DESCRIPTION:
No Land Called Home
Label: Ad-Noiseam
Released: Nov 2010

Subheim's second album is a theatre of transformations and relocations: acoustic and organic sound have taken to the front of the stage, providing this act's introspective and grandiose songs with a more humane touch. Combined with delicate vocals and emotional strings, the deep melodies and remaining electronic elements from a mesmerizing album. This land which is not to be called home is an opulent, darkly fascinating one, mapped here into a collection of remarkable and rewarding songs.

Two years after his "Approach" début, Subheim make a new statement with "No Land Called Home", a second album which refines their precise yet encompassingly lush sound and defines more precisely what this already acclaimed but still young act is about.

A lot has happened since 2008 and Subheim's début album: the inception (and later departure) of the Spectraliquid label (headed by Subheim together with Mobthrow), a plethora of remixes, live concerts all across Europe, and a relocation from Greece to London. In the same way, Subheim's sound has evolved and matured greatly: from a prominently electronic basis, this project has now embraced a much more acoustic composition. Live drums and strings, field recordings, horns provide a very organic texture to "No Land Called Home", bringing at times a resolutely jazz feeling to the deep and sombre overall atmospheres. And, of course, the much stronger presence of vocals throughout this album also adds to the human and soulful nature of this album. Subheim live vocalist Katja lends her voice to more than half of the tracks, and Timothy N. Gregory's emotional presence on "The Veil" confirms Subheim's talent at writing not only tracks, but full songs.

At times gentle, at times epic, always humane and evocative, "No Land Called Home" is both the fruit and the invitation to a deeply introspective contemplation. Satisfied by neither completely electronic droning nor a fully acoustic / rock structure, Subheim create here a bridge between both and manages to use the best of both genres while keeping their sound coherent, vivid and personal.

The cover art to Subheim's début album was showing the middle of a flowing river, the one to "No Land Called Home" displays a reclining tide, welcoming to birds and people alike: the land has been reached, whichever it might be.

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