LLYN Y CWN - 'Megaliths'



CSR334CD (29 March 2024)
CD in 6-panel digipak
Barcode: 0641871746248





Step into the shadows of ancient mysticism as Llyn Y Cwn, the maestro of Welsh dark ambient, unveils the mesmerising odyssey that is "Megaliths". A profound exploration of the sacred resonance embedded within stone circles, capturing years of field recordings from the silent and enigmatic monuments that stand as timeless witnesses to the ebb and flow of existence.

Ben Powell has crafted a sonic voyage that mirrors the sacred spaces marked by stoic pillars of rock, each track representing a specific site. Delving deep into the esoteric significance of stone circles, the album portrays these structures not merely as historical relics but as religious ceremonial sites where the veil between our world and the eternal realm becomes tantalisingly thin.

Extracting ambient soundscapes from burial chambers, Ben has utilised convolution reverbs to replicate the ominous ambiance of these ancient spaces. A veteran of stone circle exploration, Ben's decades-long journey has yielded field recordings that capture the haunting whispers of wind and the solemn caws of crows, enveloping the listener in a ghostly atmosphere that transcends the ordinary.

Guided by the wisdom found in Julian Cope's "The Modern Antiquarian" and Aurbrey Burl's "A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain", Llyn Y Cwn embarks on a sonic pilgrimage across the country, exploring the remote bleakness of these sites. The album transitions from the cramped, gloomy chambers of tombs to the unroofed, wide rings - a journey from darkness to light, from the dead to the living, and from the grave to the sky.

"Megaliths" is a ritual, a sonic séance that beckons listeners to commune with the ancient energies that saturate these sacred circles - an atmospheric descent into the heart of mysterious realms, where the boundaries between the earthly and the spiritual blur into an indistinguishable, haunting atmosphere. Embrace the darkness, and let the stones speak. The journey begins now.

Presented in a 6-panel flood-printed digipak with breathtaking photography by the artist.
Track listing:

1. Bryn Cader Faner (6:00)
2. Boscawen Un (5:27)
3. Bryn Celli Ddu (6:39)
4. Y Meini Hirion (6:31)
5. Pentre Ifan (7:58)
6. Machrie Moor (5:01)
7. Fernworthy (6:20)
8. Avebury (4:39)
9. Barclodiad-y-Gawres (6:30)
#10. Cashelkeelty (7:32)









REVIEWS:

"By definition, dark ambient music tends not to make for the most uplifting listening experience. But Welsh producer Ben Powell bucks against the grain with Megaliths... Yes, a sense of solemnity pervades - at times as thick as a blanket of fog hanging low over a Welsh moor - but the album also courses with reverence and exaltation for nature... Though he aimed for an ominous sound, he crafted an invigorating - and highly spirited - reminder of our connection to the physical world around us" (PopMatters).

"Huge, yet intimate soundscapes... Lyn Y Cwn has created something that stands out, something that truly realises its aims, holding the listener throughout the course of the album and transporting them to hilltop, moor, mountain and chalk down, across the land. Llyn Y Cwn does an extraordinary job of conjuring pieces of art that, in the absence of continuity and written record, enable us to immerse ourselves in a sonic landscape where the atavistic imagination can reach back and down, creating authentic rituals tied to the ancient past" (The Sleeping Shaman).

"[These] big, or rather massive, soundscapes sound better on loudspeakers. That way, the music becomes more immersive... we know this music originates in burial chambers, so maybe that explains why some of this has an extra mysterious dimension, as if we can hear the voices of ghosts in these pieces. Haunting is an easily overused word, but it fits well in this case... an excellent trip for the dark and rainy days" (Vital Weekly)

"Es ist schon beeindruckend, wie der Produzent mitt dem Projekt versucht, die Umgebund von Llyn Y Cwn nachzubilden, die rau und trostlos, aber gleichzeitig wunderschön ist. Die Tracks enthalten Fieldrecordings aus den Bergen von Nordwales und sollen beim Einschlafen abgespielt werden. Dark Ambient in absoluter Reinform: monumentale düstere Soundwälle, die das menschliche Bewusstsein komplett austricksen" (Sonic Seducer)