Instrumental folk masters Thurnin sends his love, and a new album from the Netherlands. A debut, it is already popular amongst listeners with its scenic soundscape and enthralling visuals. Visuals mind you, narrated artfully with their music and melodies. This is Menhir.
I also had the opportunity to ask him some questions as well, which will be spread out through the article. Now let’s go into the tracks he’s laid out for us.
Think of it as a journey through an enchanted forest. With only your thoughts for company, The Voyage is a soundtrack to what you might feel. The minor key chord progression really grips the sense of solitude and flow of emotions you might feel. The cascading guitars layer out like a rainbow far near the horizon. Very beautiful track to enrich a part of your moment.
Theme and voyages
What is your theme for Menhir? I know its difficult to put a bracket around what is dominating in this genre, but is there something definitive?
I originally wanted to create something I’m missing in music, It was something I wanted to fully explore after having done some acoustics in the past. After hearing Vali when their first album was dropped I always wanted to try something like that, but a bit darker.
Something between traditional neo folk and metal, writing wise at least.
A lot of people have described my way of writing as feeling nostalgic and surreal, which has indirectly become the bracket I’d put it in at this point. Always way harder to put your own definition of your music, We end up being our own worst critics so I avoid having any opinions on this myself.
Moving on to quicker fingerpicking, songs like Ancient Rites tune the tempo up but don’t make haste to change the feel. It is still afloat on the deep thoughts that help it retain its stature, with the mystical makings of a storm crafting the song into the piece it is.
Is there an instrument besides the guitar that perfectly encapsulates the theme for this project at least?
I love string instruments, especially the violin and cello. There’s no violin on the album at all but that would be my 2 instruments of choice after guitar.
There’s flute on the album but it’s extremely rare someone hears a solo flute performance and goes : “This is exactly how I’m feeling right now!” so I think that’s more of an “adding some flavor” deal than it being something that would embody what I was going for.
The tale of the strings
As heard in places, the instruments are like glitter to an already alluring shine. To visualize the pause in the journey, Thurnin performs Vicariously, We Rest. It is a crescendo of guitars aided by strings that emphasize the state of mind during a moment of repose. It rounds off in the edges, creating a polished interlude of strings with pauses to highlight what the richness of guitars which are played well can do.
Prepare yourself for an epic for Vagrants, a chance encounter in your journey. It is a conversation that could have been played out by instruments. As there are no lyrics, it makes it tougher to siphon emotions off a part which could be sung about. Yet, Thurnin does it with a precision of master instrumentalists.
Is it complex translating mythology & mysticism without the title of the track or lyrics? How do you best do it while composing?
Yes, kind of, I ended up writing a story along side of it to tie my own translation of what the art and the album are implying but I also enjoy it being open for interpretation. Some of the tracks were written before I decided to fully do this an album, so they needed some reworks to fit the entire theme of the album. On the plus side, there are few restrictions because of it being purely instrumental
It is important to not get hung up on the name of these tracks, just what the artist was feeling. In many cases you might find yourself questioning the validity of the names given, but those are especially the visuals contorted once you start hearing what has been written so carefully & cautiously by Thurnin.
Changing emotionality within tracks
The Oath is one such track, an oath being only the action of the promise that is very human. Defiling trust is what breaking an oath signifies, and the flutes and guitar do it very well especially in this track which brings together the very character of these instruments. The ability to share that moment that might fleet as a visual but stays as a sound.
Making it softer with Forsake Us Not, a moment of despair is heard within the personification of these instruments. I have loved imagining each of these guitars speaking to me like a character in a drama about their endeavour, and is what I feel happens here also. It is not a song, but a lament of two guitars standing out that pledge their tale to us. Very enchanting arrangement that grabs you by the soul.
When words can’t quite frame it
As the tides and temperature change, Winds of Decay suggest a change in seasons. His attempt at making the wind sing is successful as well, giving her a voice we would love to hear stories from. The places she has traveled and moments experienced. The tune is oriental as well in style, so the magic is upon us.
As a tired soul shares a lengthy monologue about their tryst with this fate and how destiny has played a cruel hand, A Lament for the End does the same. It is a song about help and one about life, one lived well. The instrumentals carry incredible meaning- peeking into a memory of yours to link with what you are hearing.
Trials of Menhir is the only one with humming, any experience of human vocals in the album. It is almost startling after the experience you’ve had, the choice of company and whether you’ll meet the face that has that voice. Mystical and magical to hear, it is truly sorcery through strings that Thurnin has been able to conjure. He has pushed the boundaries of Neo-Acoustic tone and set a very high bar for himself, especially theme related.
The aid of more symphonic instruments
The strings create a surreal void which is filled with the tone of your guitar. Tell me about a track which does this with ingenuity.
The last track (Fall of Men) is mostly string based, the writing was based on being less guitar driven and more of an atmospheric song. I think in the end it still ended up sounding more guitar driven but it’s the main track I composed around strings instead of the other way around.
The soundtracks by Jeremy Soule made me want to try this approach, but it (luckily) took on a will of it’s own and sounds like it’s own thing. Nimblkorg, who did the mastering and helped me incredible amounts on the production of this album, did a great job in making the strings feel very lively and with the knowledge I have now there will probably some more experimenting in some string heavier sections.
And it is the last song which served as a climatic chapter to this novel journey we had. The cello dominates a weary sound, close to a journey of success and a new experience. It is resounding to hear the emotion through the instruments and what they can bring out in you as a human. The song has several similarities to the first, in that it changes feel and what the song means. With moments that linger for large bits of time, this individual has taken us through a journey that shouldn’t have had any words. Yet here we are, at the end of an unnecessary essay for what can be felt. That’s the power of music. We have only Thurnin to thank.
Listen to his transformative creation here:
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