The word that best describes this marvellous album is 'care'. Everything about the project speaks of a loving attention to detail.
The packaging is a thing of beauty in itself, a gatefold sleeve is graced by stunning artwork by Montreal-based designer 'Urban9' and includes six double sided art cards and an A3 poster.
Of course, I well know the pitfalls of judging a book or CD by its cover but the first impression I got was that the contents were going to be something special. Happily, I was not disappointed.
So, who or what is Orla Wren?
'An enigma' would be the short answer.
What you find is that a man named simply Tui is behind the project. Knowing that he is originally from the north of England and is a nomadic neo hippy with dreadlocks conjures up a romantically arty and anti-conformist image but doesn't really shed any light on these 13 tunes.
On his website, you won't find any straight bio either, just a statement that "he makes electroacoustic music that uses the emotional space between organic sounds and electronic processing........rendering the minutiae of nature into sonic form".
The cynic in you may wonder how this faintly pretentious description matches up to listening experience itself. Rest assured that it does.
Of course, in saying that, it has to be recognised that we all inhabit our own 'emotional spaces', so each of us responds to 'sonic forms' in a different way.
There will be some who feel more secure with hooks or cues to guide them. If you fit this description, you will quickly lose patience with this record as this 'book of the forest' does not come with any map.
Personally speaking, I was immediately won over and content to follow imaginary pathways.
As with the deconstructed songs of David Sylvian's Blemish or the artic ambience of Biosphere's Substrata, Book Of The Folded Forest makes the notion of conventional song structures irrelevant.
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As with those amazing records, so much of the effect of the music communicates on an emotional level so that no amount of facts about why, when and where it came into being would begin to describe the effect.
Many tracks have no vocals and those that do mostly use the voice as another instrument. These add to the sound of the music box, pipe organ, synthesizer, piano, celesta, zither, clarinet, field recordings which Tui contributes. Guest musicians play cello, flute, acoustic guitar and percussion.
Only the opening and closing tracks could be said to resemble 'regular' songs and both The Words Under The Wood and Ashes From A Long Fire feature Paddy Mann on vocals. He's an Australian who, as a solo artist, performs as Grand Salvo and was clearly chosen for the dulcet tones he adds to the poetic imagery of these wondrous tracks.
Perhaps by accident or, more probably, by design, these two songs serve to frame the contents of the record and reward those who listen for its hour-long playing time in one sitting.
These and another five key tracks are included on a DVD with specially commissioned videos. Of these, Four Feathers Few and In The Past I Was A Woodcarver's Knife are particularly memorable.
The free-ranging visual interpretations by these filmmakers are full of grainy textures and misty images which, like the songs themselves, are best experienced than explained.
A majestic and magical record.
Orla Wren's website
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