Album Appreciation: The Liquified Throne of Simplicity by Širom

Although this is their fourth album, Širom are a new band for me… the Slovenian eclectic folk trio putting out what is their first double album, reflecting the time that has passed since their last release in 2019. Since then the individual members have seemingly used the pandemic to slow down, learn new things and put together a release that allows more time for the mesmeric and the hypnotic, with drones and repetition really drawing the listener into their world… a land where space is treasured and where dimensions seem to multiply… and where at other times you feel almost overwhelmed with the intensity of what you are hearing.

This, then, is eighty minutes of absolutely sensational experiential playing with the band drawing on a multitude of instruments, some homemade, which gives the whole set an air of both earthiness and the mystical… a music that transports you psychedelically to another place, while at the same time evoking something that feels both ancient and timeless.

This is a multi-dimensional set which not only draws of different times and different moods, but also different places as the sounds of different cultures are drawn into the mix. All this comes together into a mélange that feels novel and fresh to the extent that the brain sometimes finds it difficult to locate and process the sounds.

The overall feeling when listening to this is to be taken into a series of liminal realms which, in seemingly equal measure, baffle and intrigue… realms which both comfort and challenge you… the seemingly constant drones and mesmeric percussion drawing you in while the plethora of other instruments pique the brain, sending the listener off on equally fantastical inner journeys which, for me at least, both surprise and amaze.

So while the band’s description their music as ‘imaginary folk’ is as good as any; really this music is beyond terminology because of the way it is auto-composed and played… emerging from a sort of collective band consciousness… a depth that can be felt through a close and personal listen which I find both absorbing and emotive.

Širom are:

Širom:

Ana Kravanja: viola, daf, ocarinas, mizmar, balafon, ribab, various objects, voice.
Iztok Koren: guembri, banjos, tank drum, bass drum, percussion, balafon, various objects, Chimes.
Samo Kutin: hurdy gurdy, tampura brač, lyre, lute, brač, chimes, balafon, frame drum, ocarina, acoustic resonators, various objects, voice.

Released on Glitterbeat/ tak:til

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