Perdition City | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 March 2000 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 53:31 | |||
Label | Jester | |||
Producer | Ylwizaker, Audun Strype | |||
Ulver chronology | ||||
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Ulver studio album chronology | ||||
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Perdition City (subtitled Music to an Interior Film) is the fifth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver, issued in March 2000, via Jester Records. The album was recorded and produced by Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker, mixed by Ylwizaker at Beep Jam Studio and mastered by Audun Strype at Strype Audio.
Perdition City continues the experimentation heard on Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Metamorphosis , containing elements of trip hop, jazz, ambient music, spoken word and electronica, the combination being described as "moody", "atmospheric", [1] and "cinematic in scope". [2] The album received positive reviews upon release, with Kerrang! noting, "This ain't rock 'n roll. This is evolution on such a grand scale that most bands wouldn't even be able to wrap their tiny little minds around it." [3]
The Metamorphosis EP, issued in September 1999, showcased Ulver's new electronic sound, delving into what would become the foundation for all future records, [4]
Now consisting of only two members — Rygg and Ylwizaker — the duo started to incorporate field recordings into their work. During the making of Perdition City Ylwizaker would hang microphones outside the window of his 5th floor apartment to capture the sounds of the inner city streets. [5]
Subtitled "Music to an Interior Film", Perdition City, and companion EP’s Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing , represent the transition to the band's work in film scores, largely inspired by the results of electronic programming and digital sound manipulation they had experimented with during the recording of Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell . [6] In response to the subtitle, Rygg adds, "We mean just what we say, an abstract "inner movie". It wouldn't be wise to comment on anything afterwards in case there would be a hidden message." [7] Leonards Lair state that Perdition City is “much more than background music, which is capable of adding atmosphere to a film, but taken out of context as a standalone piece is ultimately worthless. This music is too obtrusive, and to be frank, too good for a soundtrack.“ [8]
Expanding on the photography included in the Perdition City booklet, Rygg comments, "We didn't consciously think of taking the listener into a concrete city, it's more of a metaphor and abstract. A friend of mine who has written books and taken many photographs inspired me to capture weird pictures. We then compiled the best of them to support the story the lyrics make. We tried to make an anti-aesthetic whole that would create a documentary feeling." [7]
Printed in the sleeve note is states: "This is for the stations before and after sleep. Headphones and darkness recommended." [9] Rygg adds, “Darkness is always fascinating, as well as the great void. It doesn’t matter under which aesthetic circumstances this void appears. It is always there and that was important for us to realize on Perdition City: the void is even over the voice. (…) It is funny you call us criminal alchemists. Indeed in our lyrics there are enough criminal and alchemical aspects, or fascinating borderline topics, to be more concrete. That all takes place in the dead city, or better: in a centre, an imagined location of nowhere and nothing.” [10]
Rygg, commenting in Unrestrained magazine in 2007, said, "It's like I say, we only have three consistent albums. I think Nattens madrigal is one, I think Perdition City is one, and I think this new one [ Shadows of the Sun ]. They all sound pretty dead set. We were heavily into stuff like Amon Tobin, Warp Records, et cetera, and that certainly influenced the sound of that one." Continuing, “[Making film soundtracks] was more painstaking work than we thought. It's exciting work, but it's also more commercially orientated. You can apply your own tastes and your own vision, of course, but only to a certain extent. It always comes down to what the director and producers have in mind. And I respect that, as they are the ones with lots of money at stake. As a musician, it's an advantage if you get involved early in the process, before the editing is done because then you can cross edit sounds and images for better momentum or what have you. Whereas if the stuff is already edited, it can be difficult to get it to fit. Also, you have to learn to put your ego aside because the film itself is obviously the priority, so it's not like making an album. It's not music on its own terms. It's an underscore, aimed more at the subconscious experience. In a cinema context, you're not really supposed to listen to the music, but feel it." [11]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 2.6/10 [13] |
Writing for AllMusic, William York commented positively, “Fifth album, Perdition City is an album of moody, atmospheric electronica, built up around basic down-tempo beats and noir-ish electronic piano harmonies, and then fleshed out with various blips and bleeps, static noises, samples, and occasional vocals.” [12] Additionally, Johnathan Hill highlighted the album's "jazz-tinged" moments, noting that the "rich and varied instrumental passages" allowed for a greater level of depth to the band's musical explorations. [6]
Conversely, David M. Pecoraro from Pitchfork rated the album 2.6/10 and declared, “Who knows? Maybe Perdition City was nothing more than a well-intentioned but ultimately ill-advised experiment for these guys. Ulver might want to consider a return to their metal roots.” [13]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Lost in Moments" | 7:16 |
2. | "Porn Piece or The Scars of Cold Kisses"
| 7:09
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3. | "Hallways of Always" | 6:35 |
4. | "Tomorrow Never Knows" | 7:59 |
5. | "The Future Sound of Music" | 6:39 |
6. | "We Are the Dead" | 3:40 |
7. | "Dead City Centres" | 7:10 |
8. | "Catalept" | 2:05 |
9. | "Nowhere/Catastrophe" | 4:48 |
Total length: | 53:31 |
"Catalept" is a remix of Prelude from the film Psycho .
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Ulver is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album Bergtatt, were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band has since evolved a fluid and increasingly eclectic musical style, blending genres such as experimental rock, electronica, ambient, trip hop, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise, progressive and experimental music into their oeuvre. 1997 marked their international debut with the release of their third album Nattens madrigal through German label Century Media. However, following discord with the label, Rygg formed his own imprint, Jester Records, in 1998.
Nattens Madrigal – Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden is the third studio album by Norwegian band Ulver, issued on 3 March 1997 via Century Media. Composed and arranged during the first half of 1995, Nattens is a concept album about wolves, the night, the moon, and the dark side of mankind.
A Quick Fix of Melancholy is the fourth EP by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Produced in the Winter of 2002, the EP was issued on 26 August 2003 via Jester Records. A precursor to the album Blood Inside, A Quick Fix of Melancholy showcases the band's ability to seamlessly combine ambient and electronic music with orchestral elements.
Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Produced with Kristoffer Rygg, together with Knut Magne Valle and Tore Ylwizaker, it was issued on 17 December 1998 via Jester Records. It is a musical adaptation of William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The album blends electronics, industrial music elements, progressive metal, avant-garde rock and ambient passages, following Blake's plates as track indexes. Stine Grytøyr, Ihsahn, Samoth and Fenriz all feature as guest vocalists.
Kveldssanger is the second studio album by Norwegian band Ulver, issued in March 1996 via Head Not Found. The album was recorded at Endless Lydstudio, Oslo, Norway in the summer and autumn of 1995, with Kristian Romsøe as engineer and co-producer.
Blood Inside is the sixth full-length studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Produced by Ulver, together with Ronan Chris Murphy, the album was recorded and mixed in early 2004, and issued in June 2005 via Jester Records. The album sees Ulver return to more classically-based arrangements and instrumentation.
Metamorphosis is the first EP by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Written and produced by Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker, the EP was issued on 27 September 1999 via Jester Records. The EP showcased Ulver's new electronic musical direction that would become more readily apparent on the album Perdition City.
Silence Teaches You How to Sing is an EP by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Recorded and mixed in February 2001, the EP was issued by Jester Records in September 2001. Loosely recorded during the sessions for the Perdition City, together with Silencing the Singing, the EP is a subtle counterpart to the more dramatic full-length, issued in March 2000.
Silencing the Singing is an EP by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Recorded and mixed in February 2001, the EP was issued by Jester Records in December 2001. Loosely recorded during the sessions for the Perdition City, together with Silence Teaches You How to Sing, the EP is a subtle counterpart to the more dramatic full-length, issued in March 2000.
Teachings in Silence is a compilation album by Norwegian collective Ulver. Issued through American independent label Black Apple Records in March 2002, it combines Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing, originally issued in September and December 2001, respectively. It was subsequently released in Europe one year later by Norwegian record company Jester Records. Due to the experimental nature of the music, both Silence EPs were limited to two thousand, and three thousand copies.
Lyckantropen Themes is an original soundtrack album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Produced by Ulver on mobile equipment in Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden in May 2002 for the Swedish short film Lyckantropen, the album was issued in November 2002 via Jester Records. Lyckantropen Themes is Ulver's first foray into film soundtrack music, although musically it has continuity with their previously released EPs, Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing. The soundtrack has been described as “ambiguous moods and lurking-in-the-shadows electronic ambiances, setting the alternately suspenseful and melancholy mood of the soundtrack.”
Svidd neger is an original soundtrack album by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. The soundtrack was commissioned by Filmfalken AS. from Ambassaden, Oslo, and Norsk Film, Bærum, Norway, recorded between September 2002 and April 2003. The album was issued by Jester Records on September 15, 2003. The music is more elaborate than the abstract minimalism of Lyckantropen Themes. Stated on the sleeve: “Music for and Inspired by Svidd neger as perceived by Ulver. What you hear is not strictly what you see. All for the director in you.”
Shadows of the Sun is the seventh studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Produced by Ulver, the album was issued in October 2007 via Jester Records and The End Records. Officially announced on 13 July 2007, Shadows of the Sun received critical acclaim on release, and was described as "dark and tragic", with "soothing electronics and natural percussion". The album features contributions from Pamelia Kurstin on theremin, Mathias Eick on trumpet, and Austrian white noise musician Christian Fennesz adding electronics and helping Ulver to correspond with their vision on the final product.
Wars of the Roses is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. The album was produced by Ulver, with John Fryer and Jaime Gomez Arellano, and issued in the UK on 25 April 2011 via Jester Records and Kscope, preceded by a single, "February MMX", in February. The album was released in the U.S. on 3 May 2011. Wars of the Roses is the first album to feature new member, British composer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan.
Childhood's End is a compilation album of cover songs by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Produced by Ulver, the album was recorded live in Crystal Canyon Studios, Oslo, over two sessions, in autumn 2008 and summer 2011, and issued in May, 2012 on Jester Records under exclusive license to Kscope.
Messe I.X–VI.X is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver, created in collaboration with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra with additional aid from composer Martin Romberg. Written and produced by Ulver, released on October 8, 2013, via Jester Records and Kscope.
Live at Roadburn is a live album by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Produced by Ulver, the album was recorded at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands on 12 April 2012 and issued in April 2013 via Roadburn Records.
ATGCLVLSSCAP is the tenth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Written, performed and produced by Ulver, the album was released on 22 January 2016 via newly formed, London-based label House of Mythology.
Riverhead is an original motion picture soundtrack album by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver for Justin Oakey's 2016 film of the same name. The album was issued in December 2016 via House of Mythology.
Scary Muzak is the thirteenth studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver, released in 2021 on October 31 (Halloween). The album is heavily inspired by soundtracks from 1970s and 1980s horror movies, with five out of the twelve songs on the album incorporating music from the soundtrack to John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween.