Sylvi Alli
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Ambient, ethereal
Status:
Most recent release, "Robes of Earth" (single 2021)
See also:
Vertical Pool's site
Comparisons:
Lisa Gerrard and Nina Simone. Some resemblance to other dark ethereal artists and projects like Amber Asylum, This Mortal Coil, There's a touch of Jim Morrison and Hannah Fury in the way she layers her vocals over the music.
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Dark and ethereal. Really lovely vocals and overall sound. She weaves a shadowy, evocative tapestry with the music and the bright but mournful thread of her voice. The darkness is gently handled, underplayed, and so more powerful than most artists who strain for the same effect. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Recommended first album:
A Hundred Birds is the first we've heard
Recordings:
- Too Near the Ghosts (2001)
- Under A Shipwrecked Moon (soundtrack, 2002)
- Dream of the Blue Moth (2003)
- A Hundred Birds (2007)
- Vessel (2010)
- Amidst the Circling Spires (with Alio Die, 2014)
- "aes" (single, 2017)
- "Narrowly" (single, 2019)
- "Highwire" (single, 2019)
- "Binabird" (single, 2020)
- "of Light" (single, 2020)
- "Robes of Earth" (single 2021)
A Hundred Birds
Release info:
2007—Vertical Pool—VPCD513
Availability:
See Vertical Pool's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for dark wave fans
Group members:
Sylvi Alli—vocals, keyboards, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, accordion, zither, electronics, harmonica, percussion
Comments:
One of my favourite CDs of 2007. Somewhere between gothic folk and ambient music, A Hundred Birds is a dark, mellow journey in myth and madness. The instrumentation (all performed by Ms. Alli) mixes electronics and acoustics (including banjo and zithers) into hypnotic, gentle and slightly disturbing soundscapes. Alli's near operatic voice vacillates between soaring highs and exploring the lower range of her voice. She sounds like a cross between Lisa Gerrard and Nina Simone. Her songs are filled with visionary images that linger in the mind. The opening song "Arrival" has a psychedelic feel. "Twilight" is a lullabye, the sweetest thing on this mournful album. The closing track "Maenad" is an experimental piece that ends the song-cycle on an unsettling note. For lovers of 'heavenly voices' and folk noir. (ethereal_lad@livejournal.com) The effects she can have are amazing. "Arrival" reminds me of Jim Morrison and Hannah Fury. "Flesh Has Flown" sounds so much like a traditional track, an ethereal Cordelia's Dad, but it's self-penned. There are moments of almost painful beauty, as the closing of the title track, "A Hundred Birds". The dark experimental ender, "Maenad" might not be to everyone's taste, but it does build to a satisfying, effective crescendo before fading. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Thanks to Sophia Gurley for work on this entry.
