Esben & The Witch win the award for our longest ever track of the day as ‘Press Heavenward’ checks in at a mighty 10 minutes and 16 seconds. It’s the opening track from their third album ‘A New Nature’ and in the brave new world of the attention deficit digital music consumer, it’s a bold artistic statement. Perhaps the only way you can truly become the artist you really want to be is by assuming full control of your output, and like Esben and The Witch, forming your own imprint.
I mean can you imagine the band pitching ‘A New Nature’ to the bean counters at big label….
‘ Ok so we have a ten minute opener and……. you guys are gonna love this, we have a fourteen minute album centerpiece which follows a woman navigating her way through a dense forest, a Herzogian jungle if you will, that turns on her and starts to consume her’
*clanging church bell – tumbleweed*
‘Okaaaaay, so is there like, a radio edit ?’
‘Press Heavenwards!’ is a wonderfully evocative haunting piece of music that deserves and demands your full attention, it’s hugely cinematic in scope and beguiles from start to finish as does the entire album. You can read our review of ‘ A New Nature’ for The Quietus HERE.
Cheers, AvP – this got me hooked on the album. Now one of my favourites of year. Duelling for space in my ears with the new Twilight Sad album right now.
Its hugely impressive isn’t it ! Excellent !