While I generally keep my music podcast A Darker Shade of Pagan from getting entangled in the daily workings of The Wild Hunt, every once in awhile I like to alert my readership of some great Pagan and Pagan-friendly music that I come across. Since I just posted my ADSOP top ten of 2011 show, I thought I would share what I thought were some of the best albums that speak to the Pagan soul from the past year. Consider it a gift-giving guide to the Pagan in your life looking for something different in the way of “Pagan music”.

ADSOP’s Top Ten Albums of 2011:

10. Metal Mother - “Bonfire Diaries” [Purchase]

A project of Bay Area singer-songwriter Tara Tati, Metal Mother is a winsome mix of ethereal textures and tribal art-pop that do a great showcasing Tati’s expressive vocal style. Tati, a “student of many esoteric traditions,” sings about connection with the earth, politics, relationships, and freedom in way that evokes that California spiritual ethos she has emerged from. Check out the (somewhat NSFW) video for her song “Shake” (which she also directed) to get a feel for the sound, aesthetic, and vision of this intriguing new artist.

09. The Moon and The Nightspirit - “Mohalepte” [Purchase]

At this point in their career Hungarian Pagan folk band The Moon and The Nightspirit have reached a point of maturity and confidence in their output that almost guarantees a solid album of new songs on every new album. They make their unique mixture of ethnic folk and neoclassical darkwave sound almost effortless. The vocals of Agnes are as strong as ever, and I’ve even come to appreciate the metal-growl accents of her partner Mihaly. One of the very best explicitly Pagan bands operating today.Check out this live video of them playing at Germany’s Wave Gotik Treffen to get a taste of what you’re missing if you haven’t already jumped on this bandwagon.

08. Arborea - “Red Planet” [Purchase]

For those who are looking for a fantastic hybrid of archaic British folk styles, American twists on the form, both old and new, and ghostly atmosphere, you simply can’t go wrong with Arborea. Their latest album, “Red Planet,” is their most developed, and I hate to use this term, but, mature-sounding release yet. Shanti Curran’s vocals are like taking a walk in a fog-laden forest, and the duo’s interpretation of songs like “Black is the Colour” or Tim Buckley’s “Phantasmagoria in Two” are remade into narcotic anthems, psychedelic folk that is more natural entheogen than artificial lysergic acid diethylamide. This is music to watch trees grow to, though they can be short and sweet, like on the single “Careless Love.”

07. Seventh Harmonic - “Garden of Dilmun” [Purchase]

Do you like Dead Can Dance? Do you like thematic explorations of “the muses, the wheel of the year, and the seasons of the heart”? Then you’ll love Seventh Harmonic’s new album “Garden of Dilmun.” After nearly a decade away, composer Caroline Jago’s band returns with an immensely strong album that features a new lead vocalist in soprano Ann-Mari Thim of Arcana, and weaves in and out of tribal, martial, and ethereal styles creating a dynamic and engaging trip through the Pagan ritual year. This is ritual music of a different and unique sort.

06. Faun - “Eden” [Purchase]

German Pagan folk act Faun’s new full-length “Eden,” is the follow-up to 2009’s “Buch der Balladen.” Unlike that album of largely sedate, well, ballads, “Eden” follows more in the footsteps of 2007’s “Totem” or 2005’s “Renaissance,” the album that helped introduce them to the United States. For those of us in the states who were lucky enough to catch them live at Faerieworlds, you’ll find much of the energy and charm in this new work that won over so many new fans. “Eden” features a guest performances from the Mediaeval Baebes, and they honor their recent experiences with the Faerieworlds crew by including contributions from storyteller Mark Lewis and illustrator Brian Froud. This album feels like something of a capstone on their previous accomplishments, and I look forward to what shape the band will take on their next album.

05. Julianna Barwick - “The Magic Place” [Purchase]

Julianna Barwick is a celestial choir of one, the “indie rock Enya,” as some would put it. The layers and loops of her voice creating a feeling of otherworldliness, of sacred song, while never specifically tying herself to any one interpretation of what context that transcendent  experience should happen in (according to Barwick, the “magic place” the title refers to is “a tree on our farm” ). This could be called New Age music if that genre had retained some bite, some hint of darkness in its heavenly synth washes and choirs of ascended masters. The site Tiny Mix Tapes calls Barwick’s style of music “holy ambient,” and that seems to get to the heart of this captivating sound. Truly singular.

04. Bjork - “Biophilia” [Purchase]

I have no idea what I could possibly say about Bjork that hasn’t been said already. Her identity as an artist, as an innovator, as an activist, has long since been secured. So let me just say that “Biophilia” is a truly ambitious work that stretches the idea of the “album” in new directions, and to new heights. But leaving aside the interactive applications and the ornate choral concerts, the music itself finds Bjork exploring the natural world and the mysteries and wonder of our universe. This is Bjork gone cosmic, an observer to the very birth of existence itself. I have no idea where she could go from here, but I’m sure she’s already working on it, and that it’ll be brilliant.

03. The Machine in The Garden - “Before and After the Storm” [Purchase]

American Darkwave duo The Machine in the Garden, while not a Pagan band, use myth and mysticism as a lyrical anchor throughout their new album “Before and After the Storm,” their first in six years. According to singer Summer Bowman she “looked to mythology and mysticism when I was writing the lyrics for these songs. I wanted to think about other cultures and their origin stories as a mirror of returning to many of our musical roots with this work.” Songs like: “Cimmerian,” “In the Vanir,” or “Power and Prophesy” drip with allusions to an ancient folkloric past while marrying them to their dark modern sound. A truly excellent release, buy an immensely talented band.

02. Atrium Animae – “Dies Irae” [Purchase]

The Italian band Atrium Animae was formed in 2007, their name is “considered as a symbolic representation of the passage from physical world toward an immaterial world.” The heavenly soprano of Alessia Cicala, a member of the band Chirleison, partnered with the compositions of Massimiliano Picconi, together create music on their debut “Dies Irae” that is stately in its atmosphere, a sacred enveloping that is almost funerial in outlook. Or as the band’s promotional material puts it: “A symbolic voyage in a silent wasteland made of treachery, defeat and spiritual hunger. A world where the locked embrace of loss and despair are represented through a reinterpretation of passages taken from religious and pagan texts.” Sublime, and an excellent addition to the genre of neoclassical darkwave.

01. Soriah with Ashkelon Sain – “Eztica” [Purchase]

Soriah with Ashkelon Sain, a duo whose album “Atlan” made my A Darker Shade of Pagan top-ten for 2009, returns in 2011 with “Eztica.” Described as “a neo-tribal, mystically ethereal, paranormally enrapturing musical experience” this mix of throat singing (what Soriah calls “an offering to nature in her own tongue”), atmospherics, and ritual, is truly captivating. While something of a companion to “Atlan,”  I think “Eztica” is the stronger album, one that sees more complex arrangements, and a sound that can be driving as well as atmospheric. This is a shamanistic ritual art experience, one that documents Soriah’s explorations into his own ethnicity and heritage, amplified by the amazing soundscapes of former Trance to the Sun guitarist Ashkelon Sain. This is the kind of musical spiritual journey that most others simply aspire to.

You can download my latest podcast, featuring songs from all these albums, here. I hope you’ll explore these releases, and perhaps find some new music to love. As always, apologies to all the other artists who released great albums this year, I only have room for ten.

Just a few quick notes for you on this Saturday afternoon.

Bjork’s Biophilia: Way back in 2007 I covered the very Pagan inclinations of Iceland’s favorite musical export, Björk, as she released her then-new album “Volta.” Now Bjork’s back with an ambitious new interactive album project entitled “Biophilia,” and she talks to The Quietus about politics, the sacredness of nature, and why she’s against the “Christian idea” of how music should be constructed.

“So for me, how I hear music, is kind of more related to nature, it’s not related to some Christian idea, these German guys, Bach and Beethoven. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I totally respect Christians and Germans, it’s just monopoly is never a good idea, there should be versatility.”

You can read more about the app-based project, expansive tour plans, and the actual album, here. I’ve long been a fan of Bjork, and I’m very much looking forward to this new and ambitious project.

Why the San Francisco Peaks are Sacred: Censored News showcases a Dine’ youth film that explores why the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona are sacred to the Dine’ (Navajo) people.

It’s a short film that’s well worth watching, and gives a clear idea of why the peaks are so important. The issue of development on the peaks in defiance of protests from 13 different indigenous groups and Tribal Nations has seen renewed interest recently, including direct nonviolent action to stop construction of a water pipeline that would pump treated wastewater snow onto the mountain. You can find out more about activist efforts, here.

Pagan Podcast News: I wanted to quickly mention some news from the world of Pagan podcasting. First, Alison (of No Unsacred Place fame) and Jeff Lilly (a contributor to Pagan+Politics) have launched Dining With Druids, a podcast that’s actually pretty self-explanatory.

Dining with Druids is your opportunity to sit in once a week and eavesdrop on the wild and rambling dinner conversation of two Druids as they discuss the news of the day and other interesting tidbits, informed by their backgrounds in political philosophy, linguistics, religious studies, history, science and modern-day spirituality.

Don’t be fooled by the name — this is no cooking show! It’s a chance for you to unwind with some friendly table talk about the intersection of religion, politics, community and spirituality in an ever-changing, multicultural world. Enjoy conversation about diverse issues with hosts who know a little bit of everything, or at least enough to be curious, confused and endlessly amused. If there’s one thing you can say about dining with Druids, it’s that they always serve up plenty of food for thought!

Sounds interesting! There are already episodes up to check out. Meanwhile, there are some new episodes up from some of my favorite podcasts that you should check out: Thorn Coyle interviews Starhawk at Elemental Castings, The CUUPS Podcast interviews Rev. Christa Landon and Phaedra Bonewits about the founding of Panthea Pagan Temple, and Ravencast interviews Jon Cyr, the founder of the Young Vikings Club. Finally, I’ll soon be on The Modern Witch Podcast, details soon.

That’s all I have for right now, have a great Saturday!

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The First Amendment Center has written a nice opinion piece explaining why the veteran pentacle victory is so important to the principles of our country.

“…religious diversity in America goes far beyond the “Protestant, Catholic, Jewish” description of the nation popular in the 1950s … As the religious playing field grows more crowded, the only way to avoid conflict and litigation is for the government to enforce the First Amendment ground rules without favoring one religion over others – or religion over non-religion. It doesn’t matter whether the group is Wicca, Summum or any of the other hundreds of faiths in the United States, government officials are supposed to stay neutral toward religion. And that means – to invoke a virtue we learned in kindergarten – be fair to all.”

The Chronicle Herald spotlights a local Canadian artist who turned to Goddess worship during a time of crisis and has in turn created a series of goddess-oriented quilts now on display at a local museum gallery.

“Gregory called the process ‘a different way of looking at feminine power. Women have to learn about their power. At one point, women were recognized as the source of power, but that power has been denigrated by patriarchy. We’re trying to go back to how power symbols were used by women before they were distorted by patriarchy.’ But Gregory insists her desire to educate and encourage women through feminist art is not anti-male. She said she wants her husband and her son to be comfortable in the gallery.”

Michael Pye at The Scotsman reviews “Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy” by Barbara Ehrenreich, and takes issue with her interpretation of pre-Christian religion.

“…the silliest cliche’ in the book: “Dionysus was the first rock star.” Since later Ehrenreich will acknowledge Bill Haley in that role … The next stop is, of course, Jesus, and whether he was confused with Dionysus by his first followers. The answer, as with anything in the first 350 muddled years of church history, is: ‘yes’ and ‘no’. But it’s quite a leap from Saint Paul asking women to keep their heads covered in church – a convention of Middle Eastern modesty, Jewish, Muslim or Christian – to assuming Paul really meant they shouldn’t toss their long hair about in ecstatic dance. That theory demands a resounding: ‘Maybe.’”

You can read my original post on this book, here.

For those wanting more Bjork background after my blog articles discussing her pagan inclinations, the New York Times has a lengthy interview concerning her new album and the process behind making it.

“Bjork, 41, describes ‘Volta’ as ‘techno voodoo,’ ‘pagan,’ ‘tribal’ and ‘extroverted.’ Those words barely sum up an album that mingles programmed beats, free-jazz drumming, somber brass ensembles, African music, a Chinese lute and Bjork’s ever-volatile voice. It’s a 21st-century assemblage of the computerized and the handmade, the personal and the global.”

Finally, with Beltane coming up, different groups are making big plans. The Dolmen Grove near Dorset is burning a large Wicker Man during a Beltane festival this weekend.

“Dolmen Grove druids and witches are staging one of the biggest pagan festivals in England this weekend – complete with a giant wicker man made in a Weymouth garden. The figure plays a leading role in the Beltane Spirit of Rebirth Festival at Burnbake camp site near Corfe Castle when it will be burned as the high point of a fire ritual on Saturday night.”

Meanwhile Edinburgh’s Beltane Fire Festival, the biggest (and most colorful) Beltane celebration in the UK, prepares for their biggest year yet.

“It does become a bit crowded up there,” acknowledges Renwick. “We have around 380 performers this year and it will be tight for them to move through the crowds, but many argue that is part of the experience. No matter how much the demand grows we’ll never move from Calton Hill. It’s integral to the festival and it’s our home. Obviously it’s fantastic that the support has been growing every year and it shows the public enjoy the event and want to keep it happening.”

That is all I have for now, have a good day!

Icelandic superstar Bjork has released the cover art for her new album “Volta” (to be released on May 8th), and discusses its colorful imagery with Pitchfork Media.

The cover to Bjork's new album "Volta"

“The album cover is meant to evoke pagan femininity and, to some degree, feminism, which is a running theme throughout the music of Volta. It’s not necessarily about me as a woman, but just women. Kind of that long leap of 10,000 years back, when they [were] in harmony with nature, and just little things like the fact that there are 13 full moons in a year and most women have certain things happening to them 13 times a year, but Christianity wanted to have 12 months, just to try to put that off.”

In addition, Bjork says that she is tapping into a “shaman sort of voodoo thing” on tracks like “Earth Intruders” (the first advance single from the album), and talks about the photo shoot that lead to the cover image.

“It was a magical atmosphere in the photo shoot. It was kind of fun, because it wasn’t about me, it was about this sort of spirit of – like a woman who is kind of…into rave, no I’m just kidding. Like, a sort of celebration of that ancient, but at the same time kind of neon.”

This further cements the pagan-friendly stance that Bjork has been exhibiting for some time now. I can’t wait to hear the finished product. You’ll most likely be hearing tracks from “Volta” on my Pagan music show once I get my hands on a copy.

In related news, the amazing documentary looking at Icelandic music “Screaming Masterpiece” was released domestically last month. It features Bjork and several amazing pagan-friendly musicians, including the Sigur Ros masterpiece “Odin’s Raven Magic” (featuring rimur-singer Steindor Andersen and Icelandic Chief Godi Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson). Definitely worth checking out.

Pitchfork Media is running an exclusive multi-part interview with Icelandic superstar Bjork on her upcoming new album “Volta” (the release date is May 7th). At the end of the first segment Bjork shares her thoughts (and frustrations) concerning religion.

Bjork. Photo by Erez Sabag.

“I mean, the human race, we are a tribe, let’s face it, and let’s stop all this religious bulls**t. I think everybody, or at least a lot of my friends, are just so exhausted with this whole self-importance of religious people. Just drop it. We’re all f**king animals, so let’s just make some universal tribal beat. We’re pagan. Let’s just march.”

This isn’t the first time Bjork has made pro-pagan comments, in previous interviews she has outright said that she’s “inspired by paganism”, and lyrics to many of her songs (most notably “Oceania”, in which she sings from the perspective of “mother Ocean”) contain pagan themes. In addition, she has collaborated musically with Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, the Chief Godi of the Icelandic Asatru Association.

I have been a fan of Bjork for a long time, so I’m very much looking forward to her new album. Be sure to check out the Pitchfork site for further installments of this interview.