ninehertz

The release date for Ash Souvenir has been flagged in my calendar since it was first announced. Ragana’s last album Desolation’s Flower was incredible, their superb split with Thou in 2018 an eye opener to this band, and with an entire back catalogue of special music. New music from the duo is to be celebrated.

They are joined here by Drowse, a solo artist from Portland, to forge this album which serves as a loving ode to the Pacific Northwest, sharing an “affinity and cursed love for the rainy, unforgiving region, and the interwoven history of the black metal and indie rock that has grown out of its dreary landscapes”, in their own words.

Lyrically and musically it is a powerful record, brimming with emotion. Tracks lurch from wistful quiet to shuffling, windswept black metal empowered by the biographical, topographical narrative, but seemingly raw and personal such is their visceral delivery. It sounds uniquely authentic. The combination between the artists works well, taking the reins at different times, but mainly combining as one.

There is a wonderful track led by harmonium – an instrument we in the UK have got to know so well through the wonderful Greet in recent times, its morose lament a perfect addition to this tale. The title track is magnificent, a gentle start, the lyrics subtly but pointedly turning on “in my dreams you’re alive, yelling: “There is nothing to lose””. After five minutes the instrumentation rises to meet it, with a deft hand, the vocals turning to beseeching cries of anguish in a moving finale.

You can draw comparisons to Big|Brave in the progressive intensity and truth of their account. Ash Souvenir is an excellent record, a personal portrait of their region that truly gives those of us from afar a real feel for the area and the artists’ connection with it.