Louisa, May 2002
Label:
Prikosnovenie, France
www.prikosnovenie.com
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Apple Pentacle Reviews Extract of Review by Michael Shankland, Pentacle magazine, England,Beltane 2006. UK’s leading pagan magazine: http://www.pentaclemagazine.org/ Review at http://www.indiemerchstore.com/ (associated with Fossil Dungeon) * * * * * Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell, Collected Sounds, Sweden: http://www.collectedsounds/ “Louisa John-Krol's new album is inspired by the myth of the Green Man and the music carries all the weight of the myth. Her voice and artistry come to the fore on these songs. ‘The Windrow’ is the spirit of English folk with psychedelic leanings. ‘Which of these worlds’ has a vocal arrangement that echoes Laurie Anderson's vocal coos in ‘O Superman’. The music is progressive rock, the mellotron is just one of many proggish instruments that's used. ‘Canterville’ based on Oscar Wilde's tale of the restless ghost is a delightful soft hush. Its shades of Kate Bush are ghostly and eerie. ‘The Witch in the Wood’ mentions Robin Hood and is convincingly haunted. ‘Apple Pentacle’ is a masterful work by a great artist.” http://www.myspace.com/rockhard_italy “Il quinto lavoro dell’apprezzata cantautrice australiana era atteso da ormai 3 anni, durante i quali Louisa non si è certo fermata, partendo dal tour in compagnia di Francesco Banchini per approdare alle collaborazioni con Daemonia Nymphe, Oöphoi, Artemis, Stella Maris, Wintersilence e persino Ikon… Riunito il solito team artistico, comprendente il marito Mark, il produttore Brett Taylor, Harry Williamson (di quei Faraway che tanto ci mancano…) e persino il boss della Prikosnovénie (nonché leader dei Lys) Fred Chaplain, la bionda sirena dà vita ad un disco vario e completo sulla scia del precedente “Alabaster”, seppur non altrettanto coraggioso nel tentare soluzioni nuove. A scanso di equivoci, plaudiamo a come i dischi di Louisa restino i più vari e piacevoli da ascoltare tra quelli targati Prikosnovénie, ma stavolta è mancato il coraggio di estrarre dal cilindro una pop-song micidiale come “Me And The Machine” o una traccia techno ammaliante ed emozionante come “Dancing Over Acheron”… Tanto spazio all’intimo aspetto acustico, dunque, come dimostrano le melodie delicate e le percussioni etniche della suadente “The Windrow”, mentre Louisa conferma le sue grandi doti vocali (su tutte l’innata dolcezza) nella ballata folk “Birch Wandering” e nella fiabesca, meravigliosa “Escalder’s Tree Ride”. Parlano acustico anche “Canterville” (che, dopo un incipit ambient, s’infiamma senza bisogno d’elettricità), la sofferta ed intensa “The Green Pentacle” ed una “Poppet Plum” che evoca sonorità country molto passionali. Le poche sorprese ci vengono dalla sognante, sospesa ed eterea “Ceracini” e, soprattutto, dalla favolosa “Which Of These Worlds?”: una perla ammantata d’elettronica con una melodia vocale sublime ed un refrain groovy da capogiro che, a conti fatti, definiremmo un fulgido esempio di ‘pop spirituale’. Tra riferimenti letterari (da Matthews a Tolkien, passando per Wilde ed una favola scritta dalla stessa Louisa) e musicali (“Spin” è un chiaro omaggio ai Dead Can Dance), il disco scorre piacevolmente fino al conclusivo mantra elettronico di “Kunmanngur”, e non ci resta che prendere atto del fatto che la John-Krol non intende votarsi ad un forma di ‘pop’ che pure lei interpreta in maniera favolosa, rimanendo fedele ad un suono più fatato e sognante e mantenendo inalterata la propria dimensione poetica. Ad ogni modo, indubbiamente un’artista da amare.” Review by di Roberto Mandolini, Italy: www.losingtoday.itwww.rockerilla.comwww.extramusic.it “Il nuovo lavoro di Louisa John Krol è inspirato allo spirito della Foresta Verde, lo stesso che si ritrova in diverse mitologie sotto diverse forme. Da Osiride a Robin Hood, da Bacco a Krishna secondo la Krol l’Uomo Verde ha rappresentato un riferimento imprescindibile per ogni cultura sulla Terra, ed ora è il motivo di ispirazione per la sua nuova raccolta di canzoni. Musicalmente il disco si muove tra le maglie di un pop venato di folk, che si bagna di volta in volta dei suoni delle culture che racconta. La differenza la fa la voce incredibile di Louisa John Krol, spesso doppiata nelle canzoni per accentuarne la duttilità. “Apple Petacle” è un modo di favole e sogni, diviso in due parti: nella prima, “Athos”, le canzoni mostrano una verace brillantezza pop - ma c’è spazio anche per un cameo di Olaf Parusel degli Stoa (“Which Of These Worlds”); nella seconda parte, “Ardhuu”, più folk, emerge al contrario l’aspetto intimista e più liquido della musica di questa bravissima cantautrice.” Extract of review by Maurizio Pustianaz, chaindlk, Germany: http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews “Louisa prepared this delicious album that gathers classic folk elements (Gaelic), a little bit of jazz and electronic arrangements a la Laurie Anderson (“Oh Superman”) on Louisa’s song "Which of these worlds"… Sometimes her voice remember me Cocteau Twins melodies (eg. “Ceracini”); main vocal reference is Kate Bush, but she and and her collaborators use a wide range of traditional instruments that made the tracks do sound different: the harp, mandolin, viola and all (other) acoustic instruments are picked gently creating a charming atmosphere. Also the traditional references, made of various stories coming mostly from Green Man mythology, made APPLE PENTACLE an album of its own that will please your spirit and awaken your ears.” Abbreviated version of an extensive review by Mark Coyle, The Unbroken Circle, UK: http://www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk/album_reviews Since the mid 1990s Louisa has been making an esoteric dream-pop that explores mystical realms in song based music that combines ambient, world music, folk and trance soundscapes. The closest well known comparisons might be aspects of Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Clan of Xymox, Kate Bush or Loreena Mac Kennit. Louisa though clearly has a singular voice and artistic vision. Her vision explores such curious areas of fairies and those who may exist in non-physical realms…In her lyrics they are half revealed, hushed and seeming to emanate from the ether. This release is themed around the ‘green man’ folklore expressed in Herne the hunter, Robin Hood, Puck and 18th century literary romanticism of Pan. I have for a while on her previous releases envisaged that her music would suit a more directly folk based album and I’m therefore delighted that this is what we hear. Starting with a short layered vocal introduction the songs proper commence with ‘The Windrow’ which has a 70s sounding slow folk rock feeling. With rippling electric guitar, soft electric piano and space for Lousia’s vocal it’s a quite innovative pop song sound. Her lyrics seem to consider the nature of reality and that there might be alternates available to us. This theme is continued in ‘Which of these worlds?’ which has thunder and a choral introduction before a syncopated sampled vocal pattern in the style of Laurie Anderson. Backwards pianos herald the song itself which has a marvellous folk melody behind highly unusual lyrics. Versions of Louisa sing alternating lines of an increasingly dramatic song, the lyrics exploring the possibility of multiple versions of the same person and which is the ‘real’ one. ‘Spin’… evokes the Celtic subtly with harp and vocals... beautifully performed with medieval drones from hurdy-gurdy and string melodies joining in, as though Mary Margaret O’Hara had been beamed back many centuries. ‘Birch Wandering’ is next with chiming guitars, mandolins and dulcimers playing together over which Louisa sings an innocent melody of Spring’s hope. ‘Escalder’s Tree Ride’ has a stunning folk melody over etheric resonant dulcimer type strings. It’s intoxicating with lyrics of ‘his blood flows back to the mountain’, a spell seemingly being woven for us. On these songs Louisa is making the music I had always hoped for. ‘Canterville’ is dream like, just echoing vocals and whispers over angel harp. With lyrics drawn from Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Canterville Ghost’. It has a spectral feeling at first but gradually takes on pulsating hand percussion and strummed acoustic invocation at the edge of perception. The central song ‘The Green Pentacle’ has a sombre, even mournful feeling with classical guitar spiralling over cello and Louisa’s mysterious vocals. It’s almost creepy, creating the feeling of being witness to an enchantment… ‘Ceracini’ is like being part of a young girl’s dream, similar perhaps to Jane Siberry’s ‘The Walking’ album or Kate Bush’s ‘The Ninth Wave’… instruments providing a drone for curious vocals to fade into view around the stereo field. ‘Poppet Plum’ is full of simplicity and grace over string instruments. It seems to describe spirits watching a child, the invisible observing the humans. There is a toy melody like quality like that of a clockwork ballerina. It’s very affecting, some kind of unspoken emotion being inspired from our childhood. It ends with Louisa singing the old Robin Hood song with only reverb… Our childhood friendship with the green man remembered. ‘The Witch In The Wood’ has a folk melody over piano and harpsichord. Whistles and flutes join in, a stately dance performed with siren vocals and soft but expansive keyboards. There is a strong Kate Bush like narrative quality here but without being derivative. This has a playful magic of its own, the witch seen sympathetically as a force of liberation and empowerment with lyrics of ‘tell me how to find, the witch in the wood’. ‘Kunmanngur’ combines electronics, bell sounds and wood rhythms magically to bring Louisa’s green wood to her Australian home. Louisa creates and sustains a mood through her combination of folk music, folklore and dream-state pop music… Her version of Robert Grave’s ‘The White Goddess’, the feminine evoking in art in a convincing and immersive way. Clearly Louisa has made it not just as a suite of songs but as a musical place of sanctuary. I will be returning to her green wood.” Extract of review at Sonidobscuro, Spain www.sonidobscuro.com ”Su voz es etérea, de las que antes se habría encuadrado en las heavenly voices y ahora, que las etiquetas proliferan, se apellida ‘feérica’, por aquello de las hadas. Las discográficas pocas veces aciertan cuando dan otras referencias como método de orientación, pero en este caso Prikosnovenie da de lleno al sugerir Lorena Mc Kennit y Kate Bush (véase ‘The Witch in the Wood’). Cabría añadir también a Mónica Richards, de Faith and the Muse, en cortes como el fantástico ‘The Green Pentacle’, quizá uno de los más redondos del disco. Las similitudes, sin embargo, no son imitaciones. Se trata, simplemente, de canciones cuyas raíces cercanas a ciertos folclores le imprimen unos aires característicos. La voz de la australiana está perfectamente arropada por sus músicos y, en algunos casos, compositores. Guitarras acústicas y eléctricas, mandolinas, melotrón, palos de lluvia, campanillas tibetanas y sintetizadores son algunos de los instrumentos que contribuyen a crear los paisajes sonoros de ‘Apple Pentacle’.” Extract of review by Craig L. Gidney USA http://www.myspace.com/ethereallad “The Scottish folklorist Andrew Lang collected European myths and folktales, retold them for a Victorian audience, and grouped them according to theme and, ultimately, color. Australian singer-songwriter Louisa John-Krol has a background as professional storyteller, and like Lang, has found a common theme, stories of the Green Man, and uses this album to explore a cross-cultural archetype, from the English Robin Hood to the Welsh Atho. .. the lyrics are impressionistic… snippets of half-told tales and are sung with such delicacy and precision, they are inseparable from the music. LJK’s soprano swoops through pieces that meld folk, progressive pop, electronica and new age... After an ethereal invocation of the opening “Atho,” the Wurlitzer-heavy “The Windrow” plays like a vintage Jefferson Airplane piece. “Which One of These Worlds?” begins with Laurie Anderson-like processed vocals before descending into propulsive trance electronica. “Spin,” and “The Green Pentacle” are medieval folk, with hurdy-gurdy and harp accompanying acoustic guitar. The closing “Kummanngur” is a drone-filled tribal song that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Delirium album. One of the pleasures of this album is how the disparate musical set pieces fit together like a puzzle. You can barely see the joinery between the modern touches (synthesizers, drum machines) and archaic instruments, such as dulcimers, violas and harps. LJK reminds one of Loreena McKennitt and Kate Bush, and like those women… follows her wild muse wherever it leads her. She does bringer a darker, if not “gothic,” aspect to her music that grounds her flights of fancy. This dark, dreamy album is the aural equivalent of the fairytale art of Edmund Dulac and Gustav Dore.” Review at Music Non Stop, UK http://www.musicnonstop.co.uk/ “Louisa John-Krol offers her new fairyesque album "Apple Pentacle" - dedicated to the green spirits of nature and inspired by fairy histories and mythologies. "Apple Pentacle" includes instrumentation from viola, mandolin, hurdy gurdy, tibetan bell, triangle, windchimes, rain stick, piano, dulcimer, harp, and earth percussions creating an enchanting and bewitching other-worldliness...” Review in The Sentinels of Time by Brown Jenkin, France http://thesentinelsoftime.club.fr “La fée australienne, loin de perdre la foi et l'inspiration, signe avec "Apple pentacle" un pur moment d'émerveillement, un instant de bonheur et de paix unique et parfait. Une échappée belle dans une immense forêt où règne la quiétude et qui appelle au recueillement, c'est d'ailleurs un opus consacré à un être fantastique que "Apple pentacle" est dédié, "L'homme vert", protecteur de la nature. Ce voyage 2005 est à ranger au côté des chefs-d'œuvre de Louisa John-Krol, "Alexandria" et "Ariel", mais une chose est frappante ici, l'artiste aventure sa voix en des registres encore plus variés que par le passé, si la référence qui revenait sans cesse auparavant était Loreena Mac Kennitt, Louisa s'apparente maintenant tout autant à Kate Bush. Superbe, Louisa est une magicienne et le label Prikosnovénie un royaume enchanté.” approximate translation of above review “The Australian fairy, far from losing the faith and the inspiration, signs with "APPLE pentacle" a pure moment of amazement, one moment of happiness and single and perfect peace. A beautiful escape in an immense forest where reign the quietude and which call with meditation, it is besides a opus devoted to a fantastic being that "APPLE pentacle" is dedicated, "the green man" , protective of nature. This voyage 2005 is to be arranged at the side of the masterpieces of Louisa John-Krol, "Alexandria" and " Ariel" , but a thing is striking here, the artist ventures her voice in registers even more varied than in the past, if the reference which returned unceasingly before were Loreena Mac Kennitt, Louisa is connected Review in Gothic Garden http://gothicgarden.blogspot.com “Después de su colaboración con OPHOI y GHOSTFISH, la genial Louisa John Krol nos ofrece su nuevo álbum mágico "APPLE PENTACLE", después de su último ábum oficial -Alabaster- la voz de Louisa nos hace recordar a kate Bush o Emilia Torrini, este álbum y las letras están de dedicadas a los espíritus de la naturaleza, como Louisa se inspira en historias y mitologías. Este álbum hecho de madera, viola, mandolina, hurdy gurdy, aire, campanas tibetanas, triángulo, arrullos del agua, lluvia copiosa, piano, dulcimer, arpa, percusiones, bajo.... Sin duda Louisa nos deja entrar a su mundo encantado. Louisa John Krol, la cantante australiana que pasó su infancia en la selva, rodeada de una energía mágica. Su convivencia con Dead Can Dance le hizo descubrir un mundo de música y mística. Su estilo de claras influencias celtas hace acordar a Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Kate Bush o Lisa Gerrard: sonidos dulces y volátiles, instrumentos como la mandolina, la flauta, percusiones varias, el arpa, el piano o el clarinete se intercalan con sutiles tratamientos electrónicos. Por encima planea la mágica voz de Louisa, interpretando poemas de hadas, la Ilíada de Homero o el Infierno de Dante. A lo largo de su carrera musical a prestado y tenido notables colaboraciones como con Daemonia Nymphe, Ghostfish, Ophoi, Francesco Banchini, Olaf Parusel, Harry Williamson, Gianluigi Gasparetti, Artemis, Stella Maris, entre otros.” Intro at Need For Goth, Germany http://www.needforgoth.de “Louisa John-Krol is a fantastic artist, with a voice made of purest crystal, and a fabulous storyteller. Intro at Projekt US http://www.projekt.com & Kalinkaland, Germany http://Kalinkaland.de & Paradox Ethereal, Greece http://www.paradoxethereal.com “Louisa's voice reminds us of Kate Bush or Emilia Torrini's voices, her album and lyrics dedicated to the green spirits of the Nature… Her album is made of WOOD, viola, mandolin, hurdy gurdy, of AIR, tibetan bell, triangle, windchimes of WATER, rain stick, piano, dulcimer, harp, and EARTH percussions, bass...” General intro to Louisa’s music http://www.mickmercer.com “I was drawn to John-Krol’s voice by her work with Ikon… furrow that brow and mentally cross Danielle Dax with Kate Bush and in that feverish landscape you will find John-Krol” (mickmercer’s page includes review of Alabaster and comments on the label prikosnovenie). General intro, Nocturnal Movements, US http://www.livejournal.com/users/jett_black/93477.html “Louisa John-Krol is as enigmatic and as enchanting as the very conception of feminine vitality and nourishment that every man believes to be both alluring and elusive. When I listen to recorded lyrics and vocalisations flowing from the discography of Louisa John-Krol, my thoughts rush toward the beauty of women, and the sanctity of life on Earth. “ Review by Federico Tozzi, Kronic, Italy http://www.kronic.it/rec_get.asp?sId=12816 “Torna la sempre indaffaratissima Louisa John Krol, già assurta da tempo a voce simbolo della Prikosnovénie, e diventata negli ultimi tempi anche stacanovista della musica per via delle sue infinite collaborazioni; solo nell’ultimo anno si contano il progetto Ghost Fish, l’album scritto a quattro mano con Oophoi e la partecipazione al secondo Love Sessions di prossima uscita. Nel frattempo è anche riuscita a scrivere il suo nuovo album e ad arricchirlo di tutto uno studio mitologico che si basa non solo sulle culture e le tradizioni di ogni parte del mondo ma anche di quanto lei stessa ha scritto nella sua opera ‘The Legend Of Elderbrook’. Una donna impegnata quindi. Review by Beautevil in Gothtronic, The Netherlands http://www.gothtronic.com “Heavenly music is absolutely the right term for the music on “Apple Pentacle”. Inspiration sources like Tolkien, Shakespeare and Wilde betray the sound of the music, but it’s good to know that Aboriginals and Robin Hood left their mark. The Green Man and his journey through time in several shapes form the main story on this album. Music for elves, dreamers, thinkers and people who like to enjoy themselves. ‘Which Of These Worlds’ will attract pop minded lovers, because this song has more pace and is more danceable. The music is inventively built around the magic voice of Louisa (and) all the instruments (like harp, acoustic/ classic guitar, mandolin, piano, Tibetan bell etc.) is truly amazing. Although they use a lot of different instruments the songs still sound open and accessible. It makes “Apple Pentacle” a ‘must’ for everyone who like medieval, heavenly voices and folk.” Listener’s responses: “I love CDs where there is a new discovery with every listen, and just from the first listen I can tell that Apple Pentacle is one of those special CDs… such a lovely fantasy ride. “ (Gordon Danis, USA) “ Exquisite one minute, haunting the next...my words are not enough. I have always thought of music as .... (Ian Walker, UK.)
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Apple Pentacle Reviews
"Apple Pentacle" leads us into a fairy world made of various stories flowing mostly from Green Man mythology…With cinematic lyrics and fairy soundscapes… result is dreamy fairy pop music with a beautiful, heavenly voice. Like Kate Bush, she explores the different feelings in her voice: sensual, sweet, harsh or ethereal, as if her creatures embody her soul. Let's enter her bewitching worlds.”
‘Apple Pentacle’ è il canto in onore dello spirito dei boschi, l’”omino verde” o Green Man si potrebbe dire, quello che va sotto il nome di Pan o Dionisio per la nostra cultura classica ma per gli egizi diventa Osiride e per gli inglesi prende le forme di Robin Hood. La lista è lunga e va dal sumero Enkidu al Treebeard Tolkeniano al Wild Man che viene dal Pacifico. L’album in se si suddivide in due parti e un finale e bisogna ammettere che Louisa ha fatto centro anche questa volta. La prima parte, ‘Atho’, è un etno pop che raggiunge vette decisamente elevate nelle iniziali, ‘The Windrow’ e ancora di più ne ‘Which Of These Worlds’ che vede lo zampino anche di Olaf Parusel degli Stoa. ‘Birch Wandering’ è il brano che più si avvicina al folk pop con cantato femminile che negli ultimi tempi va parecchio di moda. Tutto molto buono. La seconda parte, ‘Ardhuu’, si avvicina, al contrario, verso strutture più marcatamente etniche, e, dato l’argomento, in alcuni momenti ha venature albioniche, dato aqnche il sangue di origine gallese dell’australiana Louisa. Spesso più rarefatto e più simile ai suoi precedenti album questa seconda parte risulta leggermente inferiore alle prime canzoni. ‘Apple Pentacle’ è un album che si fa godere per tutta la sua durata, che incuriosisce e piace per cura del suono, arrangiamenti, varietà di soluzioni e per quella voce che riesce ogni volta a farti sognare di essere libero.”
'the life force'.... contained in these compositions are beauty, fun, sadness, joy, yearning, finding, wonder.”
“French based label Prikosnovenie remains one of the most highly regarded labels in the ethereal music arena and Australian musician Louisa John Krol remains one of the most successful artists Prikosnovenie has promoted. Prikosnovenie has joined forces with Louisa for another powerful album filled with luscious female vocals, storytelling, stellar song writing & instrumentation… "Apple Pentacle" left me floating in a warm ambience of pleasure: twelve songs shrouded in myth and fantasy following the established tradition of this celebrated artist. Many songs featured on "Apple Pentacle" revolve around the theme of the green man portrayed in mythology and numerous cultures…Louisa created inspiring songs that pay homage to this deeply imbedded mythic figure (and) cites inspiration from several literary works. Assisting Louisa is a wide array of musicians that provide a dizzying selection of acoustic instrumentation. The music never lulls about in one style but rather dashes forward into new domains keeping the listening experience refreshing and engaging. "Apple Pentacle" is divided into three chapters titled "Atho" and "Ardhuu" (which) have distinct personalities instrumentally and stylistically. "Atho" contains five ethereal pop songs that communicate mystical musings about ones place in life and the external and internal worlds. "Ardhuu" contains six distinct songs that draw upon European traditional music while exploring innovative song arrangement & composition. "Finale" breaks from both previous chapters and features one exclusive song based upon Aboriginal folklore from Louisa's homeland. "The Window” (second song in Part One) could be described as lounge ethereal. There is a particular effortless sensuality that is breathed into the song…as the listener is floated out of the mundane and into a spiritually reflective realm. Louisa's vocals meander between serene narrative and confident chorus lines. This alternation demonstrates the soft, graceful side of her voice as well as the strong majestic quality she is able to command. The pairing of the instrumentation and voice is untouchable. Louisa's voice captures the listener and gently transports you away from the entanglement of mundane reality like sweet honey pouring from the sun itself. Track eight "The Green Pentacle", third in Part Two Ardhuu draws inspiration from traditional folklore of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The strings and guitar entwine in a darkly romantic dance….Louisa croons across the instrumentation; her voice filled with the strength of a wise crone as it unfolds in dark splendour rarely seen. Louisa tells an ambient narrative of forbidden love between a knight and a Lady. The pairing of voice and masterful instrumentation is beyond reproach as it is flawlessly delivered leaving the listener spellbound. Finale: “Kunmanngur" (a serpent in an Aboriginal tale told by Kianoo Tjeemairee of the Murinbata Tribe) begins with ambient sounds mixed with electronics that sound like exotic birds or unseen animals in a natural landscape. There is a sense of primordial beginnings that precede humanity implied by the explorative ambience. A steady pairing of deep bass drumming and stick percussion gently emerges from the ambience alongside Louisa's voice. Louisa's voice is subdued as she takes upon herself the mantle of ancient storyteller and pays homage respectively to this archaic tale of tribal creationism. Hearing Louisa translate this ancient tale is not only impressive it is deeply inspiring. Louisa demonstrates the full range of her artistic identity as she once again envelops the listener in a twilight world of myth and spirituality. "Apple Pentacle" is a crown achievement for Louisa John Krol. I highly recommend this release to all fans of ethereal, medieval, and heavenly voice music. Though the album transcends all of these genres it will be well appreciated by followers of these musical styles. I also encourage readers who do not regularly listen to the above genres to check out this release. Louisa has achieved a phenomenal album that fluctuates between dawn and dusk and anyone with an appreciation of voice and acoustic instrumentation will find this release highly impressive and enjoyable. And for all of you dark music lovers out there, if you are feeling the need to seek shelter from the oppressive domain of dark music, Louisa John Krol is your ticket to a lighter, more inspirational listening experience that will hold your attention.”
Review of “Apple Pentacle” by Jan Willem Broek, The Netherlands
www.subjectivisten.org/caleidoscoop/Senzor/Radio100/Subjectivisten/OOR Popencyclopedie
“Eerder dit jaar is de Australische zangeres/multi-instrumentaliste Louisa
John-Krol al samen met Oophoi te horen op het album "I Hear The Water
Dreaming" en tevens in het project Ghostfish samen met de Griekse band
Daemonia Nymphe. Met die eerste verkent ze op meer ambientachtige wijze haar
sprookjesuniversum, met de tweede komen meer de gothische en Griekse
folkelementen naar voren. Op haar solo albums, steevast te herkennen doordat
ze met een A beginnen (Argo, Alexandria, Ariel, Alabaster), brengt ze
meestal sprookjesachtige pop gemengd met wereldmuziek. Dit is ook het geval
op de nieuwe "Apple Pentacle". Het album is in tweeën gesplitst, namelijk in
het vijf nummers tellende "Atho", het zes nummers tellende "Ardhuu" en tot
slot nog een finalenummer. Op het eerste deel brengt ze haar gebruikelijke
engelachtige mengsel van pop, wereldmuziek en een vleugje gotiek. Het
mooiste nummer daarvan is het Bel Canto-achtige "Which Of These Worlds?",
dat mede met de hulp van Olaf Parusel van de band Stoa tot stand is gekomen.
Qua stem moet je denken aan Loreena McKennit, Kate Bush en Anneli Drecker.
De instrumenten, bespeeld door haar en een handvol gasten, zijn zeer divers
en worden ingedeeld in "hout" (viool, mandoline, gitaar, lier), "lucht"
(Tibetaanse bel, triangel, (wind) klokken), "water" (rainstick, piano,
hakkebord, harp) en "aarde" (percussie, bas). Het geluid is buitengewoon
rijk gedetailleerd. Op het tweede deel vaart ze een meer ingetogen koers met
traditionele muziekinvloeden. Overigens vlakt ze daarmee de eerder genoemde
elementen niet uit, maar de sereniteit valt hier zeker op. De muziek laveert
ergens tussen Kate Bush, Bel Canto, Lisa Gerrard, Stoa, Enya en zelfs
Emiliana Torrini. Eén van de prachtigste nummers van deel twee is "The Green
Pentacle". De cd is overigens ook opgedragen aan de groene geesten van de
aarde. Nog veel belangrijker is dat Louisa John-Krol een wonderschoon album
aflevert. Op betoverende en soms onaardse wijze toont ze haar lieflijk
universum waarin sprookjes nog bestaan.”
Review of “Apple Pentacle” by David D’Halleine, Felinea, France http://www.felinea.com/kron/kil.html#penta
“Imaginez que votre âme d'enfant a eu raison de vos pensées d'adulte car ce n'est qu'ainsi que votre esprit saura percevoir toute la luminescence de [ Apple pentacle ], la dernière perle sonore de Louisa John-Krol. A l'image de ce talent australien, l'histoire qui nous est contée décrit - l'Homme vert - dénommé différemment au fil des temps. En harmonie avec la nature, cet être offre à Louisa l'inspiration, exposée d'une manière éthérée sur 'The windrow'. Grâce au jeu d'échos vocaux, le morceau 'Which of these worlds ?' enchante et introduit avec justesse le troublant 'Spin' couplant les murmures chantés aux sonorités plaintives d'un orgue de Barbarie. Peu à peu, la mandoline audible sur 'Birch wandering' laisse entrevoir l'allégresse enveloppant l' 'Escalder's tree ride', affirmée par la voix enjouée de Louisa. 'Canterville', quant à lui, débute par un a capella inspiré progressivement chahuté par des sons festifs mais c'est sur 'The green pentacle' que la magie opère car l'instrumentation inhérente au violon et aux touches de la harpe confère à l'ensemble un équilibre majestueux. Une ballade à base de murmures épars telle que 'Ceracini' nous plonge dans une enfance dont le reflet est préservé au sein d'une mélodie attachante ('Poppet plum'). Ce n'est pas la sorcière cachée dans le bois qui saurait troubler l'atmosphère enchanteresse née d'un clavecin complice ni même l'énigmatique 'Kunmanngut' ( conçu à l'aide de Fred Chaplain de Lys ) constituant le final de ce voyage relaxant au pays des songes. Une certitude, Louisa a du sang de fée dans les veines et c'est sans doute pour cela que sa musique rend étincelant les regards, épris de liberté et nostalgique de l'innocence”
Back to Top
'Alabaster'
Reviews 2003: “Quatrième
album de Louisa John-Krol, "Alabaster", s’il
demeure résolument orienté vers les ambiances féeriques et les sonorités
folkloriques qui
caractérisent la blonde Australienne, emprunte cette fois quelques chemins de
traverse parfois
bien surprenants. Aux incursions pop décelées sur le précédent opus
"Ariel" et
largement représentées ici, Louisa vient y ajouter ça et là quelques touches
synthétiques qui
loin de dénaturer l’onirisme habituel de ses compositions, leur
confèrent une dimension tout à fait intéressante (Dancing over Acheron).
Et si
les références à Loreena McKennitt ne risquent pas de s’estomper avec cet opus
(Paint the Wind), la
participation de divers collaborateurs tels Olaf Parusel (Stoa), Harry
Williamson (Faraway), Francesco
Banchini (GoR/Atarxia) ou les Grecs de Daemonia Nymphes vient
apporter une diversité de couleurs et de styles salvatrice au pouvoir évocateur
de cet album. Éléments
centraux d’"Alabaster", le chant et la guitare acoustique, ici
épaulés de percussions, flûtes, clarinette ou lyre nous transportent vers des
contrées bien
plus lointaines que l’Australie natale de la belle. Un bien
beau voyage lyrique aussi bien influencé par les écrits d’Homer que
ceux d’Oscar Wilde, Emily Dickinson ou Dante.” Funprox: “Alabaster treats
us to atmospheric music with romantic and ethereal qualities… Instrumentation is
very diverse, dominantly acoustic in nature: mandolin, flute, harp, piano,
lyre… On top of that the
voice of Louisa leads the songs, reminding at times of Kate Bush… A little medieval,
a bit eastern, it will be appreciated by lovers of Dead Can Dance or Loreena
McKennitt. On ‘Stone Lake’
Louisa’s voice makes me think a little of Madonna (think ‘Frozen’)… Truly an album
with a rich sound in which there is a lot to discover…” Ver Sacrum, Italy:
“E' sempre un
piacere, ascoltare la bella voce della musa australiana Louisa John
Krol. La sua musica,
così semplice, così genuina, ha il potere di evocare in noi paesaggi
dilatati, Eden nascosti,
immagini sfocate perse nell'immensità del vuoto, quell'assenza di
barriere fisiche che richiama le sconfinate distese della sua terra. "Alabaster",
ultima creazione di quest'anima sì delicata, vanta
collaborazioni illustri, sia in ambito compositivo. E' musica che
necessita certo predisposizione all'ascolto, leggiadra come il volo della
farfalla, rigenerante come
la brezza serotina nell'immobile calura di una giornata estiva. Come definire
altrimenti "The throng on the Pier" (con riferimenti lirici all'Iliade ed alla
Divina Commedia), e "Waterwood", capaci di
cristallizzare in una goccia d'ambra le nostre emozioni rimandandole
all'infinito, o l'eterea
"Stone Lake"? Commuove "The search for lost souls -
Midnight", testo di Emily
Dickinson, uno dei tre brani che a livello lirico non sono appannaggio dei due
Krol, Louisa e Mark (gli
altri titolano "The lily and the rose", ballata d'autore rimasto
anonimo del XVI secolo, ed
il riuscito recitato "How should I your true love know", il canto d'Ofelia
dello shespiriàno Amleto), un'interpretazione
squisita supportata da finissimi ceselli strumentali, e tanta artefatta new-age
mai riuscirà a raggiungere tali picchi emozionali. L'elettronica fa
la sua decisa comparsa in "Me and the Machine", quasi a la Sneaker
Pimps, un brano
incredibilmente moderno, perfettamente
incastonato nel finissimo diadema che compone "Alabaster". Opportunamente
sostenuto, potrebbe divenire a breve un piccolo hit underground. L'atmosfera torna
a rarefarsi in "Light on the wall", dalle screziature
percussive ambient che presto lasciano il campo a ritmiche etno. "The seventh
ingress" è improvvisazione pura, qui è Olaf Parusel a de-strutturare il
pezzo, e la nostra Lys a
prestare il magnifico strumento della quale Madre Natura l'ha dotata, la voce! Un cono d'ombra
vela questa piece, eclissando il nostro sentire. La vigorosa
"Paint the wind" omaggia il pittore Karan Wicks, di "How should
I..." e di "The
search of lost souls..." abbiamo scritto, residuano i lunghi "Approaching
the Island od Sirens" (davvero, è il
canto delle Sirene!) e "Dancing over Acheron", entrambi ben oltre
gli otto minuti, e non sono certo
bastanti! Come saziare cotanto desìo d'Ambrosia? Si torna così ad
indugiare su queste note, abbandonandosi mollemente alla contemplazione. Grafica
spettacolare, confezione digipack immancabilmente curatissima. Ah, Prikosnovenie
benedetta, tu ci vizi!” (Hadrianus) http://www.versacrum.com/musica Fiend Magazine, Australia: “Medieval folk is the term
sometimes used to classify LJK’s faerie music though this seems a bit
shortsighted. While many artists in her genre may suffer from a region-centric
sound, John-Krol’s music covers the
experiences of many locales and eras and hence is an ever-changing array of
sounds. She successfully melds the old and new into a modern context. The title “Alabaster” was
inspired by an Emily Dickinson poem and the theme of the album is influenced by legendary
figures such as Persephone, Hades, Ophelia, Homer and Dante. John-Krol collaborated with a geographically diverse group of
musicians and utilized a wide range of
musical instruments, both ancient and modern including mandolin, guitar, keyboards, ethnic
percussion and a gorgeous Middle-Eastern inspired clarinet, played by Italian musician Francesco
Banchini. The most prominent instrument throughout is John-Krol’s Blissful unifying voice.
Although the central theme of Alabaster is not exactly contemporary, two songs stand out that
deviate wildly from the general mood and tempo. Dancing over Acheron is a mostly instrumental
electronica track. The other track, the
Garbage-sounding Me and the Machine tells of anxiety of the
automaton-like existence of modern day humanity and our so-called ‘freedom’
in a inorganic age of technology. It is in songs such as these
that John-Krol’s flexible and experimental style can especially be heard. Yet,
although she doesn’t limit herself soley to the genre This, combined with her genre-bending
musical style proves her to be a compelling artist” http://www.fiend-magazine.com/01/music-reviews NB. Whilst this review appeared in Fiend Magazine,
Australia, R. Sawyer was based in Paris when he wrote this review and
attended our show at La Loco. He will soon begin Bloody
Mary Magazine, to be produced in North
America. Les reves de LJK ne sont pas
de ce monde. Ils appartiennent a un
univers merveilleux, fait de contes et de mythes, dont elle seule a la cle.
Entouree d’une pleiade d’instrumentistes de talent, la fee des antipodes qui a
passé son enfance dans le bush autralien, nous conduit, mandoline au
bras, sur des sentiers imaginaries
ou se croisent Dante et Shakespeare, Homere et la poetesse Emily
Dickinson. Un voyage emouvant ou les
sonorites acoustiques melent leur raffinement a
d’hypotiques nappes electroniques. J.-E.P. June 2003. No.3064. http://www.bahai-biblio.org/centre-doc/presse/temoignage-chretien Infratunes, France: “If a word only one were to
define ‘Alabaster’ would be melody… Epique and fougeuse on ‘The
Throng and the Pier’ or more medievale for the
duet mandoline/pink guitar of ‘The lily…”… then total reversal of
environment with the pop one, in a pure style Garbagien, of ‘Me and the
Machine’. Here, Louisa seeks new
horizons and tries new experiments, daring but successful. ‘The Seventh Ingress’, which
follows the frenzy of ‘Light on the Wall’, is not other than an
improvisation keyboard/song between Olaf Parusel de Stoa and Louisa. Much more contemplative and
sad, the voice of the Australian fairy takes a width and a depth close to the divine, without
never leaving its silky natural softness, almost maternal. Pop ‘Paint the Wind’ pays
homage to the painter Karan Wicks, while Shakespeare is put
sublimely in music thanks to ‘How should I…’ whereas ‘Approaching the
island of Sirens’ is inserted in ambient opaque loan of mysticism… last surprise will come from
‘Dancing over Acheron’ straightforwardly dancefloor… certain titles remain
engraved in the memory quasi-instantanement and one surprises oneself to
whistle them, because musicalement they
have all that it is necessary to cling to the brain. Sometimes the surprises hide
where they less are awaited.” Chronicles of the ‘Author’,
Infratunes. 'Ariel'
Reviews: D-Side Magazine,
France: Vampiria
Magazine, Italy: Polarlicht
Magazine, Germany (abbreviated version): Dragon Flight
Magazine, USA: Zillo Magazine,
Germany "L. John-Krol
already amazed me with her debut-album "Alexandria"
on Hyperium. Flux Europa, England Oriflamme Journal, England Eurock,
USA: Lefantastique,
Belgium: Deep Listenings
Magazine, Italy: Presto Magazine,
France: Gonzo Circus
Magazine, Holland: Tranceform,
Germany: Heimdallr,
Switzerland:
Coroner/Russian
Gothic Project, Russia: “Louisa
John-Krol is a true pixie, living in an industrial suburb of
Melbourne, Australia…So why do I call her a pixie? It's
simple: she makes wonderful music, as a lover of female vocals,
I confess I was bowled over by this album! 'Alexandria' already
was not bad, but this CD is a real masterpiece. There are many
vocalists and many nice female voices in the world, but the
impression produced on the listener depends on how fully does
the singer give in to the music. On this CD, Louisa gave herself
fully to the music, it is heard in every sound, in every tune….If
you like the style and creations of Lorena McKennitt, Kate Price
& Carolene Lavelle, this album will not cease to impress
you.” "Ariel,
spirit-servant of enchanter Prospero, may be played by any gender.
The spirit may take any form, from fierce harpy to gentle sprite.
For Louisa, Ariel serves as a spiritual muse. The album opens
with 3 tracks that are almost pure 70s folk-art-rock, but thoroughly
updated: Renaissance produced by Brian Eno. John-Krol's voice
takes on aspects of Anne Halsam's clear soprano, her stringent
mandolin playing lead to the background texture of electric
guitars, bass, drums and electronic effects. Strings augment
these songs; in particular, the urgently melancholic "Numb
the Wren Tear." This opening triptych is giddily beautiful
and innovative in its mix of instruments-call it Ambient Folk
Rock. The lyrics are whimsical and full of literary allusion;
John-Krol's voice, however, has a passion that makes the words
live. The sound is resurrected in the mandolin-mad "Alice
in the Garden of Live Flowers," a song that captures the
insane frenzy of Carroll's imagination. The title track lifts
its lyrics from Shakespeare. It's a delicate as foam on a beach,
with gentle chimes and courtly time signatures. It's a sumptuous
piece of music...influenced by Peter Greenaway's image-drunk
and elegant "Prospero's Books." John-Krol's Ariel
is untamed and lovely. "Ariel" conjures an incorporeal
and timeless atmosphere." More reviews of
Ariel, compiled 2004: Celestial Voices,
UK: “Enchanting music from the medievalesque
fairy queen, Louisa John-Krol. Her wild and
haunting voice is entwined with unusual accompaniments: a mandolin, an
angel harp, firesticks, a bell-tree and Mexican drums… Add to this some
soulful strings, electronic tinkling and a dose of imaginative lyrics (inspired by The
Tempest and Alice in Wonderland) and we have a
magical trip into a fairy garden of wonder. Part lyrical and
part chanting – or speaking in fairy tongues – the theme is elemental. We hear of new
moons, snow, mountains, gardens, blackbirds, rain and rivers. My favourites
include the extraordinary “Red Balloon”, an eccentric ballad
that builds up from faraway echoing voices to a dramatic conclusion – “in my balloon I
drift into the moon”… The prize for the
song of most exquisite beauty goes to “Nobelius’ Garden”. Delicate, moving, it drifts in fairy chants layering textures
of whispers, harmonies, mandolin and rain. Or perhaps “Anemone
Falling” should win. Almost too
beautiful to describe it is surely the most magical of all. Listen to find out
why. Expressive, emotive and otherworldly, Louisa John-Krol’s
vocals and instrumentals on Ariel are truly celestial.” G. Loobie http://www.loobie.com/comments.php “…Ariel, che prosegue la
ricerca di questa brava compositrice/cantante
nell'ambito della musica eterea/folk. L'album è
caratterizzato da sonorità acustiche, con mandolino, flauti, archi, arpa e chitarra
acustica in primo piano e dalla ricerca di suoni "etnici", con l'utilizzo di
molti tipi diversi di percussioni e di altri strumenti particolari. Si tratta sempre
di brani molto ricercati e raffinati dal punto di vista compositivo, in cui domina una
vena idillica e romantica, resa ancora più suadente dalla "heavenly
voice" che li accompagna.
Forti sono i richiami alle tradizioni celtiche e in generale ad un mondo
arcaico di "fairy tales", popolato da strane fate e folletti (tema guarda caso
molto caro all'etichetta per cui incide). Atmosfere sognanti
alla Alice nel paese delle meraviglie di Lewis Carroll (cui si ispira il
brano "Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers") convivono in
ottima simbiosi con melodie più accessibili e pop-eggianti, di sicuro richiamo
anche commerciale (si veda il pezzo
"Blackbird", onnipresente nelle varie compilation)…” http://www.versacrum.com/musica Release
Magazine, Sweden: “Romantic Ethereal Fairie
Pop…lend an ear to Louisa John-Krol’s album Ariel. With an array of
instruments…and her voice, the sound is a bit like DCD, Enigma & Delerium, but with more acoustic
elements…” Johan Carlsson (news editor) http://www.releasemagazine.net/News/news0111a.htm “From the world of fairies
comes Louisa John-Krol… Ariel is
magical-ethereal-pop, with plenty of classic instruments… Ariel projects you into a
dreamy landscape… will carry you away in its own fantastic world,
and is meant for romantic moments.” Cynfeirdd -
Friendship Culture, UK: “…a sort of
Loreena McKennitt from the bush, one can hear DCD influences, also more folkish
guitar, and above all a very particular voice, as beautiful and
varied as the country she evokes, spanning from the
ocean to the desert! It’s not too late to discover this music.” http://www.cynfeirdd.com/chroniques.php The Penny Dreadful Webzine,
Germany: “Let’s embark on another
dreamy journey through the world of music having a soul. Louisa John-Krol has a
romantic folk pop ethereal faerie approach of the kind of music we love here… a music that moves our
hearts, with good lyrics and which is 100% original. I discovered this very
talented and inspired Australian artist thanks to someone who put a post a long time
ago in our message board. I don’t remind who introduced me to Louisa’s music, but I only had an mp3 sample
of the album’s opener ‘Blackbird’. I kept and kept playing it, and whenever the song ended abruptly
cause it was only an extract, I got more and more
frustrated…I finally decided to get the whole cd…” “…Louisa’s voice is sometimes
like cristal, always very melodic and full of feelings. She mastered vocal harmonies
at a step of quality and inspiration rarely witnessed nowadays…” “Let’s set up things clear,
Louisa is a great composer and arranger. Just put the cd on, close your eyes and you’ll be having visions
soon, visions of nature, beautiful landscapes, faeries…” “I was first stunned by the
amount of cosmic sounds floating, soaring here and there, as well as the more rocky
stuff. All this mixed together. All borders broken and crossed….” “You’ll be under the spell of
this music enchantress quickly, I promise, but I dunno a better
punishment for us all than to fall prey to the glamour of this blonde fairy
goddess… As to conclude, all lovers of
Loreena McKennitt, Dead can dance, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Enya, Margaret Davies or
Carol Tatum should get that cd.” Stephane Vasiljevic. Celestial
Voices, England: Argo (Louisa’s first CD, released
1996) Synchronicity Magazine New Age Fantasy 2004 “Upon first listening to Argo,
comparisons could very easily be made between Louisa John-Krol and Loreena
McKennitt—the similarity in voice and musical accompaniment—and
Loreena’s fans will certainly enjoy Argo. However, Louisa seems to
delve into the fantasy aspect of ancient history, rather than the obvious
medieval approach by Loreena, and indeed, she terms it ‘romantic
pop-ethereal faerie music’. Louisa also shows a more
experimental tendency in her performances, such as can be heard on the
title track, and the more jazz-styled “I’m Not Walking”, taken from Walter de la Mare’s poem, 'Good-bye'. Other fascinating numbers
include “Inanna” with lyrics from an ancient Sumerian liturgy, “Inside the Bubble” and “Oak,
Ash and Thorn”. Louisa’s voice can change quite quickly from a very powerful trumpet
to a hauntingly soft harp. Many of her lyrics focus on
archetypal forces of the psyche, and personify change, healing,
or energy. Argo is but one of the delightful
presentations in a musical CD trilogy that includes Ariel
and Alexandria. All three are well worth a listen.” by Michael Woodhead, February
2004 New Age Music Reviewer for Wind
And Wire and Synchronicity
Magazine http://www.synchronicitymagazine.ca The following reviews of
“Argo” appeared in 1996: “Louisa’s sumptuous voice is
as beautiful and expressive as Enya’s and Loreena McKennitt’s. From
ancient Sumerian chants to Argo, ship of the Argonauts, to a fiddler on the Isle of
Man, to a dedication to Ficino, the Renaissance Alchemist…. An excellent adventure into
the realm of conscious/subconscious beauty…” “Louisa’s primary focus is a
combination of mythology, antiquity and poetry, all placed within a strong,
contemporary spiritual context… reminiscent of early Kate
Bush which is a high tribute.” Ambience Magazine, Australia,
No.6. A general review of all
Louisa’s albums: “Louisa John-Krol makes
beautiful ethereal music. She sounds somewhat like Kate
Bush, Cocteau Twins, Harold Budd, Brian Eno, and Loreena McKennitt. However,
her music is uniquely her own. She has beautiful
otherworldly vocals. She evokes the shift in consciousness that takes place to be able
to cross into the shifting lands of faerie beyond the misty veil.” http://faerymists.tripod.com/fymusic/fymusicr5.htm 2006 Interviews Extract of Interview with Asphodel at Les autres mondes
Apple Pentacle is your fifth solo creation. How do you consider all your work after 5 albums? They could be windows to worlds or moments, with all our flaws, dreams, memories and questions. Some are amorphous images or echoes. Others engender more defined characters or places… Collectively they form a sort of mythology, growing layers like rings of a tree. Can you tell us how you started? How did you know that music would be your faith in life? Whilst there are spiritual tendencies in my music, there was no religion, nor precise starting point. If I see “Truth” coming towards me, I hurry in the opposite direction. Let’s talk about Apple Pentacle… Could you tell us what this album is about? Apple Pentacle celebrates Persephone’s return from the underworld, through many incarnations, eg. The Green Lady or Witch in the Wood. Her consort, The Green Man (Puck, Robin Goodfellow, The Face in the Leaves), links to The Apple Tree Man, evoked by the 5-pointed star at the core of an apple. A pentacle was on the shield of Sir Gawain, who battled the Green Knight. In the book of Taliesin, the poem “Avallenau” (Apple Trees) refers to trees revealed by Merlin to Gwendoleu. The apple was buried as a gift to the dead, and pagans still believe in its shamanic powers. If I tell you that you have created a new analysis of fairy tales, mixing the pure visions everybody have to a more “fatidic” vision of this world, what would you say…? I’d say you were being too generous! There are earlier pioneers, like Dunsany (a neglected forerunner of Tolkien), and folklorists like Grimm, whose darker fairytales were censored. If we look back to the Latin Fatae (Fate) - origin of the French Fey / Fay - or to Greek sirens, Celtic banchee, Arabic Djinn, or elementals in other cultures, it’s clear that fatalistic enchantment was never far from us. The first people to depict fairies with wings, like angels, were the Elizabethans in the Renaissance. Even then, the mysterious current never vanished, it just went underground. Let’s play a pretty game… I gave you some names, and you’ll tell me what that evokes you, and what link between your work and the character/person you can make: -Dante Alighieri? Mark and I love “Divina Commedia”. In “Canto IV” (on Alexandria) we evoked Limbo, where pagan poets dwelt after death. We returned to it in “Dante O’ Dore” (also alluding to paintings by Gustav Doré ), recorded 2001 for Love Sessions 1. Later, Dante’s Inferno resurfaced for “The Throng on the Pier” (on Alabaster), together with “The Iliad” of Homer. -Cicely Mary Barker? On the positive side, I believe her art helps young people to see the magic of nature. However, they also express bourgeois fear of it. It’s as if people had to separate fairies from their pagan origins. So they shrunk them to the size of butterflies and set them on the nursery shelf. There’s a great passage about this in Kipling’s novel, “Puck of Pook’s Hill”, where Puck complains of how the Hill Folk or Heathens were misrepresented in an effort to tame them… -Loisel’s Tinkerbelle? Delicious. Thank goodness someone is celebrating the mischievous, luscious side of this wonderfully naughty sprite! -Brian Froud? At his wildest, he reminds me of Arthur Rackham. We have a couple of his volumes at home. -Sabine Adélaïde? Sabine, visual artist of Prikosnovenie, plays a strong role in my albums, being far more than a graphic presenter. Our relationship is symbiotic. Over the years I’ve gained some insight into her creative world, through staying in her home, and witnessing her art develop on the label’s catalogue. Her idiosyncratic style is in my view unique and outstanding. -Olivier Ledroit? Oh yes, his pictures are elegant, bewitching. -Dante Gabriele Rossetti? For years I was drawn to the pre-Raphaelites for their chivalry and grace. Yet I’ve begun to question their idealism. Might they be partly responsible for modern perfectionism in romantic love? It’s not easy for humans to rise above ordinary existence. No matter how spiritual we are, we still have organic bodies, subject to decay. Although death was a pre-Raphaelite theme, they glorified it, didn’t they? A lot of their subjects died young, like Ophelia, whom I wrote about on Alabaster. We never saw the mundane side of these immortal beauties. -Richard Doyle? His watercolour “Under the Dock Leaves” has played frequently on my imagination. I like his dense foliage and wispy forms. His art is in a book on Victorian Fairy Painting that a friend gave me. In that volume are paintings by Huskisson, Fuseli, Paton, Dulac, Fitzgerald, Danby, Simmons, Scott, Maybank, Canziani and others. Back to the pre-Raphaelite connection: I guess I’m still attracted to it aesthetically, or perhaps that’s how I imagine a Faerie afterlife, who knows? Does the world you talk about give you the will of discovering some special authors (books, cinema, etc)? Do you find your inspiration in that facet of culture? Could you tell us more about what Louisa John Krol’s library (also video library) looks like? Our home library holds literature and music from many centuries and cultures. Some authors I cherish in it are Cavafy, Rilke, Baudelaire, Milton, Dickinson, Blake, Yeats, Pessoa, Calvino, Balzac, Flaubert, Laclos, Kafka, Holderlin and many more. We have all the plays by Shakespeare and many by classical playwrights such as Euripides, also The Odyssey and Iliad of Homer, Aeneid of Virgil and some medieval romances including “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. In our shelves are books on mythology, folktales, philosophy, paganism, Jungian psychology and other esoteric texts. We listen to audio-books of literature (like works of Dante, or Joyce). As far as videos/DVDs go, we have all the box sets of “The X-Files” and “Six Feet Under”. I love murder-mysteries, science fiction (especially “Farscape:”) and comedy. But my favourite is the trilogy “Shooting the Past” on the BBC Masterseries. It’s about the struggle of some eccentric outsiders to save a unique collection of photography dating back over a century, from the threat of soulless corporate rationalism… You are compared to Kate Bush, in a different dimension. More “faery”, more “fantastic” (in the literary meaning). What do you think about this comparison? Admiring and loving most of her work, I welcome that comparison. On the other hand, in recent years I’ve been into so many other brilliant female recording artists who’ve pressed onward without fame or fortune, that it feels essential to mention some: Francesca Nicoli (Ataraxia), Shannon Wright (ex-Crowsdell), Azam Ali (Vas), Evi Stergiou (Daemonia Nymphe), Catarina Raposo (Dwelling), Mandy Bernhardt (Stoa) and Choe St Liphard (Collection D’Arnell Andrea), to name a few. You have worked with many foreign artists. How do you live these collaborations? How a gig with Francesco Banchini, to quote only this musician, looks and sounds like? There are many, indeed: Daemonia Nymphe, Lys, Francesco Banchini, Stoa, Oophoi …I’ve stayed in the homes of all these artists. Each project was culturally expansive. Francesco and I did about 6 shows across Italy, Belgium and France. You can see some of it on the video in “Love Sessions 2” on Prikosnovenie. It was a memorable journey, with great moments and occasional disagreements. Francesco is a virtuoso, especially on clarinet and flute, being classically trained and experienced in performance. My strengths are singing, writing and intuitive melodies, not playing. This was sometimes frustrating for him, but we had good times, like backstage with Swedish band Arcana. During the tour, many people said we had great synergy on stage. Francesco invited me to return. I haven’t, because of personal commitments in Australia, but cherish the experience of working with such a fine musician. What do you think about the place of women in the music? Is there a female musician that touched you so much these last weeks? Bjork, PJ Harvey and Jarboe helped carry the flame of Nico into our century. But we need more who can. It’s sad when you see younger singers betray their talent and start strutting for cameras like Barbie dolls on steroids at the first taste of success. I fell in love last week with two superb CDs entitled “Lullaby to Liquid Pig” and “On the Way Down From the Moon Palace” by Lisa Germano (who is on Lisa Gerrard’s label, 4AD). And guess what? They’re out of print…. Thank you very much for everything Louisa…! Have you anything to add ;)? Thank you for interviewing me, Asphodel. I like your name. It’s ambrosia of the underworld, isn’t it? One of my Australian friends released an album by that name: http://www.ekishnugal.com/ All the best for your site “ Les autres mondes”. Extract of interview with Khimaira Magazine, Belgium, 2006 Your new album Apple Pentacle is presented as a concept-album around the character of the "Green Man". Can you tell us more ? Apple Pentacle is the green twin of Alabaster, heralding Persephone’s return. The Green Man, known as Puck, Robin Goodfellow, The Face in the Leaves and others, imbibes my interest in The Apple Tree Man, evoked by the 5-pointed star at the core of an apple. A pentacle was on the shield of Sir Gawain, who battled the Green Knight, and is a sign of the Illuminati. In the book of Taliesin, the poem “Avallenau” (Apple Trees) refers to trees revealed by Merlin to Gwendoleu. The Green Man’s consort also has many guises: Lady Bercilak, The Green Lady, The Witch in the Wood…. these are more than fertility icons; to me they represent creative energy and rebellion. The apple was buried as a gift to the dead, and pagans still believe in its shamanic powers. Thus the Green Man “feeds the spirit”. At the same time, Apple Pentacle explores other imagery and themes: parallel lives, thunder, love, drifting curtains of waves on the shoreline (windrow), faerie trysts, mirrors, dreams, phantoms, marionettes, the passing of seasons and caravans in the dawn. The album is divided in two or three parts. What do "Atho" and "Ardhuu" mean ? Atho, like Pwca, is a Welsh name for the Green Man; half of my ancestry is Welsh. Ardhuu is another name for the Spirit of the Greenwood. The album is divided as halves of an apple, to distinguish between the producers with whom it was cut: Brett Taylor and Harry Williamson. Apple Pentacle is your fifth album, and also your fifth "A" title. Would you consider that Argo, Alexandria, Ariel, Alabaster and Apple Pentacle do form your own pentacle ? Yes; and the album being released 2005, 5th year of this millennium, its timing felt right. For this album, as always, you were inspired by numerous and various sources (Tolkien, Barron, Wilde, Shakespeare) but we would like to know more about the tale that inspired "Escalder's Tree Ride". In my story “The Legend of Elderbrook”, Escalder the waterwitch dives down through a tree to meet her lover - a treespirit Thelderbrin - and his brother Sir Malder, moving from one world to another. She also haunts the Singing Fountains of Alderbee, a city in Elderbrook. We made another recording of her on the first Prikosnovenie collaboration, Love Sessions 1. The central character appears several times as Robin Hood. Why is he present at the end of your marvellous song "Poppet Plum" ? When I visited your beautiful city Bruxelles, you took me to the Toone Theatre. I was enchanted by puppets from earlier shows that hung from rafters above, for they seemed to be watching the play with us. A poster caught my eye with the words “Poppet Plum”: that alliteration struck my imagination, like the bell tapping the stage as the lights went down. The puppet master , José Géal, reminded me of my father, who died that year. Dad would sing “Robin Hood” to me on his knee after telling tales of the Greenwood. At the same moment as Apple Pentacle, you release the much anticipated Love Sessions 2, with Francesco Banchini and Lys. This album is quite different from Love Sessions 1, isn't it? Yes. Just as there is a spirit of place, so there is perhaps a spirit of time. The atmosphere of Clisson in rural France has timeless magic, but perhaps each meeting had its own zeitgeist. By the time Francesco Banchini and I made LS2, we’d toured together through Italy, Belgium and France. Our LS1 collaborator Spyros Giasafakis (from Daemonia Nymphe) wasn’t present this time, though did reunite with me afterwards on Ghost Fish. Instead of singer Marlene, we had harpist Mandra. Francesco’s virtuosity remains prominent, and Fred Chaplain ( Lys) was active in both volumes….” Your collaboration with Ikon was really amazing. Have you thought to a full complete..? Thank you, Frederic. Chris McCarter is great to work with. I’m impressed by how he delivers, in studio and on stage. He’s a down-to-earth person, with a strong sense of selfhood, family, humour and kindness – qualities sometimes hidden behind the power images of leather-clad, charismatic goth-rock. I found it easy to compose lyrics and vocal tunes to his guitar riffs, as he has a clear sense of melodic direction. His producer, Adam at Toyland studios, also has excellent instincts in arrangement and mixing, having worked with many Melbourne gothic / darkwave / neoclassic talent, from Wendy Rule to Eden.” Extract of interview with Gothtronic, The Netherlands, 2006: You’re active with writing stories, can you tell us more about it? I’m working on some novellas and stories, combining fairytales with magic-realism. They include some of the characters in my songs, such as Madame Alchemier (the owner of a second-hand bookshop), or Escalder the green waterwitch. I have yet to seek a publishing agent, and still have much to learn from reading. My influences are broad, from Kafka, Hesse and Holderlin, to Calvino and the Sufi tales of Idries Shah. The BBC Masterseries trilogy entitled “Shooting the Past”, now on DVD, is very close to my concerns: the struggle of eccentric outsiders in a world of rapid change, trying to make sense of their new technocratic surroundings with whatever strengths they have: wit, dignity, determination, imagination and sometimes, great courage. It always seem that the music of Prikosnovenie is always accompanied by great artwork. Can you tell us more about your artwork on “Apple Pentacle”? Sabine-Adelaide’s art helped convince me to sign, after her co-manager Fred Chaplain approached me 7 years ago. Apple Pentacle is some of Sabine’s most whimsical art ever: a sunflower face, pumpkin carriage, and pentacle signifying the star within an apple… the crescent-moon leaves on the cover remind me of Persephone living half a year in the underworld and the other half above. My previous album, Alabaster, related to Hades and the death of my father. Apple Pentacle returns to the greenwood. Sabine’s gallery: http://www.sabine-adelaide.com/ You had a busy year with creating music with the likes of Oophoi, Love Sessions (Francesco Banchini) and Ghostfish (Daemonia Nymphe) for instance. Why is it important for you to work together with other artists? I enjoy improvising to other people’s music (such as Oophoi’s ambient CDs) so it’s natural to take that further. And because singing is my main avenue of expression, with lyrics and melodies coming through imagination rather than practical craft or theory, I often depend on more skilled, accomplished musicians to accompany me. Spyros (Daemonia Nymphe) has breathed new life into ancient Greek instruments with his experimentalism, and Francesco (Gor) is a virtuoso on every instrument. On Apple Pentacle, the influence of Olaf Parusel (Stoa) is felt in parts recorded in Germany, while another German, Mathias Grassow, collaborated on 2 tracks in the collector’s edition. Jenni Heinrich, whom I have been composing with since childhood, played classical guitar and viola on “The Green Pentacle” which she co-wrote; Bronwyn Lloyd played hurdy gurdy on “Spin”. “The Witch in the Wood” was an old composition of mine, so I performed its basic tunes – on harpsichord, for example – but it was classically trained pianist Richard Allison who gave the extra flourish on grand piano. Many instruments on this album were played by producers Harry Williamson (most notably, hammered dulcimer on “Escalder’s Tree Ride”) and Brett Taylor (eg. wurlitzer on “Windrow”). Working with a wide variety of artists also helps to extend the mind. Is the Prikosnovenie label (with all these cooperation and the kind of music they promote) more a family or a gathering of the same souls than a traditional label? Prikosnovenie is a gathering of artistic souls with a positive spirit. Consider how Arno Pellerin made our video for “Love Sessions 2”, with all the cheerful energy he gave to our visit….We’ve spoken of Sabine’s artwork, so I’d now like to discuss Frederic Chaplain, who is more than the label’s manager: he is also its producer, creating soundscapes through his project Lys. Fred composed the basis of “Kunmanngur”. He is responsible for “Love Sessions” and, through these meetings, my collaboration with Daemonia Nymphe: “Ghost Fish”. He often advises on selection and order of songs. Our friendship has weathered disagreements – a cultural clash between French / Australian habits, from which we learned a lot – but at the foundation is respect. I consider myself fortunate to be independent of the mainstream label system, which is dominated by corruption and greed (just read Steve Albini’s article, “The Problem with Music”!), because Prikosnovenie is a label that values quality and integrity. Can you tell us more about the music situation in Australia? Is it easy to get concerts and all? Australia ’s small, scattered population and vast distances make it difficult to draw an audience, at least for niche genres. There’s also “mortgage mania”, whereby people sink their money into large houses, with little surplus for cultural expenditure. The spread of gambling venues has further squeezed live music. There are many great reasons for living in Australia, but the music industry isn’t one of them. I say this with no bitterness, because anonymity suits me. It’s just an observation. Something you always wanted to say, but never was asked… Sometimes there are artists whose contributions are not represented in a final release. During the early conception of Apple Pentacle, staying with Olaf Parusel (Stoa) in Germany, I visited the parents of his girlfriend, talented Alexandra Froeb. Her mother found a beautiful painting of a green apple, one of Alexandra’s first works. It seemed synchronistic, as she didn’t know about Apple Pentacle. They gave me the picture and Alexandra later sent another, this time of a red apple. I love both pictures and hoped to include them in the album, but had no photograph of the paintings. I also wanted to give Sabine complete freedom with her distinctive style for the label. Instead, we will upload images of the two apple paintings when photographed and scanned. For now, you can see Alexandra Froeb’s gallery here: http://www.froebnet.de/index.html Extract of interview with July Nights magazine, Portugal 2006 Are all your different projects complementing themselves, so you can feel you can completely express all your different feelings through music now? You went for the Green Man varied mythology to base the album in, lyricwise. How far do you research to write your lyrics? I mean, what percentage is there, in your lyrics, of research and artistic inspiration? A track like «The Windrow» is somehow different from all you have done in your past solo albums – both in structure and in rhythm. How did you write it? Are you still very opened to external musical influences? I mean, if you like very much an album you hear today, is it possible that your next songs will have traces of it? Extract from an Interview with Elegy Magazine, France November 2005 On Louisa’s 5 th solo album, “Apple Pentacle”: "Apple Pentacle" deals with matters close to paganism and wicca… what is paganism for you? Nowadays there's a kind of fairy fashion, but this fashion hides the malicious, violent and ferocious part of the fairy world. What do you think about that? The album is divided in two parts. Why? You made a lot of collaborations, the last one was with Oophoi. How did you come to work with him? "Which of these Worlds" seems to deal with the imagination and fantasy worlds. What would be the world of your dreams?
What is the “Ghost Fish” ? It might embody hidden realities, beneath or beyond our conscious perception. Could you talk to me about the song “The Lonely King” and its symbolism? For me, this title conjures images of Hades / Pluto: a distant god who might be cold, mysterious, sad, contemplative and soulful. And as regards “Ghost”. Would you like to spend a night in a haunted castle with a ghost ?
In Italy, on the borders of Umbria, Lazia and Tuscona, I stayed in a medieval castle belonging to Oophoi (Gianluigi Gasparetti, another collaborator), which is haunted by a ghost. More clearly, I heard another ghost in a French village near Clisson. I’ve also met ghosts in Australia, but do not really know if they are wandering spirits, or souls of the dead reaching out to us? When was your European tour, and where did it take you? Were all the
musicians from “Alabaster” accompanying you on stage? I
toured with Francesco from Napoli to Firenze, Bologna, Arceto, Milan, over the
Alps into Switzerland, through Luxembourg to Rochefort, Bruxelles, Paris,
Rennes, Clisson, down to the southern coast, past Monaco back to Italy, after
which I flew to Germany to reunite with Olaf, then on to Thessaloniki to record & perform with Spyros / Daemonia Nymphe. Your fans here want to know if a tour in the United States might be
upcoming! Great! I admire much in your culture: jazz singer Billie Holiday,
anthropologist Joseph Campbell, “The X Files”, poets Dickinson and Whitman,
essayist John Ralston Saul and political satirist Mike Moore. (A New York
listener sent me his book, “Stupid White Men”!) In Australia we love your
cartoonists Tray Parker and Matt Stone, creators of “South Park”. We heard it’s
banned in several states - not yours, no? Which states would you recommend? Who
are your favourite musicians, Carolee? Yesterday I enjoyed the debut “Equilibrium” by a young American, Anne
Marie. On your website I learned that you are also a writer and have been
working on a novella. Can you tell us about it, and/or other writing you have
published? I’ve
had articles published here and overseas. My novella, which I’ve never sent to
anyone, is magic-realism inspired by writers I admire, such as Calvino, Hesse,
Dunsany and Kafka. Some creatures from my songs ran off with the plot. They’re
still hiding somewhere….. You mentioned the Storytelling Guild of Australia; what is
this? It’s a group of storytellers, folklorists, teachers, actors, puppeteers
and others, who cherish the oral tradition. There’s a constant, intangible reference to the “fairy world” or to
mythology in your music, but it’s unspecific – more like your songs hint at a
world beyond the world that exists in constant interaction with what we perceive
as reality. Do you agree? What is your own sense of things – is there more than
meets the eye? In music I’ve never preached an ideology, preferring to leave space for
interpretation. I use universal metaphors such as birds or sirens, but their
settings are underpinned by unresolved emotions or questions. I do sense
parallel worlds cohabiting with ours. As a pagan, a polytheist, I’m open to more
than one explanation for the paranormal. You wrote that you are working on recording – is a new album upcoming,
and can you share anything about it yet? Together with my long-time Australian producer-friends, Harry Williamson
and Brett Taylor, I am working on new recordings. Some involve new directions or
collaborations; others, a dive back into whimsy with wild green witches and tree
spirits. Louisa, thank you for being open to write with me, & to appear in
“Gothic Beauty”. Having read your interviews on your website, I admire you even
more than before as a writer and spiritual thinker as well as a
musician! Thanks, Carolee. To be fair, I have no spiritual purity. I’m no
angel... I don’t promise paradise, I only share dreams. It is a privilege to be on this label, though my musical “family”
encompasses a broader sphere. A secret of Fred’s success may be his
determination to follow his vision. He never compromises on quality... above
all, it is artistic integrity that places Fred at the forefront of his
scene. I love Elizabeth’s voice, also “Physeos” and “Sacrum II”. I feel
emotional about “Zjw” as that was the first by Francesco I worked with, and one
that opened our concerts. Of my own compositions, “Over the Border” makes me
most sad. “Bacchic Feast” conveys timeless celebration…. Part of a review ( by the above writer,
John Zikos ) that appeared in the same edition: "Not even in your wildest dreams can you imagine this
journey... Listen to this album with your eyes closed and you will be
embraced by millions of sweet melodies and enchanting voices that will lead your
mind into places never seen before... A piece of art that speaks straight to
your heart. A trip that has no boundaries. You can consider me as a romantic
fool, and maybe I am. On other occasion I might be completely seduced by the
beauty of this recording." Extract of an Interview with Voices and Visions
website, USA, 2004: Has music helped you through
a difficult or traumatic time in your life? Yes, when my father died.
But I would not limit music to this purpose. I am attracted to the ideas of
Ficino, a Renaissance alchemist and musicologist. He believed music is an energy
enabling a soul to travail states of consciousness: emotion, intellect, senses
and imagination. He cautioned against remaining in any of them too
long. Discuss
your feelings about the powerful or life-changing effects that music can have on
a person – Anthropologist Joseph
Campbell distinguished between Kinetic and Static art. Kinetic is didactic and
seeks to change you, whereas Static exists for itself in timeless being: this is
the kind I prefer. I never assume the role of social preacher. I simply express
the magic within or in other people, books, nature, Dreaming. If my music opens
doors in a soul (as some claim), then that is a fortunate by-product. As Pepper Mcgowan (on your
site) wrote: “The industry really does want you to be this
nymphette/priestess/sage thing”. Yes, I’m fed up with that stereotype. Pepper,
do write that song about peeing black light!!!! Interview
with Sonya Brown, USA:
“Lash yourselves to the mast” – Rik, FluxEuropa, England.
Review by Side-Line Magazine, Belgium:
"The 4th full length album of the Australian Queen of new-age and
esotericism was really worth to wait! I became totally devoted to the
sound of Louisa after the marvellous 'Alexandria' and 'Ariel' albums.
L.J.K sounds to me like the reincarnation of an elf.... The concept of
'Alabaster' is about the union of Persephone and Hades or embrace
between life and death... while musically realizing a noticeable
evolution into other fields, 'Alabaster' sounds still full of reverie
and fairies while the prosperity of the music remains once more a velvet
caress to the ears. The main evolution is that the new songs are more
open-minded, like moving through the limits of new-age. The 2nd cut for
example 'The Lily and the Rose' reminds me to the jazzy wafting style of
Poalo Conte. Biggest surprise is yet to come entitled 'Me and the
Machine'. This song moves more into fusion between pop and rock, kind of
offspring between Madonna and Garbage! This is miles away from the
comparison I often made with Enya, but I assure you that I was totally
healthy when listening to this album! Another different song is
'Approaching the Island of Sirens': whispering vocals become the shadow
of the music... closer to ambient. With 'Dancing over Acheron' we get a
surprise (and maybe a shock for some fans): this is into pure dance
while some vocals have been treated by vocoder. I personally enjoy this
evolution (yet) reassure the heaviest fans that most songs are faithful
to (Louisa's) familiar style. Songs like 'Waterwood' and 'The Search for
Lost Souls - Midnight' remind to the floating ambiance of the 'Ariel'
album. It smells like the green of nature...'Stone Lake' is another,
which reminds to the past. An impressive list of familiar guests like
Daemonia Nymphe, Francesco Banchini (Gor/Ataraxia) and Harry Williamson
(Faraway) contributed to this production! Again an essential piece in
addition of your cd collection!" (DP:8/9)DP. Side-Line Magazine, Issue
44.
Review by Fernando Reis, Feedback Magazine, Portugal:
“Louisa John Krol is no stranger to the fairy voices lovers. All the albums previous to this
«Alabaster» granted her comparisons with names such as Emilia Torrini or Kate Bush, but the excellency of the Australian
multi-instrumentalist still refuses paths taken by other artists, and keeps firm in her experimental and musical fusion way.
In «Ariel», «Alexandria», «Argo» and, now, «Alabaster» you can see Louisa John Krol’s tendency for albums starting with the
letter A. A sort of conducting line, since in terms of music this lady is so unpredictable as the time in April…. «Alabaster»
puts all in a wonderful melting-pot, which results in a beautiful juice which is at the same time impressive and amazing,
impossible to taste in all it’s greatness at the first time, and which leaves a different taste in the mouth every time you
drink a bit. Louisa’s music is the result of the influences soup and from the usage of instruments as lire, clarinet, tablas,
ocarina, etc, besides the usual piano, acoustic guitar, etc. If I have to describe the musical spectre in «Alabaster», I
would start by the musical influences, and apocalyptic - almost Björk-ish - from the opening track «The Throne on the Pier»
and end in the Electronic daring «Dancing Over Acheron», stopping by in the atmospheric «Approaching the Island of Sirens»
and the almost trip-rock of «Stone Lake». With her, «Louisa assembles ‘old friends’, as almost all the Daemonia Nymphe
line-up, Francesco Banchini, who spreads his magic in «The Lily and the Rose» and other guests as Brett Taylor, Harry
Williamson (Faraway) or Gianluigi Gasparetti (Oophoi), who gather their talents to the charm of Louisa’s voice, to complete
an album which will hardly find concurrence in the ‘fairy voices’ chapter this year. Not only because of the voice, but also
because of all the composition and instrumentalisation that it keeps inside.” (9/10)
Review by Dark Star Rising, USA:
“Louisa John-Krol, a siren hailing from the land of Australia, returns with her latest release on the Prikosnovenie label. Departing in style from her previous works, Louisa offers us what may be her finest album to date. Alabaster is an upbeat blend of her familiar neo-folk sound with elements from the Dreampop genre. We also hear contributions from label-mates Daemonia Nymphe and Gor, as well as special guest Olaf Parusel from the band Stoa. Of special note (pun intended!) is the song “Light on the Wall”, destined to become a club classic among the black-clad.” – The Sorcerer of Sound.
Review by Rik www.fluxeuropa.com, England:
“Mandolin, flute, percussion, table harp, charango, piano, lyre, bass, ocarina, clarinet and, above all, Louisa's voice, are brought together on her fourth album, Alabaster. Louisa has a rich, warm voice that can suddenly leap to hit a high note with consummate ease. The charango, by the way, is a South American lute with its back traditionally fashioned from an armadillo. Some may regard this as a good use for the animal, but I assume that no armadillos were specifically harmed during production of this recording. The CD (and its twin to come) is mythically based on the union of Persephone and Hades - an embrace between life and death, but the meaning of specific content, whilst highly suggestive, is obscure and in places quite surreal, reflecting a series of individual visions, though they may reference mythological and literary sources. 'The Throng on the Pier' (with participants from the the Greek Daemonia Nymphe project) opens the album with Louisa at her most Kate-Bush-like. Louisa won't mind this comparison. Kate has been her favourite recording artist for the past 20 years. 'The Lily and the Rose' features Renaissance lyrics with a nice sounding period melody by Louisa. The track is assisted by Francesco Banchini of GOR and Harry Williamson of Faraway, and it’s one of my favourites. 'Waterwood' is a light piece of surreal whimsy with a child-like quality. 'Me and the Machine' appears to address the encroachment of dehumanising mechanisation. A slowish start features a vocoded voice ("the machine") and bleepy, gurgly electronics. It's quite upbeat pop-rock and the sort of thing you might have got from Madonna in her brief darkwave period. 'The Seventh Ingress' is a slow reflective song in neoclassical style beautifully sung with the assistance of Olaf Parusel of Stoa, another project which Louisa has long admired. 'How should I your true Love know?' is Ophelia's song from Hamlet, sung appropriately in a sweet, melancholy whisper. Like much of Louisa's work, musical elements are cleverly combined but the artifice is never too obvious. 'Approaching the Island of Sirens' features ethereal vocals against an ambient composition with Gianluigi Gasparetti (of Oophoi). Lash yourselves to the mast: this is truly captivating. The closing track, 'Dancing over Acheron', has some very stereophonic panning sounds, develops in a gently melancholic neoclassical direction and then moves into ghostly vocoded vocals and an electronic dance rhythm. Acheron, which means "river of woe", is the name of one of the five rivers of Hades and often stands metaphorically for Hades itself. This musically varied but coherent album appeals in both its detail and its totality and I commend it to those who enjoy the softer, but no less valuable, manifestation of ‘dreampop’.”
Review by Frédéric Cotton, Khimaira Magazine, Belgium (translation: Philippe Lambrechts):
“The fairy Louisa keeps surprising. Her fourth album is like a new treasure box, even richer than Ariel and Alexandria - all spiritual pearls and sounds brought back from fantasy land. Prestigious guests are invited on some songs, such as Daemonia Nymphe ("The Throng on the Pier"), Francesco Banchini (GoR, "The Lily and the Rose"), Olaf Parusel (sToa, on the crystal-like "The Seventh Ingress"), Harry Williamson (Faraway), and Gianluigi Gasparetti (Oophoi, "Approaching the Island of Sirens"). If the album's main theme is the union between Persephone and Hades, it is also about friendship and exchange, two never ending sources of inspiration. Aside mellow and dreamy ballads ("The Search for Lost Souls", based on a poem from the American Emily Dickinson; "The Throng on the Pier", based on Dante and Homer; the moving "Waterwood" with its night birds flutes), Louisa John-Krol, whose honey-like voice is a pure pleasure, keeps experimenting with songs that are more pop-rock ("Stone Lake", "Paint the Wind", dedicated to the painter Karan Wicks, and mostly "Me and the Machine" which strangely reminds of Garbage regardless of the mandolin!). There, the gifted production of Brett Taylor makes it a wonder - Nevertheless, it is only at the very end of the album that the biggest surprise comes: a semi-hidden track, the techno "Dancing over Acheron", electronic sounds in the instruments and the voices…uniquely elegant, Alabaster is a pleasure which grows after each listening. It is maybe beautiful Louisa's best album and we can't wait to see her on stage very soon.”
Review by Craig L. Gidney for Ethereality List & Ecto List, USA:
“LJK's new album is her most eclectic yet, and has more in common with Kate Bush, (circa "Never for Ever") or Happy Rhodes than it does with Loreena McKennitt, with whom she's often compared. The Renaissance-flavored "The Lily and the Rose," and stately, Shakespeare-derived "How Should I Your True Love Know?" are the anomalous pieces here. Most of the material here takes finds LJK stretching her wings. The opening "Throng on the Pier" is orchestral pop, similar in sound to the work Dead Can Dance's Brendan Perry explored on "Into the Labyrinth" and on his solo work. "Paint the Wind" and "Stone Lake" flirt with the straightforward folkpop craft of the Innocence Mission, while "The Seventh Ingress" and "Approaching the Island of Sirens" move into ambient soundscapes. Lyrically, LJK explores fantastical and mythological themes--she uses the texture of fantasy much the same way that Rhodes uses science fiction imagery. "Light on the Wall" is about leading parrallel lives, while "Waterwood" uses whimsical fairy imagery (butterflies on bicycles, tambourines in the sea) to describe looking at the world with child-like wonder. The prog-rockish "Me and the Machine" pits our heroine against technology, with a non-Luddite conclusion--complete with computer generated voices, while "Throng" refers to the Illiad. At first listen, it appears that LJK has thrown her net and little too far and wide. But her glorious soprano voice is the silver thread that holds this tapestry together. Midway between Bush and McKennitt, its crystalline purity holds the album together; her voice is the thematic continuity of this collection. Whether whooping like a Bacchante at the end of "Throng," or wordlessly soaring in "Ingress," it never fails to thrill. Her serene vocals bridge the gap between the dreamy acoustics of the Emily Dickinson poem set to music, "The Search for Lost Souls--Midnight" and the wild Bjork-esque electronica of the closing "Dancing Over Acheron." With "Alabaster," LJK moves to the forefront of the pantheon of progressive women.”
Review by Nikö www.obskure.com , France:
“If the invitation to the dream is universal, there is no doubt that the charm of Louisa John Krol crosses the oceans to come to touch us deeply, and, taking us by the hand, Louisa makes us discover, private guests, the world which she weaves, this cocoon of serenity. As a dreamcatcher, Louisa catalyses the essence of these too rare introspective journeys, which we surely miss by lack of time in this too fast world, revitalizes our imaginary, the fairies of our childhood appear not so far, and the return to oneself is done carefully. Nevertheless, far from being only contemplative, Louisa’s work wants to be dynamic and although largely imaginary, the link with a tough reality points its nose, living by a thin melancholy line running through "Alabaster", fourth opus of an already major work. Far from resting on a medieval ("Stone Lake") or atmospheric ("How Should your True Love Know ?”) excellence, Louisa John Krol goes deeper, and with maestria, towards a brillant pop – almost Gothic -, as an evidence the essentials "Light on the Wall" and "Me and the Machine", or even an astonishing futurist approach on the last title " Dancing over Acheron ". Sung all in moderation and beauty, the enchanteress voice carry each landscape and creates light contrasts, these crystal reflections on the lake surface, shining and which captivate your glance, and we readily lets ourselves be hypnotized, to fall into this so soft torpor ("The Search for Lost Souls - Midnight"). “Alabaster” is beautiful, quite simply.”
Review by Elmar Klemm, Zillo Magazine, Germany:
“Zum vierten Mal gewährt uns die Australische Vokalistin und Instrumentalistin Louisa John-Krol einen intimen Einblick in ihre mythologisch geprägte Welt. ”Alabaster” vereint eine Reihe sensibler Kleinode, wie etwa die rituell anmutende Interpretation von Dante und Homer ”The Throng On The Pier”. Gemeinsam mit Gor- und Ataraxia-Trommler Francesco Banchini inszeniert sie mit romantischen Holzblasinstrumenten die schwermutige Ballade ”The Lily And The Rose”. Während das schwärmerische Stück ”Stone Lake” noch verträumte Bilder der australischen Heimat zeichnet, kommen in ”Me And The Machine” erstmals europäische Einflüsse zum Tragen. In ungewöhnlich rockiger Manier erweitert die zarte Stimme ihr musikalisches Spektrum um eine spannende Note. Ähnlich wie Mila Mar scheut sie kein Experiment, wenn es darum geht, den inhaltlichen Reichtum über ihre Genregrenzen hinaus aufzubereiten. So hört man auf diesem Album Techno-Rhythmen neben exotischen Mandolinen genauso wie elektronische Samples auf zerbrechlichen Gesangslinien. Doch letztlich ist es genau diese Risikobereitschaft, die das Album von den vielen Heavenly-Voice-Produktionen abhebt. Natürlich spricht die ergreifende Magie etwa des zehnminütigen ”Approaching The Island Of Sirens” Bände – doch andererseits beweist ”Alabaster” eindrucksvoll, dass es eben auch anders geht.”
Review by Alyz Tale, Elegy Magazine #27, France:
“Le monde de Louisa John-Krol s’agrandit d’album en album et sa nouvelle création, " Alabaster ", constitue un véritable petit univers à elle seule. Un univers d’artistes pour le moins alléchants : Olaf Parusel (Stoa), Francesco Banchini (GOR, Ataraxia), Daemonia Nymphe, Harry Williamson (Faraway), etc., et un univers de sons féeriques typiques de Louisa John-Krol : mandoline, piano, percussions, etc., mais aussi de nouveaux sons bien plus surprenants… Louisa a en effet décidé d’inclure des sonorités électroniques à son univers… et des morceaux comme " Me and the Machine " (aux accents presque " garbagiens ") ou " Dancing over Acheron " nous exposent une facette de Louisa jusque-là inconnue. La Dame défend d’ailleurs très bien son point de vue quant à l’intrusion d’éléments synthétiques dans sa musique, et nous la comprenons tout à fait, quoi de pire que la stagnation artistique ? Louisa évolue et c’est très bien. Ceci dit, nous avouons ne pas être fans de ce morceau " dancefloor " et continuons de préférer le versant féerique et organique de son travail. Hormis ce titre déroutant, cet " Alabaster " (hommage à Emily Dickinson) est une véritable réussite, un petit bijou de poésie et de beauté comme seule Louisa John-Krol sait les faire.”
Review by Twilight Zone, USA:
“Ancestral Australian composer returns with a new CD, this time celtic-faeric roots meet new stylistic contaminations and experimentations. Moreover compositions of “Alabaster” contain fancy and inspiration of artists like: Olaf Parusel (Stoa), Francesco Banchini (Gor), Daemonia Nymphe, Oophoi and many more. We meet therefore interesting heterogeneous atmospheres and charming iridescent landscapes, every track is extremely cured and introduces intriguing agreements, and Louisa’s voice has always something magical. In the hemispheres by the Mediterranean, Celtic, ethereal inks, we find sonorous sources of “The Throng On The Pier” (ridden remote), “The Lily And The Roses” (danced white water-lily), “Light On The Wall” (arboreal arabesques). Charming horizons more dream-pop for “Waterwood”, “Stone Lake”, “Paint In The Wind”, unknown for stylistic formulations: “Me And The Machine” (with seed-distorted voice). Neoclassical nocturnes in “The Seventh Ingress”, “How Should...”. “Approaching The Island Of Sirens”. And finally “Dancing Over Acheron”, ethereal atmospheres on techno-world rhythms. The bright pilgrimage of melody.”
Review by Eclipsed, Germany:
“Durchscheinende, mamorähnliche Gipsart. Ein Synonym für Schönheit. Und der Titel des neuen, atemberaubenden Album der australischen Faerie Tale Woman LOUISA JOHN-KROL. Ihr Faible für Titel, die mit dem ersten Buchstaben des Alphabets beginnen, hat nun schon mittlerweile Tradition. „Argo“, „Alexandria“, „Ariel“, „Alabaster“. Und über-haupt „Alabaster“. Hier wandelt die Ge-schichtenerzählerin mit schlafwandlerischer Sicherheit zwischen den Stilen, was gerade aus diesem Album ihr wohl vielschichtigstes und auch abwechslungsreichstes macht. Die Verwandtschaften zu Lorrena McKennitt sind zwar noch vorhanden, vor allem in verträum-ten Balladen wie „How should I your true love know?“, aber „Alabaster“ enthält viel mehr, wie das trip hoppige „Me And The Machine“, das rockige „Paint The Wind“ und die minutiöse Tranceovation „Dancing Over Acheron“ beweisen. Derweil sie in „Light On The Wall“ die Pfade der Worldmusic beschreitet, entwickelt sie in „The Seventh Ingress“ eine fast schon sakrale Heiligkeit und wandelt in „The Search For Lost Souls Midnight“ sowie „Stone Lake“ auf harmonischen Traumpfaden, die man, einmal betreten, so schnell nicht mehr verlas-sen möchte. „Alabaster“ ist nicht durch-scheinend, „Alabaster“ ist scheinend. Und wunderschön!”
Review by Mike Shankland, Oriflamme journal, England:
“Louisa John Krol's new CD Alabaster (Prik 069), the follow up to the excellent Ariel from 2001 has just been released on Prikosnovenie records. Louisa…After rating Ariel so highly, I was apprehensive about hearing Alabaster. Louisa seems to be diversifying more and more. Some of the songs are surreal pop, without self conciousness or irony-Waterwood and Me and the Machine. Stone Lake is tougher more demanding introspection . There is a Tudor love lyric set to music -The Lily and the Rose- along with a poem by Emily Dickinson, The Search for Lost Souls-Midnight. The release is completed with two very contrasting tracks; Approaching the Island of Sirens is fairly experimental whilst Dancing Over Acheron is a dance track which could easily be played in the clubs. Like many Prikosnovenie releases, the work is colourfully and elegantly packaged with quotes from Homer, Dante, and Omar Khay yam displayed on the sleeve. There is increasing interest in Louisa's work in Europe, and an Autumn 2003 tour is being planned with Francesco Banchini ( GOR/Ataraxia). Alabaster certainly showcases the imagination and many talents of Louisa John Krol very well.”
Review by A Defuncion www.ladefuncion.com/coment/comentarios Spain:
“Desde Australia esta artista nos presenta este, su cuarto álbum lleno de talento, misterio y belleza. Aunque antes de oír este álbum yo no sabia mucho de Louisa John Krol ni de su música, pero ahora con solo escuchar este trabajo una y otra vez, me he quedado muy a gusto con el estilo de música y letra y la calidad del mismo. Ella combina unos estilos más etéreos y neo-clásicos con un toque de la música celtica. Con este álbum tenemos una joya preciosa llena de valor para cualquier amante de las voces femeninas y la música más a la etérea y celtita. Aparte de lo que nos presenta ella misma, también colabora unos músicos bastante famosos en este estilo de música. Muchos conocerán los talentos de Francesco Banchini (Gor) y Olaf Parusel (Stoa) y otros también. Además, hay preciosas partes en que la letra está escrito por la poetisa Emily Dickenson y incluyendo Ophelia's Song de Hamlet de Shakespeare. Aquí lo tienes en resumen lo que contiene, un CD lleno de talento y buena música. Pero quiero tomar unas líneas para dar un poco más de mi opinión personal y una descripción más adecuada sobre el contenido de este disco. Y así todos puedan saber bien si vale la pena comprarlo o no, que seguro que dirás que sí! A mi me gusta mucho este estilo de música etérea, especialmente con el toque de los elementos célticos. Es tranquilo en su mayoría, pero tiene algunas cosillas más marchosas, especialmente el último tema DANCING OVER ACHERON que es más electrónico con ritmo más a lo tecno. Para mí, esto me gusta porque aunque es un estilo totalmente distinto, todavía tiene algo ambiental con el ritmo y la música. Más o menos los demás temas siguen lo normal de esta música, unos más que otros, y unos más del estilo pop y alternativa que no son mis favoritos. Pero pueden ser preferidos a los que les gusta la música de Kate Bush o Natalie Merchant. Por ejemplo, los primeros tres temas son unos de mis favoritos porque son un poco más oscuros, o mas clásicos. Luego, APPROACHING THE ISLAND OF SIRENS que es la penúltima canción que dura casi 10 minutos es una maravilla de la música ambiental. Te quedas así en un estado hipnotizado mientras lo escuchas. Me imagino que podría seguir escribiendo mucho más sobre cada canción de este álbum, pero solo quiero decir que en resumen es algo que realmente recomiendo a los amantes de la música etérea.”
Review by Yannick Blay, D-Side magazine, France:
“Le nouveau Louisa John-Krol offre son lot de surprises. Beaucoup plus varié que d'habitude, il fait l'étalage de sonorités électroniques et d'arrangements inattendus voire inédits chez le couple (Louisa compose avec son mari Mark Krol). On doit certainement cela à l'omniprésence du producteur arrangeur Brett Taylor. Des titres comme "Me and the Machine" mêlant les machines à une orgie de guitare ou "Dancing over Acheron" au beat electro-dance et enjoué (Louisa prévoit d'ailleurs un album entier du même style !) sont pour le moins inattendus. Les autres morceaux, plus proches de ce que l'on connaît de l'Australienne, sont particulièrement réussis : l'élégiaque "Throng to the Pier", "Paint the Wind", un hommage à l'artiste Karan Wicks responsable de certaines de ses pochettes, "How should I your true Love know" qui pourrait très bien illustrer le fameux tableau Ophelia du préraphaélite John Everett Millais. Toujours aussi littéraire, Louisa s'inspire aussi de Dante ou de la mythologie grecque, ainsi que de la poétesse américaine Emily Dickinson (le titre "The Search for Lost Souls - Midnight" ainsi que l'intitulé de l'album, inspiré par l'un de ses poèmes "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers Lie the meek members of the Resurrection"). Le résultat est somptueux, riche et cohérent et Louisa John-Krol semble capable d'émouvoir quels que soient les collaborateurs (ici Francesco Banchini alias Gor, Olaf Parusel de Stoa ... ) ou les genres musicaux.”
More reviews of “Alabaster”, compiled 2004:
Premonition Magazine, France:
- Stéphane Leguay
known as medieval folk, she definitely has a mastery of this theme. Ron Sawyer
Témoignage chrétien, No. 28, France:
“Australie La Sirene Louisa”
Back to Top
"Louisa gets inspired by mythology, poetry, literature and nature
expressing an aptitude to whatever is related to fairies, hobs
and elementals, which move her soul thread and crystallize her
inspiration in the form of verse and music. "Ariel", apart from
fairy vocals, is enriched by instruments such as guitar, piano,
mandolin, flute, cello, a quartet of stringed instruments, percussion
(darabuka, firesticks, drums, bell-tree), keyboards, angel harp
and more which create a melodic field leading to a romantic, dreamy
world. The theme of the title and homonymous song is based on
Shakespeare where moonstruck Louisa takes us into a world of fairies
and elementals moving in a completely different yet pure space-time
continuum grid. Black birds, psychopomps, Alice in the garden
of live flowers, stories of sorrow, salamanders and bubbles of
rain fill in her thematic field that never escapes its fairytale
perspective. Which world now is real and which is imaginary is
something the listener is called to discover according to the
degree of internal purity that characterizes him. "Ariel"...is
a tiny jewel in the field of romantic pop-ethereal fairy music.
If you love hobs and fairies do not hesitate. This is something
that concerns you personally!"
Tolis Elefantis
L'Ame Electrique Magazine
(English translation)
"After the marvellous Alexandria, the golden-haired Australian
comes back to enchant us with her calming, languorous voice,
in the presentation of twelve tales filled with mysterious,
mesmerizing powers. Literature, mythology and poetry all give
substance to Louisa's lyrics. The latter flow and float admirably
by means of music that is essentially classical, acoustic (oh!
The mandolin and the harp!) and ethnic, all sustained by a light
electronic touch. The folklore of Louisa John-Krol has real
medicinal virtues, bathing our celestial bodies in a pastoral
atmosphere, where we can transform ourselves, as we wish, into
a bird (Blackbird - one of the most beautiful titles she has
ever written) or a salamander (Salamander - magnificently inspired
by Nick Drake). Ariel invites us to a promenade of over one
hour, something as nourishing to the intellect as to the senses,
in the heart of the magical Australian flora and for a little
taste of paradise."
Yannick Blay
D-Side
Magazine, France
y.blay@free.fr
"How beautiful this music is! How amazing this album is! How
dreamy Louisa's voice is! "Ariel" is one of those albums that
it is impossible to ignore and above all to forget. The melodies
of its songs, her heavenly voice, the wonderful atmosphere that
is possible to breath here, remain in your mind and above all
in your art for a long long time and I can assure you that it
is one of the most beautiful sensations you can feel listening
to an album. Remembrances of DEAD CAN DANCE are present above
all in the structures of the tracks but what excite me is surely
the ethereal and magik world Louisa's voice succeeds to create...
she is a great singer and her voice is unique!!! 'Blackbird'
with its strings arrangements, the percussions of 'Numb The
Wren Tear', the new age aura of 'Nobelius' Garden', the wonderful
'Alice In The Garden Of Live Flowers', the incredible classical
essence of 'Salamander', are magnificent hymns to the beauty
and to the great music."
* Vote: 90/100
Francesco Palumbo
Vampiria
Magazine, italy
vampiria@inwind.it
"...She wanders through mysterious gardens where the air is
blurred by the heat, she wishes herself into the sea or into
the sky with high, slowly moving clouds. The music, the gliding,
swimming, dancing, twinkling sounds she spreads in front of
us are nourished by Welsh heritage as well as by myths and atmosphere
of the Australian gold town where she grew up as well as by
classical literature.... The detailed percussive background
of Louisa's music evokes memories of Dead can Dance, but the
music is completely original, mainly formed by Louisa's soft
voice, warm string sounds and subtle electronics. It is difficult
to compare the rising atmosphere with anything else, I can only
mention names for broad orientation - memories of Kate Bush
or early Clannad - but each comparison would degrade the individual
charm and magic of Louisa's work. Some songs are meditative,
almost sacred...onomatopoetic dreamlike singing, whispering
voices and strange soothing background sounds and violins. Others
are more floating, driven by hypnotic singing and mandolin,
or move like chamber music in a dreamy sun-filled room. The
lyrics give their share to rising moods, little journeys into
inner and outer worlds, where borders between wishes, dreams,
encounters mingle and dissolve....In songs like "Ariel" or "The
Seagiant" Louisa seams to float under water, surrounded by gliding
plants, sinking deeper and emerging to light again.... Sometimes
her warm voice rises higher, more intensive and urging, like
you might know it from Tori Amos. My favourite song which always
sends a shiver down my spine is the magical "Numb the Wren Tear"
with its driving rhythms, light atmosphere filled with subtle
tension, its repeated coiling fragile guitar and string melodies...."
Claudia Mona Striewe
POLARLiCHT issue 8, autumn 2001
www.polarstar.de
mail@polarstar.de
Stunning and Breathtaking Neo Folk music a mix of Dead can Dance,
The Gathering, Loreena McKennitt and The Moors. There's a very
celtic flavor as you can imagine as well here. Louisa's vocal
content is very well thought out as well as beautfully sung.
Another Ethereal Journey where given here, by Prikosnovenie
a label to watch very closely as there releases are truly impressing
me on a massive scale".
- thank you for your music -
Clint
DFR
Dragon Flight Recordings/Mailorder/ Magazine
promotions@dragonflightrec.org
“Ein erster Blick auf das Yggdrasil-Signet der CD lässt
erahnen, welche musikalischen Pfade Louisa John-Krol beschreitet.
Allerdings beschränkt sich “Ariel” nicht auf
Pagan-Songs. Die australische Multiinstrumentalistin aus dem
weiteren Dead-Can-Dance-Umfeld schÖpft vielmehr aus dem
gesamten Fundus europäischer Mythologien und verdichtet
sie zu einem spirituellen Ganzen. Mit den Worten “come
blackbird and take my soul away …” fÜhrt Louisa
den HÖrer ins Reich der Poesie. Malentsteht aus dezenten
Percussions und FlÖten ein ambientes Klanggebilde, das
den HÖrer träumen lässt. Ein andermal bilden
Folkgitarren und elektronische Rhythmen den Hintergrund fÜr
“Ariel”, den Luftgeist aus Shakespeares “Sturm”.
Neben Mandoline und Klavier beherrscht die studierte Musikerin
vor allem ein Instrument: ihre Stimme. Mit warmem Timbre baut
sie die atmosphärischen Klangcollagen auf, die dieses Album
auszeichnen. Louisa John-Krol bietet mit interessanten Inhalten
und musikalischer Eigenständigkeit eine wunderbare Bereicherung
der momentan so populären Elfenmusik. Wer Mila Mar oder
Hagalaz’ Runedance schähtzt, kann hier getrost reinhÖren.”
Elmar Klemm
Zillo
Magazine (68)
info@zillo.de
elmar.klemm@talknet.de
Side-Line
Magazine, Belgium
(interview below):
The Australian multi-musician is back with a brilliant album!
... an ambient-folk-esoteric-new age release. Once again she
reminds me of Enya, but in a less commercial way and definitely
more elaborate. It's all like a dream or day in fairyland...
with beautiful vocals of Louisa as magical fairy of the story..."Ariel"
runs like clear spring-water...music that gives you a very good
feeling, a state of total prosperity. Song after song you feel
like being a part of this enlightening universe she creates…
The absolute highlight is one of the last songs entitled "Anemone
falling". It's simply a pearl! An extremely floating composition
with angelic vocal parts where each tone accentuates the brilliance
of the dream and if you take time to deeply relax you'll hear
birds singing in the green woods. Louisa is one of those artists
who deserves world-wide recognition because you can hear she's
totally devoted to her passion... a captivating, emotional symbiosis.
I love your music Louisa, thanks for the reverie you give me...
you're like a star that shines in a deeply dark sky!"
Stephane Froidcoeur
Side-Line Magazine,
Belgium
sideline@ping.be
Twilight Zone, Italy:
"This is the second album, for the Australian artist who offer
to her public a dreamy and visionary work. Supreme and mystic
voice close to Loreena Mc Kennit and Tori Amos. Ethno-folk ballads
remind us some Dead Can Dance's tracks, light and arcane, illuminated
by acoustic guitars, strings quartet, mandolin, arp, flutes,
bass, piano, etc...; the twelve magic tricks of this cd are
perfectly arranged, various in intensity and rich of vibrancy.
Lyrics are inspired by Nature and Literature, some pieces are
taken from Shakespeare and Shelley. Etereal, poetical effusions
are going to penetrate into the iridescent valleys of your imagination.
One of the best release of the year!"
Francesco Gentile
Twilight Zone
http://web.tiscali.it/twilightzone
Elegy Magazine, France:
"A touch of piano, a good dose of guitar and mandolin, some
spoonfulls of violoncello, some percussions and a glass of flute.
Mix the ingredients with the help of a pure, gentle and melodic
voice, and set it down to rest between a painting by Karan Wicks
inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and the most faerie of artworks
by Adelaide Mallunee. Next, say the magic words: The river is
moving, the blackbird must be flying [Wallace Stevens]... The
world of Ariel opens to you... This new album by the Australian
Louisa John-Krol and her small company is a pure marvel. The
lady storyteller transports us into her world composed of twelve
stories each more beautiful than the last. You will meet a very
strange blackbird, a seagiant, a red balloon, a salamander [tribute
to the songwriter Nick Drake] and even Alice in her garden of
living flowers... One is never bored. Each new piece enters
us into a different universe, evolving between Lewis Caroll,
Loreena McKennit and Dead Can Dance. A veritable joy for the
unconditional dreamers that we are."
Alyz Tale
translated into English by Cath Goss
Elegy Magazine
www.elegymag.com/louisa.htm
Collected Sounds, Sweden:
"Louisa John-Krol is an Australian singer who has made an
album of incredible beauty. She has a great deal of lyrical depth
and musical dexterity. Her songs are easy on the ear and leave
a lasting impression. There are similarities between John-Krol's
ethereal style and that of singers like Enya, but John-Krol is
her own woman. She sets lines from Shakespeare's "The Tempest"
to music with breathtaking results on "Ariel". The lovely
ode to doomed folk singer Nick Drake, "Salamander" is
above the trite sentiments such as a subject might have inspired
in others. Louisa John-Krol is someone who puts a great deal of
effort into her songs and it shows."
Anna Maria Stjarnell
Collected
Sounds
stjarnell@yahoo.com
Morbid Outlook - In Rotation, USA:
"I liked this cd the instant I started listening to it. It brought to mind celtic, folky and dancey touches of Kate Bush, Loreena McKennitt and Delerium. An enchanting album. (And not that this affected my opinion on the music, but I really love the painting used on the cover!)"
Mistress McCutchan
Morbid Outlook
Magic, France:
“Louisa John-Krol has an excellent voice and is a talented musician. Described by Prikosnovénie as “romantic pop-ethereal fairy music”, Ariel follows her Alexandria’s album which was released on Hyperium. Brought up in the Australian bushland, Louisa takes her inspiration from literature, mythology, poetry and nature. Louisa studied voice, guitar and piano and taught herself the mandolin. She once shared a house with Brendan Perry’s sister who introduced her to the music of goth legends, Dead Can Dance, but that is more coincidental than influential, as Louisa’s style is uniquely her own. Lyrics and music are by Louisa and husband Mark. Guest musicians include Caerwyn Martin on cello, Samantha Watkins on flute and Soundwood Strings quartet with violinist George Vi courtesy of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The recording is a well-constructed, polished and professional production. Graced with pleasant neoclassical ambient passages as well as songs, it is enchanting rather than dark. At first I found this album a little too light and polished for my own rough and ready tastes, but my appreciation has grown, especially of the more folky, ballad-like tracks. I particularly like the opening one, ‘Blackbird’, which is quite outstanding, and also ‘The Seagiant’ which seems to blend ecology and mythology. Many exemplify another of Louisa’s talents - that of storyteller.”
- RIK - First reviewed 12 June 2001. This review 21 February 2003: www.fluxeuropa.com
“… ‘Ariel’ is such an impressive body of work, that it really matters little whether I ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ it, the function of the reviewer seems more than a little redundant. Here are twelve songs that are incredibly well crafted, which balance rhythm, melody, imagination, lyrics, charm and passion. There is the elegant pop of ‘Blackbird’, and ‘Numb the Wren Tear’ ( the latter with a string quartet). The remote enchanting haunting tracks such as ‘Ariel’, and ‘Nebolius Garden’, and the harrowing apocalyptic folk sounding ‘Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers’, which I invariably end up playing several times in a row. Nick Drake seems to be a great influence and it is not surprising that one track ‘Salamander’ is dedicated to his memory. I want to maintain some sort of decorum and not to appear like a daft gushing fan but few releases by a female artist have impressed me so much since Nico in her heyday
or Kate Bush from the ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘Sensual World’ eras
– Mike Shankland
http://www.zyworld.com/Oriflammejournal/
"The music on ARIEL certainly owes a debt to the likes of Sally
Oldfield, Enya and Dead Can Dance, yet the particular atmosphere
of the album is far less pretentious than any of them. Hailing
from Australia, L. J-K is aided nicely on this album by Harry
Williamson (Gong) and others in creating a subtle, thematically
rich tapestry of strong melodies and highly exotic sonic textures.
The arrangements are diverse, lacking in pompous overkill musically
flowing effortlessly from one beautiful conceptual idea to the
next."
Archie Patterson
www.eurock.com
A review was wrongly attributed to Lefantastique, and follows the one below.
We don't know who wrote it, and apologies to the writer.
Here is correct review by lefantastique in Belgium:
"Quelle fantastique idée a eu le label français Prikosnovénie de permettre enfin à la vieille Europe de découvrir la merveilleuse Louisa John-Krol. Australienne de lointaine origine celtique, conteuse, musicienne (mandoline et guitare), chanteuse et compositrice, LJK s'inspire à la fois du légendaire féerique européen et de l'imaginaire aborigène pour créer une musique d'une surprenante beauté. Troisième disque à son actif, Ariel est une invitation au rêve se déclinant en douze pièces qui sont autant de petits joyaux. Si la pureté de la voix et certains morceaux de facture folk plus classique font immanquablement penser à Loreena Mac Kennit, l'introduction de programmations et d'effets électroniques, la théâtralisation du chant nous plongent parfois dans un univers proche de celui de Kate Bush ("Alice in the garden…"), tandis qu'ailleurs, on se rapproche d'Enya et de ses odes ambient-folk (le sublime "Anemone falling"). Au terme du rêve, on ne peut souhaiter qu'une chose: que les deux premiers opus de la Fée du Bushland soient bientôt distribués chez nous." - PJH - Septembre 2001
http://www.lefantastique.net/
Review erroniously attributed to Lefantastique;
"La divine Australienne est de retour avec sa troisieme
production CD portant le doux prenom de I'ange ArieI. Enfant
des croisades, elle s'est inspiree de la spititualite de la
terre qui I'a accueilli tout en gardant au fond d'elle une part
de la musique occidentale. Son reuvre est un doux melange de
voix feminines feeriques, d'instruments traditionnels "inandoline,
flute, derbouka, harpe, piano..." et de quelques vagues
de synthe mais ses inspirations sont toutes autant litteraires.
En effet son album est directement influence par I'reuvre de
Shakespeare et de Dostoyevski). La nature a eu elle aussi un
role important dans la creation de ce CD, ma is pouvait-il en
tre autrement lorsque I'on vit sur des terres magiques. Les
oiseaux, les peintres (I'expressionnisme creatif), Loreena McKennitt
(dont les deux timbres de voix sont assez proches) sont des
facteurs aui sont intervenus dans la naissance de ces douze
titres. Ce CD comporte deux editions I'une sortie chez le label
francais Priko et I'autre sousson propre sceau : Blue Tree."
Frederic Cotton
Lefantastique
"La leggiadria di Ariel, indimenticabile personaggio della Tempesta
di Shakespeare, aleggia sulle musiche romantiche e medievaleggianti
di questo terzo album della cantante australiana, amalgama di
eteree e sognanti atmosfere. Mitologia, leggende, favole, poesia,
ii mistero della Natura, permeano tutti i brani, sia nelle liriche
che nella costruzione musicale; la voce di Louisa e fatata,
il supporto slrumentale (piano, chitarre, cello, arpa, flauto,
mandolino, basso, darbuka) di ec- cezionale valore. Nascono
in questo modo una dozzina di brani di stile indefinibile, bellissimi,
con I'impatto del pop, I'autenticito del folk e il magnetismo
della musica antica. Un brano e dedicato a Nick Drake, indimenticabile
meneslrel- 10 e poeta della solitudine umana, e questo non puo
che far piacere. La Prikosnovenie sta definendo un genere nuovo
e sorprende ad ogni nuova uscita: Rajna, Caprice, Cherche Lune,
Anima in Fiamme, Jack or Jive erano gio una scuderia di enorme
qualito, ora con Louisa John Krol si raggiunge la perfezione."
Gianluigi Gasparetti
Deep
Listenings
"Ariel Blue Tree / Prikosnovenie: La divine Australienne est
de retour avec sa troisieme production CD portant le doux prenom
de I'ange ArieI. Enfant des croisades, elle s'est inspiree de
la spititualite de la terre qui I'a accueilli tout en gardant
au fond d'elle une part de la musique occidentale. Son reuvre
est un doux melange de voix feminines feeriques, d'instruments
traditionnels "inandoline, flute, derbouka, harpe, piano..."
et de quelques vagues de synthe mais ses inspirations sont toutes
autant litteraires. En effet son album est directement influence
par I'reuvre de Shakespeare et de Dosto'i evsk). La nature a
eu elle aussi un role important dans la creation de ce CD, ma
is pouvait-il en tre autrement lorsque I'on vit sur des terres
magiques. Les oiseaux, les peintres (I'expressionnisme creatif),
Loreena Mc Kennitt (dont les deux timbres de voix sont assez
proches) sont des facteurs aui sont intervenus dans la nais-sance
de ces douze titres. Ce CD comporte deux editions I'une sortie
chez le label francais Priko et I'autre sousson propre sceau
: Blue Tree."
Emmanuel Queva
33 .PRESTO! 53 Octobre 2001
Louisa John-Krol 'Ariel'
Various Artists 'Belladonne 2'
"Het sublabel Iris van het Franse Prikosnovenie leRt zich toe
op "heavenly voices en vult daarmee het gat op dat labels als
Hyperium en +ad hebben laten liggen. Louisa John-Krol is ook
een zangeres die perfect in dat genre past. Haar vorige cd 'Alexandria'
stamt uit 1999, hoog tijd voor de nieuwe cd, 'Ariel'. Haar stem
is een fijne kruising van Lisa Gerrard en Jane Siberry. Haar
muziek is engelachtig. de ene keer door de harp, de andere keer
door het strijkorkest. Maar ook op denieuwe cd gebruikt ze daarnaast
ook diverse gitaren, fiuiten, percussie instrumenten en cello
om het hemelse resultaat kracht bij te zetten. Het is heerlijk
breekbare muziek met een vleugje mystiek en romantiek. Uiterst
geschikt voor fans van Enya, Dead Can Dance, Stoa, Rajna en
alle releases in de "heavenly voices" hoek. Ben nummer van deze
cd is ook vertegenwoordid op de tweede Iris-compilatie, BelIadonne
2' geheten. Hierop staan reeds eerder uitgebrachte songs van
het label op, maar ook (nog) niet eerder verschenen nummers.
Het leuke is dat het een nogal internationale "heavenly voices"
is met bands/ artiesten uit Griekenland (Daemonia Nymphe), Japan
crack Or Jive, Chako), Italie (Anima In Fiamme, Gor), Duitsland
(ChristianWolz), Mexico Garamar), Frankrijk (Collection D' Arnell
Andrea), Australie (Louisa John-Krol) en Rusland (Caprice).
Daarbij doen Gor & Chalto (uit Jack Or Jive) het no!! samen
en Lys met wederom Chako. Deze cd is uitennate geschikt voor
de fans van de eerder genoemde bands. Reerlijk etherische schoonheid,
(jwb)"
JUD
Jan Willem Broek
Gonzo Circus Magazine
and Radio 100/Senzor/Jazzfacts,
The Netherlands
"…Ariel enchants and truly is a masterpiece of the
genre. Her musical style lies somewhere between DCD and Enya
and she takes us on a journey to a land of fairies and fantastic
stories, accompanied by flute, mandolin, synthesizers and strings.
The songs build up a beautiful arc of music, led by Louisa's
voice, which can easily compete with that of some of the finest
artists of the genre. A gem, not only for fans of 'Heavenly
Voices', but also for lovers of medieval music, for meditation
or for goths that want to cuddle. Highly recommendable."
Martin Hirsch
German version at www.tranceform.de/2khtml/johnkrol.html
or via link on front page
filarion - random noise productions
filarion@gmx.net
Après
nous avoir gratifié de l’album « Alexandria
» chez Hyperium en 1999, Louisa John-Krol revient sur
le devant de la scène par le biais de Prikosnovénie,
avec le superbe « Ariel », à l’aisance
aussi magique que féerique. L’Australienne puise
son inspiration des merveilles de son pays natal, la Nature
éternelle, la beauté incomparable des paysages,
mais aussi cherche sa voie au-travers de la mythologie, de la
poésie, de la littérature. Après des études
de guitare, de piano, et de chant, elle joua dans une formation
avec Dawn Perry, le frère de Brendan (Dead Can Dance).
Ceci aide certainement à comprendre les réminiscences
du groupe culte que l’on trouve dans sa musique. Mais cette
comparaison paraît bien restrictive à l’écoute
de la richesse de ses compositions, magnifiées par une
instrumentation variée, mêlant gracieusement la
mandoline, la flûte, le violoncelle, etc… On pense
à Bel Canto, voire Kate Bush, sur des harmonies beaucoup
plus fines et aériennes, limpides et légères.
Cette musique flotte au-dessus des nuages, immaculée
d’une aura indescriptible. Une œuvre de choix au sein
de l’heavenly voices, dont Prikosnovénie s’est
fait le porte-parole par sa division Iris. Et quand on sait
que Louisa a collaboré avec Frédéric, responsable
du label, sur son projet Lys, la preuve qu’un bonheur en
amène un autre n’est pas fortuite. Recommandé
Stéphane Fivaz
http://www.heimdallr.ezwww.ch/louisa.htm
Glasnost
Music, Germany:
'Ariel' voted 'Album of the month' for June 2001
(English translation not yet available)
Die zwei vorangegangenen CDs der elfenhaften australischen Musikerin
waren nur für kurze Zeit in kleinen Auflagen zu bekommen. "Ariel"
setzt ihre Arbeit, bei der sie von ihremMann und vielen weiteren
Musikern unterstützt wird, konsequent fort. LOUISA hat zwei
verschiedene Inspirationsquellen. Die eine ist ihr Garten mit
den Pflanzen und Vögeln, die andere ist die klassische Literatur
von Dostojewski bis Shakespeare. In der archaischen Weite des
australischen Buschlandes aufgewachsen, betrachtet sie zudem
die 50000 Jahre alte Kultur des sechsten Kontinents als ihren
Mutterboden, auch wenn ihre Musik gœnzlich europœisch neokeltisch
ist. Was auf dieser Erde sprießt, ist eine Schichtung von Klœngen
aus Harfen und Flöten, die oft beinahe stehen, bei denen Zeit
keine Rolle spielt. Ewigkeit und tiefe Ruhe sind die Zustœnde,
die sich hier einen atmosphœrischen Sound geben. Auch die Stimme
gestaltet sich nach diesem Prinzip. Neben zauberhaft gesungenen
Liedern gibt es Stücke, in denen die Stimme als Instrument zu
einem Element wird wie das Rauschen, das Pfeifen und Rieseln
der Natur. Inmitten von betörenden Sphœrenklœngen erblühen mœrchenhafte
Melodien, die einem das Herz zerspringen lassen. Dabei sind
die zarten Klœnge der königlichen Instrumente sorgsam und diffizil
arrangiert, wie bei einer klassischen Komposition ranken sie
sich in gediegener Reinheit und Transparenz um die Stimme, entfalten
ihre Dynamik durch das Spiel mit der variablen Intensitœt von
Druck und Lautstœrke. Ein œtherischer Sound, der, wie es zu
diesen Zeiten verbreitet ist, auch gelegentlich mit Trip Hop
Rhythmik etwas Tempo gewinnt, als Kontrast zu den von textlosen
Stimmen aufgetürmten undurchdringlichen Klangwœnden. In der
Gesangstechnik setzt LOUISA derweil auch in einigen Liedern
die ekstatische Singweise keltischer Barden ein. In Kreisen
wie ENYA, LOREENA MCKENNIT oder KATE BUSH sieht sie sich künstlerisch
beheimatet, auch mit BLACK ROSE könnte man manches von ihr vergleichen.
"Ariel" ist ein Album" mit dem man sich lœngere Zeit befassen
kann, das nicht einfach so vorbeiplœtschert wie ein Bœchlein
im Walde.
glasnost-media@gmx.net
www.glasnost.com
coroner 5/5
Andrey "coroner"
http://music.gothic.ru/review_e.htm
Russian Gothic
Project
Darker Than The Bat, Belgium:
"Louisa grew up in native Australian bushland. She studied
voice, guitar and piano and mandolin was self-taught. During
the early nineties she shared a house with other artists including
Dawn Perry, who introduced her into the music of her brother
Brendan's duo, Dead Can Dance. Now she introduces the magical
album, Ariel with mandoline, percussion, flute, cello, string
quartet, derbouka. And as soon as I heard the first tunes of
the opening track, 'Blackbird', I started thinking of Dead Can
Dance. The instrumental song, 'Tale of a Thorn', starts with
flute and then changes beautifully to percussion and strings.
She takes inspiration in literature, mythology, poetry and nature
and fragments of the lyrics are by Shakespeare. A heavenly voice
will take you into romantic and dreamy worlds and great masterpieces
are Red Balloon, Numb the Wren Tear, Beads of Rain and Salamander.
This is good romantic pop-ethereal fairy music that leans to
dark folk. This album must have a high score.
Peter Jan Van Damme
Dttb.pjvd@planetinternet.be
www.proservcenter.be/darkthanthebat
Suburbia Magazine, Italy:
"La musica dell'australiana Louisa John-Krol viene definita
un pop-ethereal romantico, io direi quasi fantastico, e credo
che in fondo sia un giudizio azzeccato. L'elemento che più contraddistingue
"Ariel" dalle molte produzioni del genere è la scelta di virare
spesso verso un etno-folk arioso e completo, piacevole ed elegante,
e brani come le iniziali "Blackbird" e "Red Ballon" ne sono
l'esempio più illuminante, con il loro spaziare a 360 gradi
senza dare forti punti d'appiglio e lasciando capire che l'esperienza
maturata negli anni (questo è il suo terzo lavoro, i precedenti
sono su Hyperion) è servita a trovare una chiave di volta che
le apra percorsi sempre più piacevoli. Il problema è che nello
scorrere dell'album e durante i settanta minuti di musica che
lo compongono non tutti i brani sono a questo livello, in alcune
canzoni e cito la stessa title track come esempio si tende a
scivolare nei canoni classici di quella che in casa Prikosnovénie
si chiama fairy music. Le canzoni allora si alternano, pregevoli
per la raffinata fattura ma a tratti senza più un vero senso
di appartenenza ad un'artista determinata, e così si cade nella
sindrome del già sentito o dell'ovvio, del normale e del sufficiente.
Se solo "Ariel" fosse stato composto dalle canzoni migliori
e solo da quelle, pur risultando più breve avrebbe affascinato
molti più cuori e come le farfalle del booklet (anche in questo
caso della bravissima Adélaide Mallunée) sarebbe stato in grado
di volare ancora più in alto."
Federico Tozzi
www.suburbiamagazine.net
Ethereality, Washington,USA:
Craig L. Gidney
http://profiles.yahoo.com/quisquose11
Reviews
of books and music
Online Journal, Egg-centric
Teirra de Lobos webzine, Spain:
Australia tiene un toque especial para los grupos que se inspiran
en los sonidos románticos europeos y Louisa John-Krol
no podía ser una excepción. De entrada, y a pesar
de la parca presentación (un libreto de 4 páginas)
y una no muy afortunada portada, ya se me antojaba que podía
ser un trabajo especial. Y lo es. Lo es porque ésta banda
consigue una perfecta harmonización de sonidos clásicos,
medievales, atmósferas minimalistas, pasajes ambientales
y pequeñas concesiones a melodías facilonas que
podrían ser tachadas de “popies” (aunque éstas
tienen una presencia anecdótica en los más de
70 minutos de duración de este cd) La utilización
de instrumentos clásicos de la más variada procedencia
y la sensibilidad musical presente durante la grabación
hacen de éste trabajo una pieza imprescindible para cualquier
amante de la música
europea. 5/6
Emilio J. Moreno Atienza
info@tierradelobos.com
www.tierradelobos.com
Ver Sacruum, Italy:
Mircalla
DARKLIFE fanzine, Germany:
Gianfri
Back to Top
'Alexandria' Reviews, 2000
Extract: "Louisa's voice is so clear, so pure, like a stream
at sunrise, that it may well take your breath away. Some of
these songs are, I'm convinced, divinely inspired... transporting
the listener to other times and places and because of the passion
that she puts into the music, these became times and places
that I for one found myself wanting to learn more about. I have
already ordered my copy of The Collected Works of C. P. Cavafy!......I
have to liken the experience of Louisa John-Krol's music to
that of another great favourite, Loreena McKennitt, whose music
stimulates the listener intellectually, spiritually as well
as musically. There is also a healing quality to some of the
songs, that almost wrap you in an aural hug! Every track on
Alexandria is a delight to be savoured over and over... Beauty,
grace, passion and excellence are< the hallmarks of Alexandria,
this wonderful album."
Graham Lubin, Essex, UK,
'Celestial
Voices' June 1999
Review in Luna
Kafe - Full Moon, August for audible-edible delights
"A couple of years ago, I presented Louisa John-Krol's
first CD, Argo. It was a wonderful concoction exploring the
often psychologically and morally complicated worlds of mythology
and poetry.... Alexandria, runs along the same rivers of imagination
and creativity. It is an album full of vivacious incantations
inspired from mellifluous rumors from the faery lands and the
literary world. Alexandria is a tasty cocktail of Myth, glimpses
of Cavafy and echoes of Dostoyevsky. Louisa's smooth voice and
the array of instruments like mandolin, firesticks, bells, chimes,
keyboard, chas-chas, guitar, ocarina, keyboard, tiple, tablas
and angel harp, are the catalyst to the magic potion that gives
life to all these mysterious characters from the fringes of
reality!!! An excellent sophomore effort by this Australian
voice treasure."
Stavros Moschopoulos
FAO
United Nations, Rome, 1999
"Alexandria is sometimes eerie, sometimes dreamy and often
soothing. Its ethereal folk sound comes from an echoing mixture
of instruments. Adding to the atmosphere are lyrics that are
full of mysterious story-telling."
Sue Barrett
Rhythms magazine, Australia
Issue 85, August 1999
"Die Australierin Louisa John-Krol ist eine uberzeugte
Anhangerin weitgespannter Melodiebogen und harmonischer Klangmuster,
bie denen sie immer wieder samtliche rhythmische Register zieht.
Dazubedient sich die Multi-Instrumentalistin und Marchenerzahlerin....einer
ausgfeilten Collagentechnik aus Ambient, Folk und klassischen
Elementen. Ihre Kompositionen entfuhren den Horer vom ersten
Akkord an in eine entspannte Folk-Eleganz mit traumhaften Soundwelten
und flachig angelegten Grooves. Dazwischen kombiniert Louisa
dezent feinste Breaks und angedeutete Electro-Tunes, wobei ihr
Harry Williamson (fruhe Genesis) hilfreich zur Seite stand."
(DF) in Music/in Zide, Nr. 7 Juni 1999
"Wird demnachst in der Radiosendung angespielt, noch unklar
welcher Track. Ist definitiv eher eine CD fur ruhige Momente
daheim, wobei der Vergleich mit Enya m.E.eher paBt als mit Loreena
McKennitt, da diese CD eher schon "frohlich" erscheint.
Wird dennoch in den entsprechenden Kreisen seine Freunde finden,
obwohl das Machwerk nicht gerade sonderlich herausragend, aber
trotzdem solide ist."
Alexander Kreit, Hannover
May 99
"A canny fusion of ambience, folk classical... a haunting...
music sensation... Reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt and Kate
Bush, with a powerful Dead-Can-Dance-style ethnic undercurrent,
Alexandria draws on John-Krol's storytelling background, setting
myth and poetry to soaring vocals... a homegrown alternative
to Enya..."
Emerald Hill Times/ Melbourne Weekly Australia
March 1999
"Louisa John-Krol's sumptuous voice is as beautiful and
as expressive as Enya's and Loreena McKennitt's. From ancient
Sumerian chants to Argo, the ship of the Argonauts, to a fiddler
on the Isle of Man, to a dedication to Ficino, the Renaissance
Alchemist..... An excellent adventure into the realm of conscious/subconscious
beauty...."
Fao Casa Gazette, Rome
December 1996
"Louisa's primary focus is a combination of mythology,
antiquity and poetry, all placed within a strong, contemporary
spiritual context..... reminiscent of early Kate Bush which
is a high tribute."
Ambience Magazine Australia
No 6, 1996
"Alexandria, das neue Album der Australierin Louisa John-Krol,
ist eine traumhaft gelungene Fusion aus Ambient, Folk und Klassik.
Musik, die Sehnsuchte weckt, und dabei eine Kettenreaktion von
Gefuhlen auslost... Erinnerungen an Loreena McKennitt und Kate
Bush werden wach und verstromen einen Stil a la Dead Can Dance,
wenn sich Louisa John-Krol mit Alexandria auf ihren Hinterground
als Marchenerzahlerin (sie gehort zur Storytelling Guild of
Australia) bezieht - sie verknupft Mythen und Poesie mit ihrem
schwebenden Gesang. Ihre Nahe zu Dead Can Dance ist ubrigens
nicht zufallig, ist sie doch eine enge Bekannte von Bildhaurerin
Dawn Perry, der Schwester von Brendan Perry. Das Album, das
12 Stucke enthalt, kombiniert elektronische Sounds mit live
eingespielten Instrumenten und wurde von Harry Williamson (fruhe
Genesis) arrangiert und produziert. Louisa John-Krol und Williamson
spielen dabei alles von Gitarre oder Mandoline uber Harfe bis
hin zur Okarina.
Martz Mailorder
"Aus dem fernen Australien kommt mit 'Alexandria' ein Album
das sofort eine einnehmende Faszination bewirkt. Louisa John
Krol schafft es, den Horer von seiner Umgebung vollig loszulosei
und ihn sanft in ihre Welt voll Warme, Harmonie und Entspannung
zu fuhren. Dazu ist sie geradezu pradestiniert, is sie doch
Marchenerzahlerin und Mitglied der Storytelling Guild of Australia.
DaB sie auch singend sehr guterzahlen kann beweis sie auf 'Alexandria'
mit ihrem feenartigem Gesang, der sich leicht wie ein Vogel
in die Luft legt. Eine ideale Unterstutzung bildet die Musik,
eine Fusion aus Ambient, Folk und Klassik. Hie zeigt sich einmal
mehr, wie wichtig die Kunst des Weglassens und die Konsentration
auf das Wesentliche fur das Entstehen eines kompletten und begeisternden
Werkes ist. Bei diesen Album stimmt von vorne bis hinten einfach
alles, wozu siche auch Harry Williamson (fruhe Genesis) als
Produzent einen groBen Teil beigetragen hat. Jeder, der sich
fur Enya, Dead Can Dance, Loreena McKennitt, Hyperium's Heavenly
Voices Veroffentlichungen oder auch Kate Bush erwarmen kann
und Louisa John-Krol auBer Acht laBt ist selbst schuld - ihm
entgeh etwas."
M.S. (codemusic org. reviews)
Fao Casa Gazette,
December 1996, Rome
Faery Music 2004
Reviews
Miscellanious 2005-2006
Miscellanious 2004-2005
Alabaster Interviews
Interview with Les autres mondes
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Interview with D-Side Magazine
Interview with Rosa Selvaggia Magazine
Interview with Antiphonal Magazine
Interview with Zillo Magazine
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Interview with Barbarian Magazine / Tierra de Lobos
Interview with L'Ame Electrique Magazine
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Interview with Side-Line Magazine
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Back to Interview List
France 2006 http://www.lesautresmondes.net
Yes, I’m lucky to know many talented musicians, including producers Brett Taylor and Harry Williamson. These men are far more than engineers. They also perform many instruments, contribute to arrangements and understand my expression.
My interest in the Green Man archetype precedes this album by many years. The research was sporadic; from time to time, I’d encounter a motif or word that rekindled this fascination. However, it’s a presiding theme, not the only one. I’m also captivated by the notion of parallel lives / alternate universes, as well as reincarnation. These concepts were already explored in our earlier releases, such as “Alabaster”.
My husband wrote “The Windrow” before my 2003 European tour. It touches on the fragile line dividing reality from dream, or our choices: “Which one is your world?” The windrow is the edge of waves sculpted by wind along a shoreline: “Windrow, windrow, drift like a curtain - speak like thunder!” It seems that there are times in life when souls struggle through veils of conflicting wishes: “Which one will you choose?” We’d be walking by the Yarra River, or sitting in a tea-shop, imagining “caravans in the dawn / carting musk and sandalwood”. Mark was writing a novel entitled “The Windrow”, set in the Yarra Valley. In my heart, the windrow came to symbolise a border between the exotic and familiar: “Hazelnuts in the breeze / carrying embers of delusion”; now 3 years later, the sand beneath my feet is firmer, the sea driven by different currents. Perhaps that is the beauty of the windrow? It can obscure or clarify, haunt or guide, depending on how we read its mysterious signs?
Yes, Mark and I continue to avidly collect CDs. I’m continually inspired by the extent of talent outside the major label system. For example, I believe Shannon Wright is deserving of wider respect, and highly recommend her CD “Dyed in the wool”. Some music we’re playing in the car is a triple-CD entitled “69 Love Songs” by The Magnetic Fields: a stunning array of instruments and compositional approaches. I’ve just ordered a box-set of CDs by Mathias Grassow from Databloem. We picked up a new album by Hannah Marcus. Some acts we returned to lately include The Throwing Muses and Otis Redding. Not every album I hear becomes a direct influence, but Bjork’s “Vespertine” inspires me to try a recording with music boxes…
The whole album talks about the Green Man. What does this figure represents to you?
“Apple Pentacle” explores a range of imagery and themes: parallel lives, thunder, love, drifting curtains of water (the windrow), faerie trysts, mirrors, dreams, phantoms, puppet shows, the passing of seasons and caravans in the dawn. A central focus is the Green Man (Puck, Robin Hood, The Face in the Leaves) and his consort, The Witch in the Wood. To me these are more than fertility icons; they represent creative energy and rebellion.
I like to be free of categories, and do not belong to any witch coven. Whilst I’ve dabbled in Tarot, astrology and numerology, I prefer poetry and novels. In my reading this year, the author who impressed me most is Balzac. However, as you asked: paganism embraces not only Wicca but also Buddhism, Hinduism and other polytheistic beliefs. For me, classical Greek/Roman gods are metaphors for aspects of the psyche. I also feel close to Celtic Druidism / Animism and Aboriginal Dreaming for their nature spirits, or a sense that the world is magical. It doesn’t have to be mysticism of epic proportions! It can be as simple as growing our favourite herbs.
It seems to me that every view holds potential for darkness. For example, Christianity has a peaceful aspect, but has caused crusades, persecutions and inquisitions. It also seems to me that gothic fashion has some unhealthy components. At an extreme there is a disturbing Neo-Nazi element. How can anyone find glamour in iconography of the Holocaust? On the opposite side (ethereal, romantic, pre-Raphaelite, new-age, contemporary medieval, neoclassical or world-music scenes) are other types of elitism, like purist notions of virtuosity, or idealism in relationships, that can lead to bitterness. There is a Hasidic proverb I like: “He who seeks friends with no flaws shall find none.” From a Jungian perspective, shadow and light can be integrated.
It’s a way to say “thank you” to my two Australian producers. Part One was recorded with Brett Taylor in Pilgrim Arts. Part Two (except for “Kunmanngur”) was recorded with Harry Williamson in Spring Studio. We hope it gives insights into their contrasting approaches to instrumentation and mixing.
There's a lot of musical styles in the "Apple Pentacle" and you play a lot with your voice. Did you change your way of singing and composing?
If anything, some pieces were a return to old ways: “Escalder’s Tree Ride” was composed nearly 20 years ago. “The Green Pentacle” (on the medieval romance “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”) was recent, but its composer – Jenni Heinrich – is my earliest friend & collaborator. We’ve known each other since age six.
Oophoi (Gianluigi Gasparetti) contacted me with a review he’d written for my music. My husband recognised the email as he collected Gigi’s CDs. A friendship developed. I stayed a couple of nights with Gigi and his wife Alessandra in Italy: they live in a medieval castle on the border of Toscana, Lazia and Umbria, visited by an owl, a ghost and a white wolf.
It is also about this world; Mark and I were exploring the idea of a soul moving through incarnations or alternate realities, as well as other dimensions. I feel it is possible to live several lives, not only in linear progression but also in parallel. In dreams or trances, can we move between them? If I had to choose one place to rest in for a long time, it might be the Mag Mell or Tír na nÓg , a Celtic paradise similar to the Norse Valhalla or Greek Elysium.
Do you see your music as a way to enter fairy worlds ? Is this what you would like to give with your music ?
Yes. Thank you for your thought provoking questions. Merci beaucoup.
Extract of
an Interview with Livid Looking Glass magazine, California,
2005:
What albums do you have in your car or home CD player right
now?
I understand that you are a teacher... Are you well
known in your hometown? Do your students ever get impromptu
performances?
I teach
English & Music at Dandenong High School, in the poorest urban region
of Australia. Most of our students are immigrants or children of such, including
refugees and asylum seekers from troubled regions, from Sudan to Sri Lanka, East
Timor, Cambodia, the Balkans and Afghanistan. It's a demanding but rewarding
vocation. Although I do work with teenagers in a musical capacity, I rarely
perform my own songs, being of the opinion that their talents - their
generation, their development - are the priority. And no, I'm not well-known in
Melbourne. This suits me; the life of celebrities is of no interest to me
at all. Oh, except for the chocolate cake that a DJ made for me on Belgian
national radio, and some red long-stemmed roses from our concert organiser in
Bruxelles. Those gestures went down pretty well :-)))
Melbourne has
produced many excellent dark-ethereal and well known musicians like Nick Cave,
Faraway, Eden, Dead Can Dance, Duality, Ikon, Legousia Hybrida, Trial of
the Bow, Avriga. Is there much interaction or collusion between you local
artists? Do you have plans to work with any?
What message do you
most wish to convey to your listeners?
The
music industry?
Interview Selection for “Alabaster” – Louisa John-Krol – July 2003
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Extract from an Interview with Grindzone magazine, July 2003, Italy
What has happened in your life between ‘Blackbird’ and Alabaster albums ?
Between Ariel (that opened with ‘Blackbird’) and Alabaster, 2 events swayed my world. The first was a visit to Europe in 2001. The other was my father’s illness and death. I miss him terribly – he was so warm. I feel drawn to Shakespeare’s character, Ophelia (#9 ‘How Should I your true love know?’) who lost her father at the same time as Hamlet turned cold to her.
In the booklet, you mention quotes from Dante, Tibullus, Homer, Wild etc. Are there a relation between them and the contents of the album ?
Yes, they relate to themes of passing through the underworld or facing danger be it war, terrorism, fire, plague, drowning or falling in love.
I suppose that the Machine of the song’s title is a phone or a computer connected to the net. Which is your relationship with technology in your life ?
‘Me and the Machine’ (#5) raises questions about ego, persona or identity. Further, it refers to Gurdjieff, who suggested that we are just sleeping machines, feeding energy for the moon. Perhaps there was also some anxiety about the computer age, but for my music, technology is liberating and positive. This is apparent in my use of the studio and the internet. Both enable me to overcome local limitations, to communicate with international labels, media, listeners and collaborators.
Could you tell me anything about Olaf Parusel as musician (in my opinion one of the best artist at all)?
In his band Stoa, Olaf released 3 albums: Urthona and Porta VIII on Hyperium (at that time a leading label of Heavenly Voices in Europe, Germany’s answer to Projekt and 4AD) then Zal on Dark Dimensions (Alice in…): www.darkdimension.de & www.stoa.de. Olaf is inspired by a wide range of subjects including Stoic philosophy, poetry & art by Blake, paintings by Goya and Boecklin, photography by Karl Blossfeldt (of which Olaf gave me a wonderful book) and Bela Bartok’s Herzog Blaubarts Burg. The music of Stoa is in my view memorable for Olaf’s subtle keyboard playing, beautiful melodies, poetic, intricate and romantic orchestral arrangements, and the soaring vocals of his female singers – originally Connie Levrow and now Mandy Bernhardt.
‘The Lily and the rose’ has a melancholy mood. Tell me more about this song?
This is a melody I set to a 16th century anonymous poem, that could describe rape, plague, or forbidden love. The interpretation is open, but if I try to make sense of it, I’d say The Bailey is a churchman who rings the bell of the dead, or a personification of death itself. The Maidens might be Fates who personify the Black Death. I’d suggest The Lily and the Rose refers to red spots on white skin (the plague), and recall a children’s game that survives into modern times, Ring-a-ring-a-Rosie. I was reading Byatt’s novel Possession at the time of discovering this poetry, and found many parallels.
How do you choose the songs to play live when you go on tour ?
We’re choosing songs that are possible to perform acoustically - no electronics – eg. ‘The Last Centaur’ or ‘Talim Ridge’ (Alexandria); ‘Blackbird’, ‘Salamander’ or ‘Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers’ (Ariel) or ‘The Lily and the Rose’ (Alabaster) on mandolin. If accompanied further by clarinet or percussion, they would flesh out warmly for the stage. But I love Francesco’s music so much that I’d be happy to focus on his own albums. He has 3 titles on Prikosnovenie: Bellum Gnosticorum, Ialdabaoth and Phlegraei. We will also play things from Love Sessions and new material we make in Italy:www.francescobanchini.com
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Extract from an Interview with Feedback Magazine, Portugal 2003:
This is clearly your most rich album, in terms of textures and music, ever. Was it hard to put it all together, since all the musicians recorded their parts in their countries? How did you exchanged ideas with them?
Thank you, yes there were practical challenges: international postage can be unreliable and there are differences in engineering styles, cultures or tastes. We usually posted CDRs of data between our countries and assembled the final parts in Australia.
Is it true that you like Teresa Salgueiro's voice? Do you like Madredeus music as well?
Yes, Teresa Salgueiro of Madredeus inspires me, as do other aspects of their music, especially its emotional warmth. Their lyrics sometimes remind me of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa (your namesake)! Consider the lyrics from their CD O Espirito Da Paz: “Momento…Silencio”; “Nao e nenhum poema” (“it would not be a poem”); “nada existe”; and “acordar e que eu nao queria” (“All I wanted was not to awake”). It seems to me that their music touches on similar themes of silence, the sea, beauty, a “languid trust in the fleeting moment” (Pessoa); I’m thinking of these lines by him:“I look at it from the top of a nonexistent hill, / stitch after stitch forming a cloth”; “In the silence and deceptive light of the depths”; “For it’s in the foil to my desire / That I feel nature and life to be real”;“Everything’s hidden”.
What do you know more from the Portuguese scene?
Dwelling and Aenima, on the Portuguese label Equilibrium, are excellent. I have a CD by each of them and really enjoy Catarina Raposo’s vocals on “Moments”. And I hear that Raphaela Hermes of the German band Das Zeichen is now living in Portugal. I have several of their albums and love their new one The Apsara Tapes, which a member of her band sent to me.
Your lyrical issues revolve around imagination and fantasy, but this time you put an more abstract edge to them. Why do you had this approach this time? Do you feel the need to not to be too concrete, when your music is so dreamy?
Before now, I was not aware of a more abstract edge, but you’re right. I’ve always been into symbolism, yet there was perhaps more narrative storytelling on my earlier albums, as in “Duncan the Fiddler” (Argo), “The Last Centaur” (Alexandria), or “Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers” (Ariel). Though we still borrow from legends and myths, the plot is now less linear, eg “Light on the Wall” (Alabaster) implies parallel lives, but it’s not clear where the lives are, who is living them, when, or why - the meaning is never explained.
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Extract from an interview with Presto Magazine, France, 2003:
In what ways have your Northern-European origins and your life in Australia influenced your music?
If reincarnation is possible - and if we can change race, religion, class, language, nationality, planet, galaxy or universe for each life - then perhaps family origins are of little consequence? But if my Celtic-Viking ancestors bequeathed anything to me, perhaps it is their restless spirit! Australia’s cultural diversity, space, political and spiritual freedom have encouraged me to cross genres without no heed for boundaries. However, the philistinism and materialism of mainstream Australia demands real defiance from our artists; the psychological struggle we endure here is a trial by fire, the flames of which burn inside our art.
Can you speak to us about your work of writing?
I’m close to completing a magic-realist novella, “Madame Alchemier” among other things, but have not sent them to publishers. By invitation one of my stories, “The Valley of Seven Keys” was published in Polarlicht Magazine last year – translated into German. I have also been invited to write for Khimaira Magazine in Belgium, which publishes my articles – translated into French. So my writing is entering print in other languages before my own. Maybe the faults are lost in translation?!
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Extract from an interview with Elegy Magazine, France 2003:
These "electronic elements" will probably surprise your fans. According to you, why is the union between poetry/machines, fairy voices/electronic so difficult to admit in people’s mind ?
If we see fairies as angels or invest them with pastoral charm, we might struggle to unite them with electronics. And because fairies are nature spirits, we might assume they cannot exist in a machine age. Why accept that limited view? Everything we use in a studio has natural origins! All the elements – fire, air, water, earth – help create technology. Furthermore, the word “Fey” comes from the Latin “Fatae”, the classical Fates; in faerietales these Visitors, who intervene in destinies of mortals, are not bound by human laws. So a fey musician may cross genres as freely as ghosts move through walls, selkies transform into women, frogs become princes; we are shapeshifters. …In my song “Me and the Machine”, the Mistress of the Reel shall define the scene, the scene does not define her.
I think that you come to Europe in September, we will at last see you on stage ! ! What can we expect from " Louisa on stage " ?.
The instrumentation will be simple: my vocal and mandolin, Francesco on clarinet and percussion… Francesco is a brilliant performer, who has toured extensively with Ataraxia. We will play tracks from Love Sessions and our own albums. My songs of centaurs and salamanders will be stripped to their basics, or interpreted by Francesco, and I shall sing his beautiful, wild medieval songs!
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Extract from Interview with Atraktos site, Greece 2003:
Louisa, when I listened to Love Sessions for first time I was amazed from your voice! Where have you been all these years? How long are you in the music business?
Thank you, Kosta. I recorded my first original song at age 10 and made 5 unreleased albums before self-publishing my 6th, Argo and 7th, Alexandria (re-issued by German label Hyperium). I received my first royalties from the 8th, Ariel on French label Prikosnovenie, which recently released my 9th album (4th CD) Alabaster.
Why have you ended up recording for a French label and not for an Australian one? Are things difficult for your music in your country?
Fred Chaplain (Prikosnovenie’s owner) wrote from France to introduce himself. He won me by his talented artists, attractive design, tasteful promotion and financial honesty. I don’t say things are “difficult” in Australia, as it suits me to live in reclusion on an island continent. I am a willing participant in my own exile.
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Extract from an interview with D-Side magazine, France 2003:
Alabaster is very varied. It seems that you could sing with any artist of any genre, always with the same pleasure and talent …
Thank you! Honestly, it is a pleasure to work with musicians who are so talented, and whom I personally love.
" Throng on the Pier " (#1) is simply wonderful ! What specific image and scene had you in mind to write this song from The Iliad and Dante’s Inferno ?
The image and scene were inspired by the aftermath of a battle in Homer’s “Iliad”, where Odysseus surveys the destruction and utters: “Athena, love me as much as you can”. We were also imagining a scene in Dante’s “Inferno”, where a throng of dead souls have gathered on the pier, awaiting the ferryman. Transposing it to a modern scene, we felt there was no longer room to carry so many souls, so now they are summoning ghost-trains… For this recording we were graced with a contribution by Daemonia Nymphe, who play authentic Greek instruments from antiquity.
" How should I your true Love know " (#9) wonderfully reminds me of the symbolist painting $Ophelia$ by John Everett Millais. Could we define your music as symbolist ?
Thank you! I do love the Pre-Raphaelites, though sometimes find their idealism limiting…It is easy to become so concerned with being pure and serious that one loses the anarchy, irreverence and vulgarity essential to great expression. Alongside Shakespeare’s romantic lovers there were the common, crude, bawdy characters! Yet Ophelia is for me the most poignant of Shakespeare’s female suicides, as she had less power over men than Juliet or Lady Macbeth exerted; Ophelia is perhaps the sweetest, loneliest and most fragile. Is my music symbolist? I don’t know, it was not intentional; my imagery and meanings are open to interpretation.
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Extract from an Interview with Rosa Selvaggia magazine, Italy 2003:
Your music mingles ethereal to Lisa Gerrad to POP music like Enya, Kate Bush and Loreena McKennitt, why?
I rebel against genre restrictions, or any other threats to my freedom. When a scene becomes a cult, it reminds me too much of a religion, whose members become purists, fanatics, bound to a prescribed code. Is that art? I will not be a slave to any scene! The “Mistress of the Reel” shall “define the scene”: (#5 “Me and the Machine”, Alabaster). She is an alchemist, casting new ingredients or trying new combinations of the old. She is also at war with her body and ego. She asks, are we “the Sleeping Machines” of Gurdjieff? Or is it a Dreaming Spirit that survives her crisis, like a flame within stone?
You have contributed to "Love Sessions" and this collaboration with other artists is continued in your new album. How are you with Francesco Banchini? You want to tell how "Love Session" was born and if your new album can be one of continuation?
Francesco and I met in France, recording the collaboration Love Sessions with our label Prikosnovenie. From the beginning, I was aware of his depth and sensitivity. He played many instruments including clarinet, all with perfect grace. It was as if his hands were leaves and his instruments branches of a tree….On my new album Alabaster he contributed clarinet, bendhir and chalumeau (recorded in Italy, but edited and mixed here)…While in Clisson we will also be recording a new album together.
On the back of the booklet of your last CD there are citations of poets, from Dante to Oscar Wilde, why? How much does this poetry inspire your music?
Poetry for me is word-music. I have loved it since childhood. All my albums echo literature in lyrics or themes. As a child in the bushland, I did not live near concert halls or opera houses, but I had access to books. I went to boarding school at age 14, but was so shy that I spent many hours alone reading poetry – behind pianos, up forbidden stairs, behind ivy on a balcony that was my secret hiding place. The Oscar Wilde quotation refers to #11 on Alabaster : “Approaching the Island of Sirens”. Dante’s Inferno relates to the opening track: “The Throng on the Pier” that alludes also to Homer’s Iliad: Odysseus surveys the carnage of a battlefield and utters in quiet horror: “Athena, love me as much as you can…!” Lest the gods do not hear us, may it be a plea for wisdom and grace, to summon those poetic souls whose words survive the ravages of Time?
"Dancing over Acheron" is an electronic track like never before. In this track your singing style approached Kate Bush very much. What has this artist meant for your background?
Kate Bush, of all recording artists, remains my greatest mentor. Her duality of sensuality and intelligence deeply inspired me, as did her adventurous approach to production and vocal performance. I personally identify with her shyness, her introversion. Why are so many musicians and actors expected to be extroverts who seek fame? If we were ever really comfortable with our peers, our generation, our century, would we have anything to say beyond popular clichés? An explosion of creativity is surely more likely to come from outsiders, misfits, eccentrics…. people driven by our loneliness or frustration, to tread less traveled paths, to invent new personas, to forge new ways of loving life?
Speak to us of Australia, and if in some way this nation inspires your creations?
Our continent is a giant island. Our only national border is the sea. Our psyche carries a rebellious hatred of the establishment, as convicts hated the ruling-class. These geographical and historical facts combine to form a sense of exile and limitless possibility. Another factor is our spiritual freedom. Only a third of Australians attend church. Buddhism is our fastest-growing religion. Our seasons do not correspond with northern festival dates like Christmas, so there is a movement among Pagans to set sacred calendars for the southern hemisphere. There is also increasing respect for the indigenous spirituality of this land: the Aboriginal Dreamtime. In my vocals for “Approaching the Island of Sirens” (Alabaster), “Nobelius’ Garden” (Ariel), “Hide in your Shadow” (Alexandria) or “The Healer’s Names” (Argo), you might feel the Dreaming of Australian oceans, lakes, rivers, deserts and forests. This is conveyed not so much by instrumentation, but rather in the purity, repetition and overlapping of notes.
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Extract from an Interview with Antiphonal Magazine, Spain 2003:
Can you tell me about the importance of the mythology in your work?
Mythology, in particular Greek Mythology, contains in my opinion profound insights to the collective human psyche. It provides a rich source of poetic metaphors, and expresses my spirituality.
What is the meaning of Heavenly Voices for you? Is more? Is an style of life? An style of music? The fantasy of our lives? The fantasy of our minds? A parallel universe?
Whilst I embrace the possibility of parallel universes, reincarnation, faerieland and other realms, my cultural life is not limited to the ethereal scene. Alongside ambient, medieval, gothic, neo-classical and dreampop, I also enjoy rock, funk, trip-hop, space and fusions of all kinds… I am not owned by the Heavenly Voices scene. Some people are purists. Like members of a religious cult, they follow a prescribed doctrine. My perspective is more like the Italian neo-platonist Ficino: “if you have to choose a god, choose all of them…” I like to keep my options open. If I come up against a border, it just stirs me up – like a red flag to a bull!
What do you know about the culture of my country Spain?
I am aware of the extraordinary literary tradition of Spain. Who can forget the great Miguel De Cervantes? We have in our collection works by Benito Perez Galdos, Miguel De Unamuno, Leopoldo Alas and plays by Valle-Inclan. I personally enjoyed the novel “Belarmino and Apolonio” by Ramon Perez de Ayala, (and wrote a song for it on an earlier CD Alexandria). Friends who have travelled to your country tell me that you are a very warm people.
Do you listen to any Spanish band?
Yes, we have music by Jordi Savall’s Hesperion XX; “Me Voy Contigo” by Remedios Amaya with guitar of Vicente Amigo; various compilations of flamenco such as “Son Del Sur”; the 3 singers of “La Sal De La Vida” and lots of Spanish music from the Middle Ages including “Alfonso X – “El Sabio” and the 15th century pilgrim songs from the monastery of Montserrat. Would you like to recommend your favourite Spanish music to me? I would love to discover more.
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Extract from an interview with Zillo Magazine, Germany 2003:
Not to forget „Me and the Machine“. Not only the title doesn’t fit to your filigree emotional world, most surprise are the powerful arrangements somewhere between The Cure and U2.
Thanks, I admire their music! Well perhaps there is suppressed emotion, pinned under the metallic prohibitions: “No handwriting allowed!”, “No secret letters!”, etc. We were also thinking of Gurdjieff’s notion that many humans are sleeping machines, just feeding energy for the moon. To what extent can we call ourselves “free” or “independent”, given the biological and social systems driving us? The machine is a metaphor for our basic forms: the mammal, the breeding engine, the consumer. …Brett introduced loud speakers – those used in large stadiums – to create an Orwellian impression of a society that shouts orders, herding humanity into a mass of economic units. The melody came to me and Mark in the car. Later I wrote the lyrics and mandolin part. I hummed the other hooks for Brett to play on keyboard. In my absence he cheekily added the Voice of the Machine (he still won’t tell me what he was saying. Sometimes I fancy it was “please Queen!” or “just you and me, tease!” )??!!
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Extract from an interview with Obskure webzine, France 2003:
« Alabaster » foundations are based on positive feelings, like friendship or meetings. But we can perceive a dark surrounding on songs. Do you think that the ambivalence of mankind pushes us to not take simply the benefit of these positive feelings, and that it leads you to transcribe these through your songs ?
How do we delineate foundations or surroundings? Ambivalence haunts each ripple of alchemy, each crack in the marble, each line of laughter or pain, and at the same time illuminates, like the tension of light and shadow in a painting. An earlier song of mine, “Contradiction is the Dragon” explored Ibn Arabi’s notion that when we see a contradiction, we are looking at reality. This might be one way to interpret Alabaster.
For from being monotonous, « Alabaster » leads the listener in many places, but always in the landscape you draw, being very homogeneous. Are you conscious of building a real universe, warm, bright and sometimes sad, as real life is, but in a sort of parallel world ?
Perhaps. I’ve had vivid dreams that feel like visits into a parallel life. They sometimes contain people familiar to me here, but in different situations or guises, and interconnected by threads of recognition, so that I feel they are coming from a universe that’s consistent and convincing. In that world I can fly or swim like a waterbird. Sirens have sung in voices of my sisters. I’ve danced on a chessboard under midnight stars. In one, a friend called my name, his footsteps echoing on a marble floor. Alabaster is a kind of marble, and refers to the Alabaster Chambers of Emily Dickinson’s poetry. A parallel life is touched upon in our song “Light on the Wall” on Alabaster.
Fayries are still breeding this album. Do you think they could evolve with the present world ? Or do you think this stories should be kept in mind, in order to get a proper view on real life ? As they were written by ancients and cross ages, they might carry wisdom ?
Perhaps Faeries are evolving with us, not only as elementals, but also as mischievous companions in our urban activities! And yes, I believe that literary and oral traditions of the Ancients still speak to us.
The packaging of « Alabaster » is wonderful ! Do you have a total confidence in Sabine ? Do you give her the music and then she draws, or the opposite way ?
Yes, I have total confidence in Sabine. Her artwork is one of the reasons I signed to Prikosnovenie, when Frederic Chaplain wrote to introduce the label. Sabine, in my view, wields a mastery of colour to convey emotion and intrigue, while displaying a quirky sense of humour that sets her art apart from more sombre images associated with our scene. Yes, there’s an interplay between music and design, but we respect each other’s independence. Dining in Sabine’s home, I found her as enigmatic and charming as her art.
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Interview: Flash Magazine, Italy June 2003
How do your records differ one from another?
Thematically my albums are connected by a fascination with mythology, poetry and faerielore: vehicles to explore the psyche. Stylistically they’re all eclectic, as ingredients from disparate genres are cast and stirred. Combinations change but the principle is the same. There is a slight shift to more experimentation with electronics, but medieval / folk elements remain in songs like “The Lily and the Rose”. Emotionally, Alabaster is the darkest of my albums - with the realm of Hades at its centre - but an affirmation of the human spirit prevails.
In your opinion, is your music a way to escape from reality, an open window to a secret garden, or a medium through which we can better live the beauty that is all around us?
This is perceptive of you! All these purposes are possible, especially the third: to express a wish to be enchanted by the world…. to fall in love with life, however dangerous!
Do you have a philosophy? Your vision of the world is...
“To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and preconceptions”(Abu-Said, son of Abi-Khair). This may mean embracing various spiritual views, musical styles or political perspectives. I like inclusion, not exclusion. Open games, not closed games. Compassion, not elitism.
Are you close in some ways to the new pagan and New Age movements?
Whilst I am pagan, I’m no member of any specific coven. I respect Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism (an esoteric branch of Islam), Celtic / Druidic / Wiccan, Nordic, Greek & Roman deities, the Aboriginal Dreamtime and other faiths. As a polytheist I welcome Christ in my pantheon, alongside other gods. Too many problems are caused by fanatical fundamentalists. Why should one faith dominate?
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Extract from an Interview with EisPlanet magazine, Greece 2003:
Tell me a few more things about Louisa, what other interests you have apart from music, teaching and storytelling?
I love ocean swimming, and bushwalking - being around water, trees and birds. I collect small shells, coral, seaweed, river-root, leaves, wood-knots, buttons, feathers, sequins, faerietales, wind-chimes, stones and light-catchers. I enjoy reading, writing and illustrating. My favourite food is Japanese.
What is what Louisa wants to leave behind as far as music and the messages she communicated with music are concerned? I am in the position to know that your goals are purely spiritual.
I have no message. I do not feel wise enough to claim such a position. The spiritualism I have could be described as an amorphous paganism; I’m attracted to the gods of Greek mythology, but have no desire to join a coven or cult. Being open to the possibility of reincarnation and parallel lives, and having a sense of kinship with the Faerie, I see my spiritual development as a pattern or web, rather than a single linear goal. At the same time, I also have practical ambitions, such as reaching more listeners. There is nothing impure about that, if it increases joy, and in any case I have never claimed purity.
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Extract from an Interview for Post Mortem magazine, France 2003:
One best memory of your musical work? (concert, etc?)
At one little concert I met Julia, who played by the stage while her mother worked as a waitress. After the show she wanted to come home with me, so I asked her mother (who seemed tired, with no man to help them): “would it be ok?” She said yes! Julia kept me up all night asking about faeries. Next morning we tried on costumes, but she insisted on wearing my silk pyjamas through the streets! We bought cherries, which she turned into ear-rings; we were gathering flowers for our garlands, when Julia found a homeless man sleeping under some bushes and left a flower beside his face. I don’t perform often now, so I treasure this memory of Julia. She was like a wild bird.
One word that you love?
“Orpheus”: legendary musician of Greek mythology, celebrated in Rilke’s sonnets and elegies.
One word that you don’t like?
“Professional”: an ugly, mean little word. It belongs to corporate thinking. It boasts responsibility, but incites conformity. It gives employers an excuse to intimidate, and employees an excuse to accept intimidation. It kills imagination, sensuality or compassion.
Talk about us on your music?
Singing is breathing. It liberates my soul to fly through space, dream among leaves in the rain, dance above trees, burn and tremble in love, or skim the seafloor. It can be a communion with listeners, collaborators or the Faerie. I admire the Italian Renaissance alchemist/neo-platonist, Ficino, who believed that music is an energy that enables facets within us to intermingle: soul, spirit, heart, intellect, sensuality and imagination.
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Extract from an Interview for Topiste & radio station Sol Fm, program “Le Miracle de la Rose”, France:
Although they’re often seen as positive & bright elementals, aren’t fairies more play and ambivalent (“A Midsummer’s Night Dream”)?
Yes, there’s plenty of ambivalence and mischief in the faerie people! This is expressed in some of my songs. In ‘Sentinel’ (on Ariel), the wild light of a will o’ the wisp is glimpsed through the trees, tempting a dreamer to leave her fortress. In ‘The Last Centaur’ (on Alexandria), a rapacious centaur becomes a prophet of change. In ‘Duncan the Fiddler’ (on Argo), a capricious little man dares a musician to a duet that almost kills him and certainly sends him mad.
Furthermore, by giving voice to the Poetic Genius,
do you feel like singing for the “children of the future age” ?..
It is not for me to say this, nor do I claim any right to speak for other souls. If my music survives, I hope it might bring joy.
Precisely, how do you forsee the future, are you rather of an optimistic nature or…?”
Prophecy is not my gift, I just hope for the best. I don’t know if my energy is an ‘optimistic nature’ or just a volatile spirit!
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Extract from an Interview for Khimaira magazine, Belgium 2003:
Alabaster is your fourth official album and friends have never been so much present. We can find some of them in almost each song, as guest musician or as subject... Friendship seems to be the main undeclared theme of the album...
Yes, friendship is an undeclared but abiding theme. My intention was to unite death with love, as in the relationship between Hades and Persephone. I felt this to be a sad album, but perhaps the moments of light, warmth or hope are illuminated by their dark surroundings?
"The Seventh Ingress" is a wonderful gem, a crystal pearl without lyrics. To what refers the title?
The title is best left mysterious, though some have linked it to my song ‘The Valley of Seven Keys’ (on Alexandria). I am happy to leave this to the imagination.
And where does "The Lily and The Rose" poem come from ? Can you explain us your interpretation of it ?
This is a melody I set to a 16th century anonymous poem that could describe rape, plague, or forbidden love. The interpretation is open, but if I try to make sense of it, I’d say The Bailey is a churchman who rings the bell of the dead, or a personification of death itself. The Maidens might be Fates who personify the Black Death. I’d suggest The Lily and the Rose refers to red spots on white skin (the plague), and recall a children’s game that survives into modern times, ‘Ring-a-ring-a-Rosie’ – I was reading Byatt’s novel Possession at the time of reading this poetry, and found many parallels.
The first song of an album is always an important choice, isn't it ? Alabaster is starting with the beautiful "The Throng on the Pier", based on a passage of the Iliad and on Dante's inferno. Musically, it is a typical Louisa song but its theme seems very dark. What made you choose this song as opening piece ?
The opening drums were intended to convey a sense of urgency – a soul in flight, terror or passion. I felt that I was beginning to be stereotyped as the ‘sweet, angelic faerie singer’. I am deeply into faerielore, but not in the way it’s normally defined. I wished to imply that my art could be the expression of a fallen angel, who explores borderless realms – whether in dreaming, transference to parallel lives, astral travel, reincarnation through galaxies, or simply in physical journeys here. I’m already returning to sweeter sounds this year, but it’s nice to shake things up a bit along the way!
This album seems to be the result of a tight co-operation between Brett Taylor, your husband Mark, and you. Is Louisa John-Krol become a band more than an artist accompanied by her musicians ?
Yes it was a tight co-operation. Brett is a dream to work with – patient, cheerful and mild. Mark is more fiery, but then so am I! ‘Louisa John-Krol’, who is she? Your guess is as good as mine. There are many personalities inside that warped entity. They come out to play in the studio, like characters in a theatre. With every album there are a few that run off with the script, lead the directors astray or throw the props around….
I had the chance (thanks to you) to hear an old version of "How should I your true Love know". Your cover is very dreamy and religious. What did you want to add in your version?
Thank you, Brett Taylor composed the synthesised strings and organ part, which in my opinion are the highlight. We also brought in a wind-chime of blue glass elephants, to suggest Ophelia’s clothing and footsteps, swishing through the undergrowth into the river. Mark and I had watched a strange, dreamy cartoon of Hamlet, where this song was sung with unexpected pauses, with the image of a white waterbird rising with Ophelia’s soul from the water, similar to a picture by Magritte you once sent me, Frederic (pictured below). Naturally I had seen images of Ophelia by Pre-Raphaelites and other painters. I wanted to convey her fragility through a slight warping of time and tune. However, Mark was unhappy with other aspects of my expression, which he found sentimental and melodramatic. When I hear it this way, I’m full of remorse, but I do identify sincerely with Ophelia…”
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Interview with Vampiria Magazine, Italy
Interviewer: Francesco Palumbo
June 2002
A modern witch
to enchant you
like in a fairytale.
Louisa will emotionate you
with her beautiful voice,
her poetic music,
her classical dreams.
When I listen to Louisa's voice I feel a magic sensation inside of me... It is a mix of magic, astonishment and wonder for the incredible beauty she succeeds to give with her music and her voice. Louisa is in my opinion and for what concerns my tastes the best female singer in the underground scene; she is one of the few singers who is able to create with her voice something similar to a poetry made music... She is original, unique in her alchemy, in a few words a modern witch who has chosen the music to divulgate her spells, in a classical, ancient, amazing way that I really adore. Enjoy her words, maybe coming from another century.
F: The first thing I want to tell you is to wish you all my compliments for the sublime sensations and feelings your music is able to create and to give the listeners. 'Ariel' but also your previous albums, present music full of great sensations. Can you tell me more about the way the album has been conceived and above all what does it represent to you?
L: It was conceived in soulful alchemy, a pool lit by various lamps: emotion, sensation, intellect, spirit, each informing the other. The results may be impulsive or intimate, changing as light shifts and liquid moves. This album represents to me the flight of imagination and the allure of life.
F: Would you like to present 'Ariel' song by song to my readers with a few words for each episode?
L: #1 Blackbird: a woman summons a bird to take her soul away.
#2 Red Balloon: "Ever more free... we race through mid-air, wind-tattered" (Rilke)
#3 Numb the Wren Tear: on an island continent, in tyranny of distance, we must do the impossible:
"climb the ocean, set the snow on fire..." - written for our native fairy wren who has often crossed our path: "The wren with little quill" (Shakespeare)
#4 Nobelius' Garden: Nobelius created Emerald Lake Park: mountain ferns ramble among eucalyptus, chestnut, amber and streams: "Say unto the tranquil earth: I flow. To the fleeting water speak: I am." (Rilke)
#5 Beads of Rain: we cling to beads of rain, our hidden key and "that distant tree".
#6 The Seagiant: this song came to me in the arms of my first lover as we drifted to sleep. I saw him as a seagod (Poseidon?), awakened by a siren's call every thousand years.
#7 Ariel: adapted from Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
#8 Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers: a garden is on the march - to a ball, or execution - the King & Queen of Hearts, their retinue of cards. Drawing on Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and old nursery rhyme, it asks the music industry: who stole the tarts? Musicians are jamming, but what is the Marmalade Parade?
#9 Tale of a Thorn: "Then to the elements be free" (Shakespeare)
#10 Salamander: tribute to folk singer Nick Drake who, in neglect, died in 1974 from an overdose. Alchemists believed they had made gold when a salamander appeared in the furnace.
#11 Anemone Falling: a wordless flight or dream-fall. Petals are like lovers, centuries, or human lives.
#12 Sentinel: our guardians protect or imprison us. Out in the forest, a will-o'-the-wisp lures us with a light.
"Hence, away; now all is well: One, aloof, stand sentinel." (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
F: I described your songs like hymns to the beauty. What does beauty represent for you? Do you see it in the typical beautiful things or do you sometimes see it in strange and not so beautiful things / aspects?
L: Beauty includes darkness. Shadow gives depth. I love Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies, as they imply that beauty's power is its transience, prompting poets to immortalise it at the moment of vanishing.
F: Louisa, your voice is surely one of the most amazing elements of your music together with the charming atmospheres it succeeds to create... with its delicate shades it succeeds to give to your music a dreaming aura, indeed. Which are the singers you appreciate more and moreover is there anyone you'd like to be compared to?
L: Azam Ali (Vas) has a superb voice. People have compared me with Kate Bush, Anneli Drecker (Bel Canto), Loreena McKennitt, Tori Amos or Bjork. As a child I loved Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and others. I also respect Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Elizabeth Frazer (Cocteau Twins), Nico, PJ Harvey, Heather Duby, Holly Ashton (Locust), Fadia El-Hage (Vox), Teresa Salgueiro (Madredeus), Alquimia, Agnes Buen Garnas, Nanaco, and Sonja Drakulich (Stellamara). I love their voices with admiration, not imitation.
F: Maybe the trademark of your music is a sort of representation in a modern style of the classical sonorities, but in my opinion the charm of your style is due to the ancient, mystic aura that can be felt second after second in each one of your compositions. Can we consider this kind of sound an answer to your vision of the life in general and in which way do you see it related to your own life?
L: The sound, like my soul, is steeped in faerielore; "Such a soft floating witchery of sound/As twilight Elfins make..." (The Aeolian Harp, Coleridge). As to my vision of life: like art, it calls me to examine my attitudes to tradition vs. innovation, harmony vs. conflict, order vs. anarchy, contemplation vs. adventure, independence vs. intimacy. Ibn Arabi said that whenever we see contradiction, we are looking at reality. And as a Gemini I have an excuse to contradict myself!
F: In your album sometimes it seems that the listener is lost in ancient times, due to the classical influences it sounds. For the same reason I see you part of an epoch that maybe doesn't represent you totally. If you could choose a time of the past, which would be the period you'd love to live and why?
L: If I lived in earlier centuries, I would not be recording music. I'd be dying in childbirth or burning at the stake for witchcraft! Ironically, it is modern tolerance that permits my return to a heathen, animistic view of Nature, and modern contraception that frees me from her reproductive tyranny. I admire the polytheism of the ancients. Visiting Greece last year, I felt a strong affinity with pagan temples. But I accessed them through the mind of a contemporary woman who may vote in elections! However, modern sexuality does not express who I am. My husband calls me a "Botticelli" woman, because I don't have the taut, angular lines or the harsh sophistication of today's fashion. Are science and commerce killing subtlety? We live longer, but do we age with dignity?
F: What does it enchant you about this kind of sonorities and which are the bands or artists that mostly have influenced your way to see music?
L: I've mentioned women, so now for the men: Respighi (Botticelli Pictures), Arvo Part (Arbos), Purcell (Fairy Queen), Stephen Micus, Alio Die, Steve Roach, Ashera, Robert Rich, Gianfranco Grilli, Vidna Obmana, Giorgos Christianakis, Brendan Perry (Dead Can Dance), Sean Bowley (Eden), Geir Jenssen and Auri Avizia.
F: Your lyrics seem to deal with very amazing topics like strange visions, mythological subjects and bizarre creatures. What does it fascinate you about these arguments?
L: I regard them as archetypal forces in the psyche. They may occur as playful, volatile, mischievous visitors or as psychopomps, sentinels, totems and guides. One of my characters is Madame Alchemier (on the album Alexandria): an eccentric owner of a bookshop, she harbours outsiders, misfits and outcasts. In my first album Argo, an abandoned seawitch builds a Golden Cottage (House of Legend), a place where she can revive. My centaurs, dragons and salamanders signify healing, energy or change.
F: Behind the CD there is a quote written by Wallace Stevens that says: "The river is moving, the blackbird must be flying" that gives me a sort of metaphor of each individual's life. Why did you choose it and what is the meaning of this quote for you?
L: I like your interpretation. Each life has the inevitability of a river's path and a bird's flight. The line is mysterious, for the bird is not seen but intuited. It's an announcement and invitation: now is the time, once and for all - come along! It points to a divine pattern, beyond time yet potently alive to this moment: Now!
F: Your three full-length albums "Argo", "Alexandria" and "Ariel" are linked by a sort of unique vision of the music but of course with an evolving of your compositive approach that is incredible indeed. Describing them is very difficult for me that I'm a simple listener so I think the best one to portray them is just you who have conceived, created and performed these creatures. So what do you think to describe each one of your albums with your own impressions?
L: As I have no human children, my albums are my babies. Each is more cohesive than the last, but has its own character and flaws. They share themes of exile or quest, from the voyage of the Argonauts to the flight of Ariel and the fall of Alice. I have been The Lady in the Fortress, "shooting arrows in the mist", melodies for wanderers to find. Each song is a window, a view inspired by Calvino's novel Invisible Cities, that we can frame what we see in infinite ways. Another Italian who sparked this idea was Ficino in the Renaissance; he saw the soul as a diamond penetrated by many-coloured lights from various angles. One of the artists in his circle of influence was Botticelli.
F: Tell me your opinion about the following arguments: Darkness - Pain - Love.
L: None exist without the other. To love is to suffer, plunging to the darkness like Inanna. I am living by Rilke's words: "Among the fleeting, in the realm of declination, be a resonant glass that shatters while it is ringing".
F: Can you tell me anything about your next album? Will be it a natural evolution of "Ariel" sound or do we have to expect something different?
L: There will be surprises, but I am not prone to calculation; it will be a "natural evolution" as you say. In France recently I made an album with fellow artists on Prikosnovenie: Francesco Banchini (GOR) and Spyros Giasafakis (Daemonia Nymphe). I also began recording with Olaf Parusel (Stoa) in Germany and will collaborate with an Italian ambient composer, Gianluigi Gasparetti (Oophoi). I'm working further with Frederic Chaplain (Prikosnovenie); our first song together, "Kunmanngur", was released recently on the December sampler of D-Side magazine, France. Kunmanngur is the Rainbow Serpent from the myth of the Flood and the Birdmen, of the Murinbata tribe. I have also set music to some 16th century poetry on mandolin.
F: Personal questions now: What does silence mean to you and in which occasions do you like to feel and listen to it?
L: I love the silence between notes, between love and sleep, between leaves and sky, between skin and sea, or between two people when words fail. In Europe, English was not native to musicians I worked with, so non-verbal communication was heightened, as in our eyes.
F: What does it drive you to create music? For many people Art, and so music too, is a sort of creation and so it is a divine act. Do you agree and above all what does it mean to you to be a musician / artist?
L: Yes, an artist can be a reed through which something divine moves. I'm not religious in any Christian way, but do sense an otherworldly presence. Being an artist entails grasping contradictions: to express what is most integral and unique to us, yet embrace collective humanity; to cultivate a craft, without losing the spontaneity of childhood.
F: Music sometimes is also a vehicle to transmit your instincts to other creatures. Is it the same for you? What would you that the other ones feel listening to your Art or is it just a sort of absolutely egotistical need?
L: Until recently my music was so neglected that I had few 'creatures' to transmit to! Growing up in the bushland and being so shy at boarding-school, I wrote for invisible listeners: muses, elves, ghosts of dead poets. Before making any CD's, I had already recorded 5 albums nobody would release. I learned to live without admiration. The poets, particularly Cavafy, taught me to forgive. Otherwise I might have sunk into self-pity or bitter disdain. Humanism matters to me, so how could I be aloof? Still it is a shock, for in the last two years I've had more respect than the last two decades! It is very warm, like a big hug.
F: Is there a man, a woman, that have represented a focal point in your inner-growth and in which way did it change your way to see and intend life and music?
L: My husband of ten years, Mark (Mirek) Krol, has introduced me to inspiring literature and music, encouraged my political shift to the left, written many songs with me and is still my toughest critic.
F: And what about dream? Are you a dreamer and what does dream mean and represent to you?
L: It means dreaming while we are awake. To enchant and be enchanted. Not just wishfully but vividly, passionately. So flowers speak, birds steal souls, salamanders leap in fire and seagods roar. Australia's indigenous people had their Dreaming; I believe it haunts the wilder places, in old trees that stood before the white-coming.
F: Compare your music to a colour and a scent and explain me the motivations.
L: You ask for a colour, when I cannot even choose a god? You ask for a scent, when we enter the Garden of Live Flowers? Is a forest scented by the eucalyptus or the rain or the earth? I have come in today from the ocean, on the southeast coast of Australia. The sea and sky were continuous blue, surf was wild and the undertow so strong, I could not stand. Salt is in my skin and hair. The seaweed I brought home is still wet. The Seagiant is the primal centre of the music. So the colour is blue, and the scent is brine!
F: To end this interview, an usual question for my mag: imagine closing your eyes and seeing your music transformed in a painting... which kind of images do you see and which kind of colours would be used to paint it?
L: I see something like Huskisson's painting (1847), "Come Unto these Yellow Sands" (from Ariel's song in The Tempest): with his dramatic lighting, dancers shining against deep blue inside a proscenium arch, a window to Faerieland. Through it one flies to other scenes, as by Dulac, Rackham, Millais, Paton, Simmons, Fitzgerald, Lucien, Lemmen or Blake, or Sir Tree's stage directions for Ariel (1904). I see storms, fires, mist, white mares, phantoms, gleaming coral: 'the light that never was on sea or land...'
F: Well, I thank you for this interview and the time you have dedicated to my questions. A last message?
L: Thank you very much Francesco, for sharing your imagination with me.
- Louisa
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Polarlicht Magazine, Germany, has published an interview with Louisa, featuring a translation of her original faerietale "The Valley of Seven Keys" into German. A brief extract appears on their web site www.polarstar.de. But only in the magazine are the full story and poems with extensive illustrations. Contact Claudia Mona Striewe.
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Interview with Barbarian Magazine / Tierra de Lobos, Spain
Interviewer: Emilio J. Moreno Atienza
June 2002
E: I'd like to start this interview ask you about your musical baggage. Have you played in other bands? How many works have you published?
L: I have performed in several groups, and after 5 unreleased albums, recorded 3 cds: Argo, Alexandria and Ariel. The 'baggage', honestly, is like the box of Pandora.
E: 'Argo' was published '96 and 'Alexandria' '99 ('98 Australia). What are main differences between this works? I mean musical and lyrical differences?
L: Alexandria is less cluttered instrumentally and lyrically, flowing more smoothly. Argo is eclectic, from the ethereal opening 'Dunsany's Hope' to the more trance-electronic 'Hyperion', neoclassical title-track and gothic-rock 'Inanna', moving eventually to British folk ballads and finishing on an acoustic-ambient piece, 'The Healer's Names'. Alexandria is more cohesive. It's also the project where I began composing on mandolin: 'The Valley of Seven Keys' and 'The Last Centaur'.
E: And with respect to 'Ariel'?
L: Harry Williamson engineered every track on my previous cds, but only 4 on Ariel. More than half was engineered by Brett Taylor, who performed many instruments and scored / directed the string quartet for 'Blackbird'.
E: 'Ariel' is a work with a big sound diversity: neoclassical music, minimalist parts and, include, some 'popies' melodies. Had you a pre-define structure by 'Ariel' or you've improvised any parts during recording sessions?
L: To a degree the structure was pre-defined, but there was improvisation, e.g. in 'Sentinel'. We recorded 'The Garden of Live Flowers' twice, in separate studios with different musicians. We then cut up both recordings and reassembled them so that Alice moves in and out of each version as through doors in a dream.
E: I think that you've musical studios on guitar, voice and piano. Am I right?
L: Yes, of a rudimentary nature. Technically I am quite primitive.
E: Your vocal work is beautiful, by in way, what are your female singer favourites?
L: At this time my favourite female singer is Azam Ali (Vas). I still carry a candle for Kate Bush. As a child I loved Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and others. I later heard Lisa Gerrard, Elizabeth Frazer (Cocteau Twins), Tori Amos, Jane Siberry, singers of Clannad, Loreena McKennitt and Anneli Drecker (Bel Canto). I admire Nico, PJ Harvey, Bjork, Nanaco, Heather Duby, Holly Ashton (Locust), Fadia El-Hage (Vox), Paula Frazer (Tarnation), Teresa Salgueiro (Madredeus) and Sonja Drakulich (Stellamara).
E: In your country there are great bands as Dead Can dance and Avrigus. What are your opinions about these bands and Australian scene?
L: Yes, I want to buy the new album by Avrigus (Simon Gruer/Judy Chiara). Lisa and Brendan (DCD) have created masterpieces, together or apart. Another Melbourne legend is Eden, which released albums on Projekt (Sean Bowley's partner Pieter Bourke left to form Duality with Lisa Gerrard). Also from Melbourne is the magical duo Faraway, by my friends Harry Williamson and Liz Van Dort. I sent their cd to Frederic at Prikosnovenie, who has signed them. Despite our small population, many Australian performers attain international status, such as Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia and Nick Cave. Beyond stylistic differences, I believe what defines Australians is a fiery spirit. Australia has a brutal convict past, isolated on an island continent, and is savagely cruel to its artists.
E: You've contained with some session musicians during recording sessions at 'Ariel'. Could you tell about them?
L: The quartet Soundwood Strings features violinist George Vi from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. We hired a solo cellist Caerwen Martin, to bow (or as we say, row) in 'The Seagiant' and 'Numb the Wren Tear'. On piano for 'Salamander' is Richard Allison. On darabuka for 'Red Balloon' is Lindsay Buckland, who has released such excellent albums as 'Beautiful Fig' and 'Getting Karma'.
E: What are your views about your own music? Do you think that Louisa John-Krol music can to be labelled?
L: Music is my drug: imperative as breathing, liberating as flight, sensual as swimming, dancing or making love. Reviewers have described it as ethereal, romantic ambient-pop, poetical, dreamy, moonstruck neofolk, esoteric, mystic folk-art-rock, gothic, classical-acoustic-ethno-new-age, whimsical and arcane. I embrace the contradictions and am touched that so many responses have come personally in a spirit of friendship.
E: Who is Louisa John-Krol? What are your hobbies, phobias and ambitions?
L: A girl from the bush; a teacher, faerie-storyteller, music-lover. Phobias? Cars! (I cannot drive.) I have fulfilled my main dream - to release music on a good label - and am working on new projects, including collaborations with Daemonia Nymphe, GOR, Oophoi and Stoa. I plan to continue teaching too. Further ambitions are to publish a novel, contribute to a soundtrack and perform overseas.
E: Your label talk that you take your inspiration on literature, poetry, mythology. Is this true? What are your favourite authors?
L: Poetry by Neruda, Cavafy, Vallejo, Montale, de la Mare, Baudelaire, Lorca, Dickenson and Rilke, novels by Calvino, Byatt, Dunsany, Cervantes, Kafka and Queneau. Literature that has inspired my music includes Shakespeare's plays and the novel 'Belarmino and Apolonio' by Ramon Perez de Ayala.
E: And mythology? Do you prefer Germanic/Nordic mythology or Greek/Roman mythology? Have you any interest on Asian mythology? For example, some parts of Hindu mythology are very similar to European mythology.
L: I respect the world's mythologies, including the Dreamtime heritage of this land's indigenous people, and myths of our Asian and Islander neighbours. On a personal level I relate most deeply to Greek myths. To me they illuminate so much in the psyche.
E: Are you a religious person? Do you believe in God?
L: Spiritually I'm a polytheist, embracing many gods. As Ficino wrote in the Renaissance: "If you have to choose a god, choose them all".
E: Well that's all. Sorry my poor English and this topic questions.
L: Your questions are very thoughtful, thank you for your time.
- Louisa
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Interview with L'Ame
Electrique Magazine, Greece
Interviewer: Tolis Elefantis
Autumn 2001
T: How was your magic world of reality / imagination when you
were a little child? When do you remember to have started loving
fairies and elves for first time?
L: From deepest memory, I've felt there are energies haunting
trees, water, rocks, air and fire. The nymphs and dryads of
Greek myth were entwined with the Animism of my Welsh ancestry,
and with the Aboriginal Dreamtime of the Australian bushland.
It was no isolated discovery or decision. My spirituality and
sensuality evolved together.
T: In which way do you believe that fairies indicate their existence
nowadays?
L: Perhaps in fleeting glimpses. The light between trees before
sunset. The morning dew on a spider-web. The quivering of grass
as a wren alights. The crackling of fire. The music of fountains.
The solitary wading of a waterbird. The warble of a magpie.
The laugh of a kookaburra. The moss and lichen of a fruit tree.
The tapping of twigs on a window-pane. The age of stone. The
roar of the sea.
T: Do you think that the ability to communicate with fairies
& elves has to do also with the esoteric purity that one must
have?
L: Are they so pure? Consider Ariel: "to the elements be free"!
Fey people can be shy but wild, whimsical, capricious and volatile.
Kipling wrote in "Puck of Pook's Hill": "I've seen Sir Huon
and a troop of his people setting off from Tintagel Castle...
in the teeth of a sou'-westerly gale... and the whole sea was
green fire and white foam with mermaids singing in it. And the
Horses of the Hills picked their way from one wave to another
by the lightning flashes..."
T: Have you ever seen a real one?
L: What comes over the border is perhaps best left a secret.
T: In my opinion the whole point has to do also with the four
elements existed as an internal spiritual structure of all human
beings. So it is symbolized with the internal power one has
to obtain (by means of the control upon the spirits of the proper
waters, fires, earth, air), according to the ancient esoteric
traditions. Do you share this notion?
L: Yes, I admire the Italian Renaissance physician, Marsilio
Ficino, who said that the four elements represent the raw matter
of Alchemy, awaiting transformation to a trinity of body/soul/spirit.
(Robert Moore explores Ficino's ideas in "The Planets Within".)
T: Would you mind referring the most important things that bring
you inspiration to write lyrics or to compose music? I think
that Tolkien's books may have affected you enough. Have you
been inspired also by the Greek Mythology?
L: Some things that inspire me are poetry, nature, Sufism and
magic-realism (eg. Calvino). Yes, I read Tolkien's books as
a child, but equally C.S. Lewis (Narnia) Ursula Le Guin (The
Wizard of Earthsea) and later Dunsany (The King of Elflands
Daughter & The Charwoman's Shadow), who influenced Tolkien but
fell into neglect. I'm drawn to Orpheus, and to Karl Kerenyi's
writing on Hermes as a guide of souls.
T: What is your favorite mythical story regarding Greek mythology
and what other story do you like mostly, in general?
L: The Quest of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece is my favourite.
Others? "Tales of the Dervishes" by Idries Shah. Tales by Grimm,
Hans C. Anderson, Oscar Wilde and "The Thousand and One Nights".
A great novel I've read this year is "Les Liaisons Dangereuses"
by Laclos.
T: What does Alice means to you and what do you think could
mean to a child of our times? (I think that is more an adult
than a childish story)
L: Yes, Carroll's Alice lives on many levels: faerietale, satire
or archetypal descent to the underworld, as with ancient deities
Persephone or Inanna. Today's children, raised on cinema, might
relate to the phantasmagoria. Our cd-art by Karan Wicks depicts
The Garden of Live Flowers. The falling cards portray Alice's
defiance of the Queen: "You're nothing but a pack of cards!"
We ask: what happened to music jam? "And your cards are all
blowing away in a Marmalade Parade" (original lyric from "Alice
in the Garden of Live Flowers" on Ariel)
T: Would you like to be found just for a few moments in a fairy
place of Tolkien's Middle Earth? (where exactly?)
L: Dunsany's Elfland is my choice: "dells of dream"; "spell-born
lilies that grew... above the elfin tarns"; moss gleaming in
pools like sea-floors; faery borders, told only in song, glimmering
beyond the fields we know.
T: What were your first two releases "Argo" and "Alexandria"
about, meaning the thematic that was covered by your fairyromantic
music?
L: Argo refers to the ship of the Argonauts. To journey out
of our bureaucratized world is an adventure. There is a theme
of exile, eg. in "Hyperion" (arising from Holderlin's novel)
or "House of Legend" (from a Norwegian folktale). This moves
to the album Alexandria, the land where C.P. Cavafy lived in
exile; the title-track is an adaption of his poem "The God Abandon's
Antony" and Milton's "Lycidas". The listener finds a dragon,
centaur and places or people inspired by such writers as Naoya
& de Ayala as well as my own characters. We also meet Ariel.
T: Could you introduce us your new cd "Ariel" for the people
that eventually have not heard this ethereal sensitive touch
of your distinguish voice?
L: Thank you, Ariel opens with a song about a bird who steals
a woman's soul. The flight continues with "Red Balloon". Alongside
air, other elements are summoned, as in "The Seagiant".
T: What "Nobelius Garden" is about? What does it mean to you?
L: Nobelius made a forest-garden in Emerald Lake Park, in Melbourne's
Dandenong Ranges. Ancient fern, wattle and eucalyptus mingle
with blue forget-me-nots in Spring. For me it means tranquility.
T: Do you think that Shakespeare's "Tempest" is one of the most
impressive faerial works in the history of literature and poetry?
L: Possibly, alongside Puck's antics in "A Midsummer Night's
Dream", or Mercutio's tribute Queen Mab in "Romeo and Juliet".
T: What are your most beloved movies?
L: "Wings of Desire", "The Wicca Man" and "All the Mornings
of the World" (on 17th century composers Marais and Sainte-Colombe).
Recently I enjoyed "Captain Corelli's Mandolin". There are many
others.
T: Have you ever written fairy tales of your own?
L: My faerietales, novellas and poems are still evolving.
T: "Salamander" track is dedicated to Nick Drake. Considering
him as an incredible and melancholically emotional musician
unfortunately with a tragic end, i would like to hear your opinion
about him. I think he is one of the top ever folk singers.
L: I agree with you. The lucid dignity of his music was at first
neglected. It is said, Alchemists knew they had made gold when
a salamander appeared in the furnace. Don't we yearn to burn
brighter, to be more alive? Nick's music bears the poignancy
of a leaf falling. It ripples beyond time. "Going to see the
river man/Going to tell him all I can/About the plan/For lilac
time..." (from Nick's song "River Man" on 'Five Leaves Left')
T: Had you ever been a member of any band before you start a
solo singer career?
L: Two folk-rock groups - "Fionvarra" & "Megwyn" - and a satirical
band "What the Funk". That was an accident - I was hired to
sing "funk", mishearing it as "folk" - I didn't know we were
doing James Brown till we were on stage! The audience called
up the lyrics, the musicians weren't sure if it was a joke,
and it became our act. One night the microphone traveled so
far, we lost it. The real band was the crowd!
T: Would you like naming your favorite music artists or bands?
L: From your country: Daemonia Nymphe, Diotima & Christianakis
(Templo). I'm into Stoa, Alio Die, Caprice (Elvenmusic), GOR
and other music on such labels as Hypnos, Prikosnovenie or Projekt.
From Australia: Nick Cave, Dead-Can-Dance, Eden, Ashera, Faraway
& others. I love Arvo Part, Gorecki, Purcell, Campra, Respighi,
Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.
T: Have you ever played live in Europe? Do you intent to make
some appearances there?
L: I'll be in Europe for the first time in September/October
this year to record for the label, and shall perform if the
opportunity arises.
T: Do you believe that there is secret hidden behind every romantic
soul? Meaning that, what is the reason, that some human souls
are floating to fine and lace ethereal worlds and some others
on the contrary are losing to dense and dark vibrations? Is
finally the external life of everyone simply a reflection of
what is hidden by inside?
L: The secret is not always accessible, even to "Alchemists".
So it can be devastating to meet our heroes. We know them through
their gold, forgetting their base metals. I don't think it's
wise to be too obsessed with the "esoteric", or we become exclusive,
disdaining ordinary life. We should embrace our humanity. Be
ethereal without rejecting reality. Cowper Powys suggests the
horror of life is deeper than the joy, but underneath the horror
we can see a deeper joy. Rilke also touches this:
Be ever dead in Eurydice - arise singing
with greater praise, rise again to the pure relation
Among the fleeting, in the realm of declination,
be a resonant glass that shatters while it is ringing.
(from "Sonnets to Orpheus", 13, by Rilke)
T: Have you ever visited Greece? If not, would it be interesting
to you to make such a mystical journey to the primordial paths
of Greek ancient civilization ?
L: It will be strange in October to see the ancient Greek monuments
I've known only from books or films. Like stepping into an ancient
myth?
T: Thank you humbly fairy queen ! - Tolis
L: If my blood were fey it would be green, not blue! Thank you
- Louisa
Back to Top
Our Interview with Zillo Magazine, Germany, was published September 2001 in German but is not yet uploaded to our site due to translation / scanning.
Back to Top
Interview with Side-Line
Magazine, Belgium
Issue 36, August 2001:
SL: I hope your husband didn't read my review about the "Ariel"
album, he would suspect me to be in love with you!?
LJK: He did read it, and I found him crying himself to sleep.
But the therapist says it's all for the best and the self-mutilation
should stop soon ;-)
SL: What kind of album did you want to write after the great
"Alexandria" cd, released on Hyperium?
LJK: Thank you, I wanted to integrate energy with ambience,
whimsy with direction. Beneath a shimmering surface would move
currents of emotion. Archetypes would anchor songs in the psyche.
We critically reworked them for atmosphere and imagery. "Alice
in the Garden of Live Flowers" was recorded twice, with different
producers &
studios. We edited and combined the versions, so Alice falls
between them, as through doors in a dream.
SL: An impressive list of guest-musicians contributed to this
new album. How did you work and compose together with them and
why do you prefer working with other people while it must be
pretty difficult?
LJK: Ideas are pollen on the feet of bees. Tension sparks energy.
These musicians bring diverse talents. Mark and I write the
Œbare bones', inviting guests to help sculpt the Œflesh'. Neither
of us scores music and we work to a time limit, so our tunes
must be clear. But we are adaptable. The duet between Samantha's
flute and Brett's classical guitar on "Tale of a Thorn" was
so intimate, I removed my vocal. Harry's charango accompaniment
to my mandolin in "Sentinel" was also spontaneous.
SL: "Ariel" sounds to me like an ode to Mother Earth, it
feels like you and your music are just a part of nature... And
several titles also contain elements of nature, don't they?
What do you try to express here?
LJK: Australia's original inhabitants convey, in their Dreaming,
that nature is alive with spirits. In the bushland where I was
raised, this lifeforce is strong. After summer you lie on the
ground under the first rain and feel the roots expanding in
a radius of sound. The laugh of a kookaburra is almost human;
the magpie has a cascading warble close to speech; the light
on tree-bark glimmers from windows in the sky; in winter, you
lick rain from eucalyptus leaves until time slides into a shining
world, you are dreaming while awake. The earth where I played
never knew cathedrals, castles or monasteries. I try to express
the elementals as Faerie energies: "to the elements be free!"
The Tempest.
SL: What kind of garden, Alice is visiting in "The garden
of live flowers"?
LJK: It is a garden where lovers fall. It is the moment when
Alice defies the Queen: "You're nothing but a pack of cards!"
It is the nursery rhyme: "When the pie was open the birds began
to sing, wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?"
It is the game of royalties: "The knave of hearts, he stole
the tartsŠ." It is the time for jam, says Alice in my lyric:
"and your cards are all blowing away in a Marmalade Parade".
Flowers speak, petals scatter, waterlilies swirl, trees hum,
mountains sigh, a salamander swims in fire, a bird steals a
woman's soul, and far out in the ocean, a seagod stirs under
coral reefs. Nature is on the march the King and Queen of
Hearts: Chess, Checkmate.
SL: You seem to like playing the mandolin more and more.
What fascinates you that much in this instrument?
LJK: The mandolin and I have a little game: I play it as a 'fairy
guitar', but it's tuned as a violin, so the notes are a surprise.
And it's light for a fair. Over one arm I swing a feathered
bell-basket (with a dragon, a jester, a seal and two seahorses);
sling a bag of stardust over a shoulder and hold a tambourine,
leaving the other arm free to carry my mandolin.
SL: I think that your work became more refined and at the same
time closer to what people often call "new-age"! How do you
perceive your evolution as an artist and especially in comparison
with "Alexandria"?
LJK: Since my first studio session at age 10, I've always tried
to push my standard higher. Our industry treats artists so badly,
every recording is an act of defiance. To finance Ariel I worked
as a teacher and storyteller, so was exhausted before recording
began. Pressure sharpens focus - if you blow a week's wages
on a song! Or perhaps I was just sleepy. Yes, the ambient passages
have developed since Alexandria.
SL: Evoking the "new-age"-style, Enya is undoubtedly one
of the most popular artists, but I personally feel a bit sad
when much more talented and emotional artists like you will
probably remain unknown! That brings me to ask you about the
"popularity" of L. John-Krol and your ambitions to get more
recognition?
LJK: We each have our own path. I wish Enya happiness. "A Hundred
Lucky DaysŠ. A Thousand Several Ways" so goes the libretto
in "The Fairy Queen" (Purcell). Some listeners relate to my
struggle. As a storyteller I've embraced many strangers, held
many hands. My expression is also shaped by contact with students.
As for "new-age", I don't aspire to fill a category. Recognition?
My song "Salamander" is a tribute to songwriter Nick Drake.
I was a child when he died from an overdose in 1974. What is
it in us that longs to burn brighter, to be more alive? I chose
the salamander, whose element is fire. There is a tale by Dunsany,
where Fame rejects a poet. After years of neglect, Fame walks
by once more. Again she turns her back. But this time she whispers
over her shoulder: "I will see you in the graveyardŠ in a 100
years." Fashion and quality are seldom seen together.
SL: I remember that you pay a particular attention to the
lyrical content of your work. The "Tempest" song even contains
fragments of Shakespeare. Did you focus on a particular theme
of concept?
LJK: Olaf Parusel (from the German band Stoa) and I discovered
we'd both written music for the same poem in this play. The
synchronicity excited me. Olaf had a title for his new album,
so I chose Ariel. This title-track links to a theme of flight,
and occurs at the album's heart. Leading into it is "The Seagiant",
an expressive challenge: written at 19, for a man who dreams
on the seafloor. I'd made many versions - one that moved Harry
to tears - but Mark found it too sweet. He wrote a 'cello part,
calling on Brett's interpretation with a cellist. We slowed
the tempo, and I ate 100 nails to unsweeten my voice (joking).
A fragment of Harry's sea-harp was returned. The resulting tempo-merge
suggests a tide turning. The song rises upward, at the end sinking
back under whispering waves into "Ariel": full fathom fiveŠ
I was also immersed in Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus: "Among the
fleetingŠ be a resonant glass that shatters while it is ringing"
SL: I think that you just released your album "Alexandria",
a few months before Hyperium went on other territories... How
do you look back on the whole story?
LJK: Birds played in the city-square, where I held my first
contract and my foreign reviews. Rain began to fall, people
hurried by, I could not believe my music was heard in distant
lands. For 18 months, payment was repeatedly promised. The album
sold out, was pressed again, listeners wrote from afar. I discovered
compilations nobody told me about, featuring my music on other
labels. Then came nightmares: executives were slicing off the
tops of heads to make cds of human flesh. These they stacked
into metal pipes. As they pressed, blood poured. My cd was in
a full pipe, but in a back room new pipelines were started.
In another dream a hotel was on fire. I held my mandolin, a
voice screamed "Jump!": falling, flying, I became the Blackbird.
I signed off Hyperium, placing Alexandria at a reliable US store:
cdbaby. This edition, like Ariel, depicts a vibrant garden.
Hyperium's version bears a lily. I thank Oliver for recognising
my music. Perhaps he intends to pay, as his new label Stereo
Deluxe has been selling Hyperium's back-catalogue ;-)
Back to Top
Interview
with Elegy Magazine
June/July 2001
By Alyz Tale, translated by Cath Goss
Once upon a time there was Louisa...
Yes, Ariel, the third album of Louisa John-Krol, musician, fairy,
poet, story teller, and her companion Mark Krol is truly a treasure,
and gives us the opportunity and the pleasure to interview Louisa,
an extraordinary character who seems to defy reality and carries
us along in the bewitching tapestry of her world. So let us
shelve our rationalism and dive in"
AT: The title of your new album, Ariel, takes the name of a
character from a Shakespearean play, The Tempest, in which Ariel
is a genie symbolising the spirit of the air. What does this
character represent in your album?
LJK: Ariel is a volatile companion who can be a messenger or
a sentinel and who evolves in a spirit world. The first inhabitants
of Australia expressed this through their Dreamtime, a Dreamtime
that still haunts the bush where I was raised in Australia.
So it seems quite natural to me to represent the elements in
the form of faerie energy; a salamander writhes in the fire
[#10 Salamander], a bird steals the soul of a woman [#1 Blackbird],
a seagiant stirs in the coral reefs [#6 The Seagiant]. A symbolism
hides behind the veil of the senses: "To the elements to be
free" (The Tempest). When we play, we imagine, we improvise,
we try to see how far we can go. This impulse expresses itself
clearly in the song, "Red Balloon", alluding to Rilke [Rainer
Maria Rilke, Austrian writer 1875 1926]: "Ever more free,
like loose kites with edges of laughter, we race through mid-air,
wind tattered". (Sonnets to Orpheus.)
AT: How does this culture, the Australian culture, inspire
your work?
LJK: Australia, colonised as an English prison in South-East
Asia and homeland of nomadic tribes for more than 50,000 years,
is an alchemy of races and customs. The school in which I teach
has a large proportion of immigrants, including refugees, whose
courage inspires me. And then there is also the fact of being
a vast continent and an island at the same time. Our only borders
are the oceans. This affects our consciousness. With physical
space comes isolation. We call this the "tyranny of distance".
Our tiny population, so largely dispersed, has trouble sustaining
alternative arts. Nick Cave and Dead Can Dance have had to turn
to foreign labels. This gives rise to a striving for challenge,
something the first prisoners had to have in order to survive.
AT: The design of your album, created by Karan Wicks, is
inspired by the Lewis Caroll masterpiece, Alice in Wonderland.
This book is not only a children's book, it is also known for
being blatantly psychological. What is your opinion on this
subject?
LJK: For me, this book can be taken at several levels: a fairytale,
a spiritual satire and a descent into hell, as with the ancient
gods Persephone or Inanna. This painting of Karan depicts The
Garden of Living Flowers. The falling cards represents Alice's
defiance of the queen: "You're nothing but a pack of cards!"
and "your cards are all blowing away in a Marmalade Parade"
(original words of "Alice in the Garden of Living Flowers" drawn
from the album, Ariel.)
AT: You are part of the Storytelling Guild of Australia and
the art of storytelling seems to be a passion for you. Where
does this come from and how does it manifest itself in your
life?
LJK: I don't see this as a means of escapism but rather as a
way to improve life. Sometimes people look for certain things
in my stories: a dragon, a centaur, a golden ball Š let's suppose
that they really see them? Suppose that in a library, there
were a troll under the stairway? Every year I take part in a
spectacle with clowns, puppets and other circus people. Suppose
that they come from a magical theatre? When my neighbour cuts
down an apple tree, suppose that the spirit of this tree comes
to live in my mulberry tree? The sonnets of Rilke let us hear
the way we can talk about life: "Say unto the tranquil earth:
I flow. To the fleeting water speak: I am."
AT: Will we soon have the chance to applaud "Ariel" in Europe?
LJK: Our new label has recently sent me a picture it has created,
an image of Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers, and the key
word in this sentence is "Live"! So yes, in December I will
be in Europe with my mandolin (laughs).
Back to Top
Interview with
D-Side Magazine, France
May/June issue, 2001
Interviewer: Yannick Blay
YB: Is the composition of your music led by your lyrics or
do you jam the three of you before writing the appropriate lyrics?
LJK: Two of us write the melody first, then lyrics. The recording
evolves with other musicians. Harry Williamson's charango on
"Sentinel" was a spontaneous accompaniment to my mandolin. When
Brett Taylor paired classical guitar with Sam's flute, their
duet was so intimate that I removed my vocals and made "Tale
of a Thorn" an instrumental.
YB: Do you do special searches (historical, literaryŠ) so
as to feed your creation? You're pretty much interested with
the past or mythology, aren't you?
LJK: I find ideas, or they find me. There is nothing methodical
about it, though in the spirit of Steppenwolf's Magic Theatre,
I suspect that more than chance is involved. Yes, mythology
is fascinating. I admire the contribution of Joseph Campbell
and Idries Shah to this field.
YB: Would you consider music as a way to translate the magical
power of ancient places into music?
LJK: On the bushland where I was raised, there were no castles
or ancient monasteries. No crusades crossed these fields. The
ground where I played held about 50,000 years of indigenous
culture and 200 years of white invasion. My ancestors originated
from Wales, England, Scotland and further back, Scandinavia.
YB: Could you tell a few words about Shakespeare and Dostoyevski?
"The Tempest" kind of inspired your very new work. What does
represent Ariel to you (he was already present on "Alexandria",
wasn't he)? A kind of allegory of your music? Do you see an
angelic quality to music?
LJK: I don't experience Shakespeare's Ariel as angelic, but
more as a playful spirit: "to the elements be free" (The Tempest).
What is an angel? Is it a sexless waif with a halo floating
over a golf-green? Or a flawed, romantic ghost as in the film
"Wings of Desire"? Inspiration (as with Dostoyevsky) can be
divine without being angelic. William Blake suggested the creative
impulse is daemonic. It's been said by Rilke, the sublime is
an angel that disdains to destroy us.
YB: Is your music supposed to restore life to shadows from
the past?
LJK: Are you thinking of Czeslaw Milosz: "What power can restore
life to shadowsŠ"? I feel this to be a plea for something subtle,
poetic or amorphous in the soul; freedom from rigid, prescriptive
theories. Our facades hide a shadow and a silence. Perhaps it
is not failure we should fear, but those who would set torches
to its long shadow. "Be the magic power of this immense midnight
at the crossroads of your senses" (Sonnets to Orpheus - Rilke.)
YB: What's so special with blackbirds?
LJK: Our home is regularly visited by blackbirds. Last year
we had three nests in our garden. In the morning when we open
our windows we are greeted with their song, and often see them
playing underneath the fig tree. I like what Wallace Stevens
wrote about blackbirds: The blackbird whirled in the autumn
winds. It was a small part of the pantomime The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying. The blackbird was introduced to
Australia about a century ago. I also love indigenous birds
such as the magpie and kookaburra. On Ariel there's a song for
the native fairy wren.
YB: You're very interested with nature and animals, aren't
you? Do you see your music as a "Symphonie Pastorale"?
LJK: The reason why my music deals with these themes is because
one of my favourite pastimes is walking through forests and
mountains of Australia. I like these words by Rilke: "and all
that's printed in roots and long unruly stems she sings a song".
YB: "Fortress" is another keyword in your lyrics. What does
it represent symbolically?
LJK: The Fortress in my albums is a place of exile, which may
symbolize protection or isolation. The Lady in the Fortress
shoots arrows from a high window into the mist, not knowing
who is out there, or if there is anyone at all. These could
be arrows of love, melody or war. Once in a while, someone wanders
too near and finds a way to enter.
YB: We can't help thinking about Loreena McKennitt while
listening to your music? What do you think about her work?
LJK: I fell in love with it in a film called "The Burning Times"
and later saw her perform. Loreena is one of several female
mentors. Others include Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Nico, Stevie
Nicks and Enya. I agree with Virginia Woolf that women are sometimes
disadvantaged by our reluctance to be influenced by each other.
It is possible to accept nourishment, yet draw a line between
respect and imitation.
YB: Could you tell us a bit about Karan Wicks? How and what
do you know about her? Does she visually express what you want
to do with your music? What other painters do you like?
LJK: Karan describes her art as "Creative Expressionism" and
is influenced by various schools of painting, especially by
Frida Kahlo. Some of her paintings capture the kind of spirit
I am trying to express. I also like art by Odilon Redon, Marc
Chagall, Arnold Boecklin, Giorgio de Chirico and Gustave Moreau
among others.
YB: Did you see "Prospero's Book" by Peter Greenaway, a filmed
interpretation of "The Tempest"? Did you like it?
LJK: Yes, I enjoyed it. He seemed to have filmed it at a nudist
colony.
YB: You've worked with Sean Bowley. Is Eden still alive?
LJK: Sean's band Eden has had various incarnations. Pieter Bourke
has moved on to work with Lisa Gerrard. Sean is working on a
solo album. Having heard some of these new recordings, I feel
his vocal expression has mellowed to less goth-rock, but the
melancholy, ghostly spirit is very much alive.
Back to Top
Interview with Peter Jan Van Damme,
Darker than the Bat, Belgium
PJD: Can you tell us some more about the history of the band?
LJK: Harry Williamson (at Spring Studio) produced my first 2
albums and 4 songs on "Ariel". Harry has worked with Gong, Peter
Gabriel and Anthony Phillips from early Genesis.
His newly released album is "Life in the World Unseen" (Voiceprint,
UK). The main producer / instrumentalist on "Ariel", Brett Taylor,
is establishing a new studio in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia,
while the pianist Richard Allison is forming a band with me.
Apart from my co-songwriter Mark, the artists came as guests
and have their own projects. Lindsay Buckland, who joined us
on darabuka while we used his studio, is widely respected for
his recordings on electronic dulcimer, dulcitar and wavedrum.(Recent
titles: "Beautiful Fig" and "Getting Karma".) We also used Siamese
Studio owned by Sean Bowley (founder of Projekt band Eden),
whose friendship and music I cherish. Sean began a solo album
after Pieter Bourke left Eden to work with Lisa Gerrard.
PJD: Describe the music you make for people who have never
heard of you.
LJK: Romantic ethereal-pop. Fairy music. Fusion of medieval-gothic
/neo folk/dream-pop. Quirky remarks from listeners: "Enya with
balls", "Loreena McKennitt on Ecstasy".
PJD: You grew up in native Australian bushland. Can you tell
us some more about that and how you came to making music?
LJK: We lived among eucalyptus forests, near a creek that flooded
each winter. There were moments of wild magic: the call of waterbirds,
the laugh of a kookaburra, the solitude of a kingfisher. My
sisters and I enjoyed creeping up on kangaroos, catching yabbies,
walking our goats, racing up paddocks, horse-riding, building
tree-cubbies and lying together in a hammock after a midnight
swim, watching for shooting stars. One sister had a canoe, one
had birds, I had a garden with a frog pond. When alone I would
dream for hours, lying in the grass after rain. I came to believe
that trees were haunted, and that the elements had spirits.
Music helped me connect our active sensual life with an intuition
of more timeless realms.
PJD: You take your inspiration in literature, mythology poetry
and nature. Can you tell us some more about that? What subjects
are in your lyrics?
LJK: Yes, I've loved faerietales and mythology since childhood.
At the University of Melbourne I attained two degrees in literature.
In the previous question I spoke of nature; a theme of this
album is birds and more generally flight, as in "Red Balloon"
(2). Other subjects include fragments from "The Tempest" by
Shakespeare, and a will-o'-the-wisp who lures travellers. There
is also a salamander, the creature who lives in fire, said to
appear in an alchemist's furnace at the making of gold. (My
tribute to songwriter Nick Drake.)
PJD: Do you try to create a certain feeling with your music?
LJK: I aim to integrate energy with ambience, whimsy with direction.
An emotional current moves beneath a shimmering surface. Our
arrangement is a fusion of acoustic / electronic, indigenous
/ classical instruments, balancing dreamscapes with lyrical
and melodic craft.
PJD: You play a lot of instruments. What is your favourite
and why?
LJK: I enjoy playing mandolin as a fairy guitar, though it's
tuned like a violin. However, I keep returning to my steel-string
guitar for its wide, open feeling and deeper resonance. Most
instruments on "Ariel" were performed by other artists, especially
Brett Taylor.
PJD: On Ariel a lot of different instruments are used. Is
each instrument chosen for a song for a special reason?
LJK: Instruments are chosen for tone (light or dark), presence
(distant, close) and so on, as called by emotion or imagery.
Mark wrote a Œcello part for my song "The Seagiant", as this
instrument has such warmth and depth, while the bowing action
portrays a boat being rowed, gliding through dark waves. To
this song we added a harp, strummed randomly as if floating
in a tide, caressed by invisible hands.
PJD: What are the instruments you use on Ariel?
LJK: Mandolin, guitars, angel harp, glissando, tiple, charango,
darabuka, firesticks, bell-tree, drums and effects, string quartet,
'cello (solo), bass, piano / keyboards and flute.
PJD: What is most important in your songs, the music or the
lyrics?
LJK: As a lover of poetry, I consider lyrics to be music. Words
can be intrinsically melodic. They open doors in the soul. In
a magical arrangement they ring like bells. Lyrical art is a
subtle dance between meaning, imagery and sound.
PJD: What's your favourite song and why?
LJK: "Cloudbusting" or "The Kick Inside" (title-track) by Kate
Bush. Also a song by Brendan Perry (words by Luis De Gongora):
"Fortune Presents Gifts not According to the Book". (Ah, but
Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" on my listŠ !!)
PJD: What do you do besides making music?
LJK: I teach English to teenagers, mostly new immigrants, including
refugees. Conditions are stressful; this is an industrial region
with drugs, gangs, broken families and unemployment. I love
my students; they have troubles but are so full of life.
PJD: What would you like people to know about you?
LJK: I have been recording for 25 years since childhood. My
discography follows many unreleased projects. The first company
to sign me was Hyperium in Germany, but my first true label
which pays and cares for me is Prikosnovenie in France.
In these 2 months I've had more interviews and reviews than
for the past 2 decades. It is overwhelming to engender such
respect overseas, after such neglect in Australia.
PJD: Where can people get your music?
LJK: For all my titles ("Argo", "Alexandria" & "Ariel") please
go to the label Prikosnovenie.
Back to Top
http://starvox.net
Transcript of interview by Stephane Froidcoeur,
'Side Line' magazine
Belgium Issue 29, Oct 1999-Jan 2000:
Introduction:
The Australian artist Louisa John-Krol has been contaminated
by the music virus when she was still a young and innocent child.
She recordedher first original song when she was 10 years old.
Later on she livedtogether with the sister of the legendary
Brendan Perry and Louisa got intouch with the music of Dead
Can Dance. It's not sure, but that would have been maybe the
subconscious basis for her further work as compositor and singer.
Her current album 'Alexandria' reveals a pronounced esoteric
and ambient side, but the fascination for other styles like
classical music is omnipresent. Louisa John-Krol perfectly fits
into the ambient line Hyperium has now
been establishing for some years. More than this, she's one
of the best references in this style together with Stella Maris/Das
Zeichen, Vespertina, The Moors etc. We contacted Louisa in person
and got the chance to discover a very fascinating, kind and
talented musician.
SF: Can you please traditionally start to tell us the way you
got involved into music and how did you come to set up your
current project?
L: Having studied voice, guitar and piano, I later taught myself
mandolin. Our Welsh relatives sang in choirs; however, growing
up in the Australian bush, I sang to call up tree-spirits -
and wished to be a bird. A special program put me in a studio
at age 10, learning techniques like overdubbing. I had to wait
a decade - through boarding school & college - to explore
studios and bands, making 5 unreleased albums before meeting
Harry Williamson. Living with Brendan Perry's sister Dawn, I
discovered Dead Can Dance and met various artists whose ideas
stirred me. 'Alexandria' came on a night when Failure, that
old Vagabond, left a flower by the door. Before then, it was
all whimsy and ideals, no shadow. Expression was a collision
between imagination and experience.
SF: Can you briefly tell us the chronological evolution of all
the projects and releases you have been involved in?
L: Listing every project would be as egotistical as parading
a drawer full of dusty old tapes. So I'll just mention my 2
CDs: 'Argo' (1996) and 'Alexandria' (1999 Hyperium/Rough Trade).
SF: Your 'Alexandria' album contains several styles, but
which were your main musical influences to compose this album?
L: Alexandria's title-track grew from a 15th century piece,
'Baixa dansa Barcelona' on Enric Gispert's album 'Le Moyen Age
Catalan'. For string passages, I went to Gorecki; for mandolin,
Led Zeppelin's 'Battle of Evermore' & Heart's 'Sylvan Song'.
I was also listening to early Genesis/Peter Gabriel, Alain Markusfeld,
Arvo Part, Gasparyan, Respighi, Trisan, Sequentia, Purcell,
Marais, Sainte-Colombe, Klaus Schulze, the 'Wings of Desire'
soundtrack and 'Rosenfole' by Jan Gabarek/ Agnes Buen Garnas.
(In that vein I'm now into 'Ranarop' by Gjallarhorn.) Kate Bush,
Loreena McKennitt and Enya have been influential. I don't know
how passions are absorbed into a personal voice, but I do sense
an interplay between eclecticism and individuality.
SF: Can you tell us the way you proceeded to compose this album?
L: I co-wrote this material with my husband, Mark (Mirek) at
home on mandolin, guitar and a primitive keyboard. Once sketched
on tape and paper, songs were built up layer-by-layer in the
studio, when Harry Williamson (engineer) would suggest an idea,
or pick up an instrument to improvise. In the sense that a sound
includes effects, arrangement or production, Harry's involvement
was integral to 'Alexandria'.
SF: According to the lyrics, you seem to be very interested
in poetry and literature?
L: This passion is a longing for integrity, to distinguish oneself
from stereotypes. If a culture holds Fame as the most accessible
immortality, how do we forge meaning in obscurity? Cavafy's
words: 'go firmly to the window and listen...' are an invitation
to dignity. Milton's 'Lycidas', centuries earlier, might have
been prophetic: 'Fame is no plant that grows on mortal soil...'
Writers like Kafka, Holderlin or Calvino open windows for the
soul. I explore literature more in imagery or themes than exact
quotation. I cherish the ancient bond of music & word that
weaves through lieder or bardic traditions amongst others. (Yet
I love music free of lyrics, or what has been called the
'private language beyond words' of Lisa Gerrard, Vas, Arcana
or Cocteau Twins.) As an English teacher working with underprivileged
youth, I do see literature as a Paper Door (re. Shiga Naoya.)
My husband, a child of Polish factory workers, used to spend
nights in freeway tunnels, a torch shining on the pages of Hesse
and Dostoyevsky. Yet this passion is not driven by ideology;
our focus is more poetic than polemic.
SF: What fascinates you in the lyrics you chose and wrote?
L: Something indefinable, ethereal, irreverent; perhaps Faerie.
Traced through the French Fey & Latin Fatae, reaching back
to classical Fates, they have been linked with Graces, Muses
or nature spirits - elementals. Tales by the Grimm brothers,
Oscar Wilde, Dunsany, Hans Andersen and Idries Shah play like
impish companions on these wanderings.
SF: I think you've a very charismatic way of singing, which
reminds me of Bjork (in a more angelic way)?
L: Thank you for your compliment. Bjork is among the great recording
artists of our time; I admire her. Comparisons? She reminds
me a little of Nanaco. Both use unusual phrasing, with a playful
production style. And I find Bjork's song 'Play Dead' extremely
moving.
SF: How did you come to be signed to Hyperium?
L: A friend, Sean Bowley (Eden) suggested I contact Oliver Roesch.
I was surprised by the response. Past experience gives me a
sense that the only expectations we can have are of ourselves.
Hope is sweeter, but no less dangerous.
SF: How would you define your music?
L: I am wary of definitions that hinder exploration. Yet for
the sake of clarity I do appreciate their usefulness; I like
the category attributed to it by Alphabeat radio: ambient-ethno-jazz.
SF: Any conclusion?
L: Art is too often a race for the latest theory, the next spiritual
fashion. So, no conclusions! Our new project features a quartet
featuring Soundwood Strings and George Vi, Violinist in the
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I still listen widely to music:
Vox, Estampie, Qntal, The Starseeds, Seefeel, Shai no Shai,
Tekbilek, Stellamara, Stella Maris, Steve Roach and more. I
am a PJ Harvey addict. (Her 'Long Snake Moan' has already destroyed
three lamps.) I'm just as happy with the Deller Consort's Shakespeare
Songs or 'L' Ombra Della Luce' by Franco Battiato. It is stimulating
to go outside our home-genres. As Andre Gide said, we cannot
discover new lands unless we consent to lose sight of the shore
for a very long time.
* - "Eclectic Poetic Passion Interplay" - *