Did I already noted down that there’s plenty of diversity? Highly recommended for fans of the French Prikosnovenie label. Now, under what genre should we archive this..?