The White

I always have a hard time getting into a new year’s music initially. Part of this could be due to the fact that most labels hold their stronger artists or albums until after May, but it usually takes until mid-March before I really start getting into a new year’s releases. The number of albums released in January is usually sparse, so it also takes the first two months to start amassing enough music to formulate a few opinions about. The first album that really struck me was Agollach’s White EP, which is an extremely moving, mostly instrumental album that strips away the band’s heavy elements in favor of neo-folk.

Aside from their innovative combination of post and black metal, I was always struck by Agollach’s strong folk influence and it how they often juxtapose this influence with the heavier elements. Typically, the folk elements are less minimalist than on this EP, featuring vocals and percussion. However, here there is a distinct shift to neo-folk, which, as a genre, typically is sparse in terms of arrangements, with little percussion, understated vocals, and mainly acoustic instrumentation. This style perfectly suits the band’s paganism and naturalism. Aside from frequent clips from the movie The Wicker Man, the soundscapes evoke snowy, solitary images.

The songs themselves are extremely strong, with very powerful melodies. Most of the acoustic parts are played on 12 string guitars, given them added density and harmonic depth. “The Isle of Summer” opens with one such melody, played mostly in a lower register, which is then doubled by another 12 string playing a very bright, higher line. A series of electric guitars also come in out – first, a distorted and reverebed solo line, then a series of echoing, clean chords ring over the main line. “Birch Black” is more up-tempo, with some percussion, but again uses multiple guitars to really carry the song – initially a 12 string acoustic, then two electrics – one playing a heavier flourish on the main riff, while the second adds a tremolo-picked higher line, giving some face-time to the band’s black metal influences. “Hollow Stone” shifts to very dark, atmospheric synths, with wavy, deeply mixed-down audio samples. “Pantheist” is the centerpiece of the album, starting slowly with another 12 string acoustic melody, tribal drumming, and a lead electric line. As the acoustic picks up tempo, shifting from a picked line to strummed chords, another acoustic joins the mix playing an incredibly fluid solo. The final half of the song is a thickly distorted guitar, playing the chordal line slowly joined by a choral chant. “Birch White” is the most neo-folk, with an upbeat acoustic line, John Haughm’s spoken, monotone vocal delivery of a Tessimond poem and an accordion line adding atmosphere to the rich guitar lines. The final minute of the song finds one of the guitarists noodling on his 12 string, playing a series of very evocative lines, ending with a sample of chirping birds. The final two tracks follow the same vein of the earlier ones, but rely heavily on samples from The Wickerman matched with the more melancholic acoustic, piano and weighty synths.