ZAUBERSPRÜCHE

Faun play a rather modern form of pagan folk that combines a host of medieval and traditional instruments with programmed digital sequences, synthesizers and drone (mostly from a hurdy-gurdy). There are actually quite a few groups around today doing this sort of thing, but Faun add an interesting twist with lyrics in a variety of tongues including some that are pretty much unrecognizable and I suppose are either regional dialects or semi-extinct.

The overall mood of this debut release is rather somber, with vocalists Fiona Rüggeberg and Lisa Pawelke resorting to medieval chanting most of the time and slipping into almost monotonous harmonies on tracks like “Nechein Man” and “Tempus Transit”. Elsewhere the band adopts a more airy mood with woodwinds and acoustic strings, most notably on the delicate “Keridwen & Gwion” and very folksy ballad “Vom Truge”.

I can’t really get very excited about this album, although some of their later work does show improvement in variety and richer, more complex textures that make it obvious this truly is just an experimental debut of an emerging talent. Most of the songs are pretty even, although the closing “Troum Und Spiegelglas” goes on too long for my tastes considering the main instrumentation consists mostly of Jew’s harp, hurdy-gurdy and a rather annoying organ bleating in the background. Otherwise the songs are mildly interesting but a little too dark for my tastes.

I would recommend that band’s 2007 studio release ‘Totem’ over this one if you are new to the music; otherwise this is a decent record for those who have already taken a liking to Faun’s music. I won’t really recommend ‘Zaubersprüche’ to anyone but fans, and therefore a two star rating is the only thing that makes sense.

peace

The most progressive aspect to FAUN's debut is that anyone outside of the intractible folk scene was performing this type of music at all in 2002. Whatever "cool" could be connected with Northern European folk was usually processed through a musical cuisinart into ENYA, and that trick was simply recycled after its 1988 smash, chiefly by ENYA herself. I suppose BLACKMORE's night could be counted as another success, but are they really taking themselves seriously? Because I think FAUN is.

This is familiar and not particularly striking, but extremely well played, a kind of amalgam of Gothic folk from Northern lands. Groups like SILEAS, CLANNAD, MUZSIKAS' , BROSELMASCHINE, and even WHITE WILLOW and PERERIN all come to mind at different times, as well as a few limbs snapped right off the main branch of the Celtic family tree - think ANDY IRVINE and DAVEY SPILLANE's collaborations. This is dark and ominous music that, at its best, hypnotically captures a sense of foreboding much like a classic vampire flick, and I don't mean the modern versions with the beautiful young people cavorting about. The male and female harmony vocals, the hurdy gurdy, the didgeridoo, and the mournful melodies all thicken the atmosphere in a manner rarely achieved since DEEP FOREST's "Boheme", which actually featured MUZSIKAS' Marta Sebastyen.

While all but the longest tracks hold interest and sway, Zauberspruche lacks any sort of wow factor, even if "Tempus Transit", "Des Wasserman's Web", "Keridwen and Gwion", and "Konig Von Thgule" are all more than impressive in a contained sort of way. The album title translates to "Magical Language", and I suppose the goal is partially achieved, proving that one doesn't have to pull a rabbit out of a hat to graduate from magic school, but rather avoid conjuring up a skunk.

Zaubesprüche is Faun's first release from a major music label. The album has a sound throughout--especially the first three songs--that makes it sound as if it were harnessed straight from the stages of Renaissance Fairs. The band has a very warm and engaging sound--which is captured very nicely through some very nice engineering. The individual performances are not quite as tight and polished as they could be but, again, the sound is great (better, IMO than on quiet Licht or the washed out & over-produced Von den Elben). The mood captured on Zubersprüche is quite relaxing though mesmerizing. I can imagine sitting on my wooden bench beneath a cool August night sky being lulled into a pleasantly hypnotic state by these songs. The vocals have a ways to go before they reach the heights of Renaissance, with Oliver and their harmonies, in particular, as yet unpolished.

Favorite songs: the amazing jewel of the album (and its finale), "Troum und Speigelglas" (7:37) (10/10); Oliver and Fiona's gorgeous "Das Wassermanns Welb" (3:31) (9/10); the Alan Stivell-like instrumental, "Keridwen & Gwion" (3:08) (9/10); "König Von Thule" (3:23) (8/10), and; "Tempus Transit" (4:16) (8/10).