Ulver-appreciation thread

[The Walrus]

Taking ya'lls advice, I have resumed my journey with Blood Inside.

I forget who sent me a big batch of Ulver in my last roulette. Sacul or Elite, I think it was Sacul? "It Is Not Sound" was in the batch sent to me and so far it's definitely the standout track on this album. Although "Christmas" is fantastic.  I think I'll spin this one all morning and maybe check out the next one this afternoon. I love how different this band sounds compared to almost anything else.

[Buddyhunter1]

Blood Inside is a weird, weird album. It took a while to grow on me but now it's easily in my top three albums by them. I like every song on it except for The Truth which is just kinda there.

[The Walrus]

Blood Inside is a weird, weird album. It took a while to grow on me but now it's easily in my top three albums by them. I like every song on it except for The Truth which is just kinda there.

Oh man, that song just finished and I really like it! Has a nice chill groove.

I gotta say though, I'm most anticipating Shadows of the Sun. EOS might be my favorite Ulver song from all I've heard and if the rest of the record is like that, well, it'll easily be my favorite.

[Buddyhunter1]

Eos is easily the best song on Shadows Of The Sun but the rest is quite nice as well. It's not one of my personal favorites but I can understand why it is for a lot of people.

[Sacul]

EOS is a top 3 Ulver song. The rest of the album is awesome, I think you'll dig it.

[Zantera]

They're a band I still admire a lot even if I don't listen much to them anymore. Their discography has its ups and downs but for me the best stuff is the '00s trilogy of Perdition City (their best), Blood Inside and Shadows of the Sun. The 90's albums are pretty solid and the '10s output has been a bit mixed (some good highs some forgettable lows) and the highlight of the last few albums for me is still Messe I.X–VI.X.

[Elite]

I think it was Sacul?

No, it was not.

[The Walrus]

I think it was Sacul?

No, it was not.

  Good thing I kept a spreadsheet tracking all this, maybe someday I'll look at it before posting! 

[Sacul]

They're a band I still admire a lot even if I don't listen much to them anymore. Their discography has its ups and downs but for me the best stuff is the '00s trilogy of Perdition City (their best), Blood Inside and Shadows of the Sun. The 90's albums are pretty solid and the '10s output has been a bit mixed (some good highs some forgettable lows) and the highlight of the last few albums for me is still Messe I.X–VI.X.

Messe was the first Ulver album I listened to, I should revisit as it's been a few years. Excellent record.

[Dittomist]

Ulver is a band I had been meaning to check out for years simply because Kristoffer Rygg sang with Anneke on a song from The Gathering's album Souvenirs, and so I figured they must be good. I've now listened to each album a couple times and my clear favorites are Shadows of the Sun and Kveldssanger.

[DoctorAction]

I loved Arcturus and feel they were never the same without Garm but Ulver haven't clicked with me over several attempts over the years. Now may be the time, however.

Have spun Blood, Shadows, Assassination and Flowers over the last week. The first two I heard some years back. Deffo intrigued...

[hefdaddy42]

So I haven't listened to Ulver in years and years and years, but I saw that they had a new album dropping, so I gave it a listen.

I thought the first half of the album was a little boring, TBH.  But Apocalypse 1993 really did it for me.

Then I went back and listened to Perdition City, and all was right with the world.

[DoctorAction]

Been loving Flowers over the last week.

Spun Blood Simple again today too and was very impressed. Extraordinarily different, varied and intense.

[Buddyhunter1]

The new album's grown on me a bit. Some of the songs that initially seemed really sparse and boring actually have a lot of little details and layers in the production that you don't notice unless you're paying really close attention. Listening to it with headphones during a walk at night = highly recommended.

[DoctorAction]

It reminds me a little of The The around the Infected album.

[Elite]

Been loving Flowers over the last week.

Spun Blood Simple again today too and was very impressed. Extraordinarily different, varied and intense.

You mean Blood Inside?

[DoctorAction]

Been loving Flowers over the last week.

Spun Blood Simple again today too and was very impressed. Extraordinarily different, varied and intense.

You mean Blood Inside?

Haha. Yeah, that. 

[The Walrus]

Well, Ulver's been quite a journey. I quite like The Assassination of Julius Caesar, Flowers of Evil, and Shadows of the Sun; plenty of songs from all three are on my regular listening playlist. The rest is a curious mix of interesting-but-not-captivating records or stuff I simply dislike like the first and third albums. But I was here mostly for the journey, and I found some stuff that stuck with me on the way. This band just has a really cool evolution and lots of different sounds and that was very interesting to experience from album to album. Can't say they're a favorite, but I have a totally new and deeper appreciation for them now.

[twosuitsluke]

If one thing has come out of the 'Top 5 Songs of All Time' thread (and subsequent playlist, thanks Puppies) it's got me to delve deeper into bands that I've been sleeping on for a while. One of these is Ulver!

I'd already heard TAoJS a few times, when it came out, and I also checked out their latest, last year (didn't do a great deal, but I'll revisit). I also checked out Shadows of the Sun at some point over the last few years and ended up downloading it. It's the only album, until this week, that I'd liked enough to stick on my ipod.

So the Top 5 Songs thread chucked the song Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses, from Perdition City my way. Definitely something that resonated with me and inspired me to dig a little deeper. I've listened through Perdition City three times this week and then went ahead and downloaded Blood Inside as well (as I've heard good things).

Currently working my way through their discography, starting with the trio of Black Metal albums, and you know what, I'm pleasantly surprised! Currently listening to Bergtatt and it's not bad. I'm hardly a fan of old school black metal, and prefer when it is spliced with genres like Progressive Metal or Shoegaze, but this has some string sections and clean vocals. Not what I expected but I'd listen again.

Onwards to Kveldssanger next 

[Elite]

Great, have fun They're one of my favourite groups.

I listed The Future Sound of Music in my Top 5. I was checking the thread to see who got Porn Piece on there. Apparently a post someone made 10 years ago!

If you're going through the discography, you'll be surprised that 'trio of black metal albums' doesn't make sense, since Kveldssanger is completely acoustic (and their worst album, if you ask me). I'm curious what you're going to think of Nattens Madrigal

[twosuitsluke]

Great, have fun They're one of my favourite groups.

I listed The Future Sound of Music in my Top 5. I was checking the thread to see who got Porn Piece on there. Apparently a post someone made 10 years ago!

If you're going through the discography, you'll be surprised that 'trio of black metal albums' doesn't make sense, since Kveldssanger is completely acoustic (and their worst album, if you ask me). I'm curious what you're going to think of Nattens Madrigal

Yea, after listening to Kveldssanger I realised that 'trio of black metal' was a bit of a misnomer. I thought I'd read somewhere about the trio of black metal albums they released but maybe not.

Currently listening to Nattens Madrigal and this was the sort of black metal I was expecting to be honest. I can listen to this fine but I doubt I'll revisit. Out of the first three albums I think I easily liked Bergtatt the most.

I'll be skipping Perdition City next, as I've obviously heard it. Lyckantropen Themes is the soundtrack to a short film apparently.

In summary, first three albums went consistently downhill and I liked the first the most 

[Elite]

You're also skipping Themes on William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which was released in between Nattens Madrigal and Perdition City. My second favourite Ulver album.

[twosuitsluke]

You're also skipping Themes on William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which was released in between Nattens Madrigal and Perdition City. My second favourite Ulver album.

Yea I just went on the Ulver wiki and realised that album and Metamorphosis are not on Spotify. I guess I'll circle back and listen to them elsewhere, at a later date.

[Buddyhunter1]

Those are all on their Bandcamp, I think. Same with Messe I.X-VI.X, that's technically a full album and definitely worth listening to at least once.

[Elite]

Messe is the third album to round up my top 3. Definitely do!

[Buddyhunter1]

My top 3 would be Julius Caesar, Perdition City, and Blood Inside. Julius Ceasar has a death grip on the #1 spot while those other two are pretty close.

[Sacul]

Mine would be Shadows of the Sun, Julius Caesar, and either Perdition City or Messe. I really need to revisit the latter, it's been a while.

[Elite]

Messe was the first Ulver album I listened to, I should revisit as it's been a few years. Excellent record.

Mine would be Shadows of the Sun, Julius Caesar, and either Perdition City or Messe. I really need to revisit the latter, it's been a while.

okay backwards lucas!

[Sacul]

Yeah I still haven't revisited it

[Volante99]

For me the band peaked with Shadows of the Sun. The perfect blend of avant-garde and listenability. Such a great atmosphere to that album. Seriously maybe a top 10 album for the post 2000 category.

Couldn’t get into Assassination, thought it was boring and frankly, super overrated. Flowers of Evil has some bangers. I’m starting to come around to their current phase but I still wish they’d bring back some of that darkness of Shadows.

Childhoods End is worth a listen too.

[Buddyhunter1]

New single dropped today as a follow-up to Ghost Entry from a few months ago. Guess we're getting yet another synthpop album sometime this year.

Not sure how I feel about that honestly; Julius Caesar was amazing and Flowers Of Evil was pretty good too, but hopefully they break the pattern of diminishing returns if they're that committed to a single sound now.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Yeah, it's kind of odd that they went from having a completely different sound every album to sort of sticking to one style now.  I guess they really like it.  I certainly enjoy it, but Shadows of the Sun would have been the album I wish they'd kept cloning. 

[Buddyhunter1]

I certainly enjoy it, but Shadows of the Sun would have been the album I wish they'd kept cloning.

I don't think that would have been preferable for me. Messe I.X-VI.X is kind of a follow-up to that sound, and that's one of my least favorites I've heard by them.

I definitely would have been happy with a slightly-less-great Blood Inside, though.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Yeah, Messe I.X-VI.X was sort of the spiritual successor of it, and it was good, but just didn't have nearly the impact on me.  I guess sometimes lightning can only strike once. 

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

just saw there's an Ulver thread here. love me some Ulver. TAOJC might be one of the best albums i've heard from the last decade