Some publishing strategies probably don't need to be understood on the receiving end. Some bands throw pretty much everything they have into the ring to promote their work, as TESSERACT did in 2023 for “War Of Being”. And then there are bands like ULVER, who, never really 100% predictable anyway, simply pre-released almost every new song from their album “Liminal Animals” before the actual album even came out. The “teasing” began in 2023, before shocking news was to make the rounds in August 2024.
When dramatic news rocked ULVER's promotional campaign…
On August 16, 2024, Tore Ylvisaker, one of the core members of ULVER since the late 1990s and one of the few constants in the Norwegians' volatile lineup, died. In a press release written by Tore Engelsen Espedal, published via a Facebook post on November 30th, which was uploaded to accompany the album's “release”, there is talk of Ylvisaker's gradual distancing from the lineup, which became apparent in 2022, approximately At this point work began on the new album. However, it is not clear from this to what extent he played a proactive role in the work on “Liminal Animals”.
That didn't prevent the release of the new record, but the band included a dedication to Ylvisaker in the form of the final track “Helian”, which is a setting of a poem written by Jørn H. Sværen is about Georg Trakl. At the time of writing, there is no information as to whether this song was actually written after Yvisaker's death or before. Since the piece was not part of the eight tracks released in advance, it could well be that “Helian” was not written until after August. Presumably a little more light will come into this over time.
“Liminal Animals” was quickly teased in full ahead of time
Long story short, but what does “Liminal Animals” sound like in its entirety? Anyone who can still hear the two full-time films “The Assassination Of Julius Caesar” and “Flowers Of Evil” will feel comfortable here for large parts. For a large part of the season, the Norwegians continue to follow the path of synth pop, which is often related to DEPECHE MODE and Co. in some ways. But they also go on a few experimental excursions. That means: Between the poppier pieces there are certainly soundscapes that, as in “Nocturne #1+2”, are reminiscent of herbalist moments á la “ATGCLVLSSCAP”, and in the case of “Locusts” also, for example, of “Kid A”-era RADIOHEAD let.
Overall, “Liminal Animals” is, in its synth-pop-heavy moments, a number more accessible and less subdued than “Flowers Of Evil”, although the striking synth landscapes are always supported by warmer guitar arabesques, sparkling touches of piano and, last but not least, Kristoffer Rygg's distinctive vocals are still clearly based on the contemporary ULVER bells. Nice, song-exclusive details like Jens Petter Molvær's saxophone in “Forgive Us” are always a welcome change, which gave the song in question something lounge-like. “Hollywood Babylon” sounds as if an idea had been taken from the main motif of DEPECHE MODES “Precious” and developed further.
Light and shadow in ULVER's ongoing synth-pop phase
On the plus side, ULVER also delivers “A City In The Skies”, an atmospheric track that comes from the slipstream of “Flowers Of Evil”, as well as “The Red Light”, which reflects the Norwegians' synth-pop phase in a more experimental one , willing to steer in more complex directions and sometimes incorporate wonderfully melodramatic vocal harmonies. The two “Nocturne” cuts bring back pleasant memories of the more herbaceous experiments. And apart from the language barrier that opens up on the closing “Helian”, the song conjures up a dense atmosphere and is therefore a worthy dedication to Ylvisaker.
Now, of course, one can open a barrel about whether a third full-time synth-pop album was really necessary. However, “Liminal Animals” doesn't seem so much like a repetition of the two predecessors, but rather marks an, albeit subtle, fine-tuning in terms of intensity, which in turn gave the record its own energy, especially since our one thing is the delicately arranged soundscapes quickly not being able to get enough of what was there. The experimental approaches in between always bring refreshment to the track list and the successful dedication to Ylvisaker rounds the whole thing off nicely. It's difficult to say what input he had here without the liner notes, but there may be new information on this soon. In any case, “Liminal Animals” is once again extremely successful.
