Kołysanki (Polish for "Lullabies") is the fifth studio album by Polish band Lux Occulta. The album was released on March 13, 2014. It is the first album released by the band in 13 years, as well as the first since the ending of the band's hiatus, making it the longest gap between the band's albums.

Kołysanki
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 13, 2014
Recorded2011–2013 at T'n'T Music Production
GenreElectronic rock, free jazz, experimental rock, avant-garde metal, spoken word
Length54:07
LanguagePolish, French
LabelTrzecie Ucho
ProducerMaciej Tomczyk
Lux Occulta chronology
The Mother and the Enemy
(2001)
Kołysanki
(2014)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Axis of Metal[1]
The Metal Foundry[2]
Metal StormPositive[3]

Sound edit

Kołysanki marks a drastic departure of the band's previous black metal sound in favor of a more experimental electronic rock sound. A reviewer for the webzine Metal Storm described the album's opening track, "Dymy", as having a "heavy synth atmosphere, with very groovy beats and rhythms and vocals that dance between charismatic singing and interesting spoken word." He also praised the song "Samuel wraca do domu" for its "use of sax, double bass, and organ, that sounds more like a jazz piece from the early 1900s than anything else", as well as the song "Karawanem Fiat" for taking a "neoclassical approach with acoustic guitar work that would delight even the most seasoned of flamenco listeners."[3] Thomas Bawden of Axis of Metal described the album as a "musical mindfuck", which feature "track titles in Polish and then prominently featuring electronically sampled French vocal lines", "violin melodies that could almost be described as neo-classical if they weren’t so dissonant, frequently set to a bombastic industrial backing beat", and "psychedelic guitar lines meandering back and forth amidst a nightmarish flurry of almost gypsy folk-inspired accordion lines", as well as jazz melodies that "lend the piece the atmosphere of a 1930s smoke-filled club."[1]

Track listing edit

All lyrics written by Jarosław Szubrycht. All music composed by Jerzy Głód, except "Karawanem Fiat" composed by Jerzy Głód, Grzegorz Kapłon, and Piotr Szczurek.

No.TitleTranslationLength
1."Dymy"Fumes7:55
2."Samuel wraca do domu"Samuel Is Returning Home6:29
3."Mieczów siedem"Seven Swords5:34
4."Serca tu mają tylko dzwony"Only The Bells Have Hearts Here[a]4:56
5."Sen jest lżejszy od powietrza" (Instrumental)Dream Is Lighter Than Air5:38
6."Karawanem Fiat"Fiat Hearse8:27
7."Bieluń i chryzantemy"Datura and Chrysanthemums7:18
8."Bądź miłościw" (Instrumental)Be Merciful7:50
Total length:54:07
  1. ^ Serce dzwonu, literally "bell heart", is Polish for clapper.

Personnel edit

Lux Occulta
Additional musicians
  • Julia Doszna – vocals
  • Julie Cazalas – vocals
  • Catherine Fornal – vocals
  • Łukasz Madej – double bass
  • Wojtek Krzak – violin
  • Władysław Grochot – trumpet
  • Tomasz Grochot – cajón
  • Marek Tomczyk – classical guitar, mixing, mastering
Production
  • Elżbieta Biryło – cover art
  • Łukasz Jaszak – graphic design
  • Igor Szubrycht – writing

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Lux Occulta – Kolysanki – Review". Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  2. ^ "Lux Occulta - Kołysanki". Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  3. ^ a b "Lux Occulta - Kołysanki review". Retrieved 2014-03-31.