STEVEN SEVERIN - 'Blood Of A Poet (Le Sang D'Un Poète)'

CSR135CD (October 2010)
CD in mini-LP sleeve with inner sleeve
Barcode: 823566504825

Acclaimed solo artist and founding member of the legendary Siouxsie and the Banshees, Steven Severin’s debut album for Cold Spring Records is titled “Blood Of A Poet (Le Sang d’un Poete). This album is his entire soundtrack to Jean Cocteau’s 1930 black & white surrealist classic and is the second in his ongoing series of “Music For Silents”. During their reign, Siouxsie & the Banshees established themselves as one of the foremost alternative artists and the only survivors of the London punk scene to evolve, innovate and succeed until their final demise in 2002. Severin has since committed himself almost exclusively to scoring for film & TV. Since May 2008 Severin has been performing live accompaniment to silent films, startling audiences across the globe who have now come to expect the unexpected from the man who has crossed paths with such diverse luminaries as John Cale, Alan Moore, Jarboe, Lydia Lunch, Marc Almond, Merc Cunningham, Robert Smith and the Tiger Lillies. “Blood Of A Poet” received it’s premiere at the Silent Movie Theater in Hollywood in January this year and this October sees Severin embark on his first ever solo tour of the UK hosted by the Picturehouse chain of cinemas. 
Track listing:

1. The Wounded Hand
2. Walking Statues
3. L’Hôtel Des-Folies-Dramatiques
4. Glory Forever
5. The Snowball Fight
6. The Desecration Of The Host
7. The Card Sharp & The Angel
8. The Lyre

Reviews:

"While this album is a collection of constructed moods, there’s a definite minimalist monochrome ‘sheen’ to the whole record. Still a beautifully indeterminate work, Severin has put together a series of unconnected moments-in-time tied together by edits and the barest of concerns for any sort of easy or undemanding listen... While it contains recurring synth/string motifs like much popular contemporary soundtrack work, Severin has also gone for more of an ambient experimental accompaniment. Gentleness soon gives way to metallic drone, wave-to-shore pulses slashed by razor edits... Severin has created something oddly arctic in Blood Of A Poet, read as a purely audio release this is a gently detached, spacious and sometimes disquieting collection of fractured moments." (The Quietus)

"Severin’s atmospheric electronica lends itself well to a treatment of images, and the whimsy he hears in the orchestral soundtrack that accompanies the strident voiceover in the original film is replaced - by a minimalist wave of sound, containing slowly expressive repeated phrases and fragmented voice-sounds. ‘Blood of a Poet’ is many times refracted, and Severin distorts and dissembles. Arguably, blanking the soundtrack and narration to entirely replace it is a bold move, but this reimagining is surely done in the bombastic style of its creator, for all Severin’s understated modus operandi." (Criterion Cast)

"...a stunning feast for the ears and a showcase of Severin’s Avant-garde musical talent... I fell in love with Severin’s unique execution that haunts your very soul and keeps you wanting more, this is an amazing score and works so well when watching the film in the background, a truly underrated masterpiece!" (Horrorscreams Videovault)

"...a graceful yet strongly foreboding, contemporary accompaniment to reinforce this nightmarish dimension without overpowering the eighty-year-old imagery... Listened with eyes shut, this can break the spell of immersion that Severin's compositions otherwise achieve with ease and is most evident on tracks like L'Hotel des Folies-Dramatiques whose wonderful propulsive hallucinogenic theme [is] reminiscent of Coil's equally delirious Amethyst Deceivers... an elegantly surreal impromptu multimedia experience where old visions and new sounds are consummated, bringing the film to life once more, like the protagonist did the statue" (4/5, Musique Machine)

"Severin introduces the recurring motifs of Blood of a Poet: Over floating atmo-hum and a series of repeated piano chords, there's a brief appearance of the orchestral melody that continually appears throughout... the other recurring motif [is] a keyboard melody over tinkering notes... Severin does well to weave an atmosphere rather than cast Blood of a Poet as just mere fragments of sound... an invigorating listen and well worth hearing especially if you are interested in exploring Severin's private dream world and hearing a contemporary score to Cocteau's visuals." (Compulsion Online)

"questa sia l'accompagnamento perfetto per le immagini ma, allo stesso tempo, queste risultino essere l'accompagnamento perfetto per la musica. Una vera e propria compenetrazione quindi, affascinante e misteriosa, che colpisce i sensi. Ascoltando solo la parte musicata si ha comunque la stessa impressione di mistero, fascino e magia che pare accompagnare la visione del film... È inoltre tangibile l'atmosfera onirica e sognante presente in tutte le tracce... una colonna sonora intesa come soundtrack completa [...] che brilla di luce propria anche lontano dalle immagini che dovrebbe commentare, e Steven Severin è il compositore perfetto per musicare un film nato da una delle menti più geniali del '900 (8/10, Darkroom)

"Most of the music is ambient, filled with samples of electronics, some percussion, voices and other instruments and effects. The texture is rich and never overloaded. I’ve never seen that particular movie, but some other of Jean C’s experimental short movies. Here the music works really great on its own and fills my head with waves of landscapes in black and white, letting my imagination flow freely" (Terrascope)

Severin sorgt in seiner Musik dafür, dass dieser surreale Ausdruck auch auditiv erhalten bleibt... Durch seinen Ambient-Charakter ist der Soundtrack sehr ruhig, dafür aber umso atmosphärischer. Dramatik und Romantik, Angst und Freude liegen nah beieinander, alles unter dem Deckmantel des Phantastischen. Das Gute daran ist, dass "Blood Of A Poet" auch ohne Film funktioniert... lohnt sich unbedingt ein Blick für alle, die es gern etwas stiller mögen" (Medienkonverter)

"[a] sonic alchemy of origin ambient / drone, channeled in directions that, depending on the personality of the individual tracks, that lead us in the dark in more atmospheric classicism. The eight suites spread waves of vibrant surrealism music... high caliber, interpreted as liquefaction of the modern musical concepts learned by Steven Severin during the course of years; transformed, reworked and now manifested in the form of inscrutable ethereal sounds... a satisfying experience, deep, gushing rivulets that will wake the ruby poet who quietly abides in you" (Vox Empirea)