Ajimal — As It Grows Dark Light (June 26, 2020) 
≥ Fran O’Hanlon získal jméno AJIMAL v důsledku zemětřesení na Haiti v roce 2010. Zatímco během lékařských studií pracoval v polní nemocnici, ocitl se v přítomnosti nechvalně známého bývalého kněze voodoo, od kterého později odvozuje přezdívku. Přestože O’Hanlon byl původně klasicky vyškoleným klavíristou, cítil se mnohem pohodlněji při psaní a zkoumání hudby podle citu a ucha, přičemž ho spíše ovlivňoval folk a elektronika, než aby sledoval rigidnější klasický sylabus (studijní program)∗, s nímž vyrostl. Oůvodem z Newcastlu, O’Hanlon se kvalifikoval jako doktor, zatímco nahrával své první album „Childhood“ a pak pokračuje v lékařské praxi vedle své hudební kariéry. Supportoval Kathryn Joseph, Lucy Rose, Loney Dear, James Vincent McMorrow, 1975 a Nadine Shah, s živou show, která zahrnuje prvky prudce vznešené a pin~drop intimity. Druhé album „AJIMAL“, As It Grows Dark / Light, je nyní venku.
≥ Na svém posledním albu „As It Grows Dark / Light“ nám O’Hanlon ukazuje, jak rychle zvládl své řemeslo. S pomocí producenta Guy Masseyho (The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead) vytváří AJIMAL jedno z nejbetálnějších, nejúžasnějších, maximálně uklidňujících a emocionálních folkových alb století. Jeho hlas může pohybovat horami, ať už v duchařském šepotu, kvůli kterým by Billie Eilish utíkala čistě kvůli prachům („ANIMALS“, „A Rapture Coming“, „How Could You Disappear??“) Nebo měkkých falsettů, které vás uvolní („Alive, Awake!“, „It’s Real“, „I’ve Known Your Heart“). AJIMAL vkládá ambient do ambient~folku, vezme nás na rozmarnou cestu v prostoru všech deseti písní a věřte mi, budete potřebovat nějaké kapesníčky.
Notes ∗:
⇒ Sylabus je stručný heslovitý přehled (myšlenkového postupu, např. přednášky), výtah. V anglosaské terminologii označuje tradičně učební osnovu nebo studijní plán zejména pro předměty, které se vyučují na vysokých školách. Sylabus popisuje cíle předmětu, jeho obsah, doporučenou či povinnou studijní literaturu.
Press:
≥ „Nastavení nového měřítka pro senzitivní pop.“ — The Line of Best Fit
≥ „Doteky Bon Iver a Jeffa Buckleyho jsou realistické, pravdivé, ale AJIMAL vytváří sofistikovanou, neomezenou zvukovou scénu a zvukový obraz, který je zcela jeho vlastní.“ — Crack in the Road
≥ „Idiosynkratické, srdcervoucí písně.“ — NME
≥ AJIMAL CREATES ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING, GUT~WRENCHING, CALMING, AND EMOTIONAL FOLK RECORDS OF THE CENTURY.
≥ AS IT GROWS DARK / LIGHT WILL SIMPLY BLOW YOU AWAY. EVEN THOUGH IT MAY BE QUIET AT SOME TIMES, THE EMOTIONAL ATMOSPHERE SPEAKS LOUDER THAN ANYTHING.
Location: Newcastle, UK
Album release: June 26, 2020
Record Label: Wow & Flutter Records
Duration: 55:20
Tracks:
01. ANIMALS 5:38
02. Alive, Awake! 4:49
03. It’s Real 7:27
04. How Could You Disappear 4:39
05. A Quickening Step 5:55
06. Above All Else, Be Kind 4:47
07. A Rapture Coming 5:33
08. Who Gives Me What I Want 4:24
09. I’ve Known Your Heart 5:11
10. For Good, Forever 6:57
Personnel:
∫ Sally Herbert, Rachel Robson, Tom Piggott Smith, Vicky Matthews, Oliver Hopkins, Ian Burdge: Strings
∫ Creative Sessions: Brass
∫ Emily Hoile: Harp
∫ Hinako Omori: Flute
∫ Guy Massey: Additional guitar and programming.
∫ ‘I’ve Known Your Heart’ also features Mark Broughton (piano and vocals), Ben Helm (bass) & Matt Hardy (drums).
Credits:
∫ All tracks written by Fran O’Hanlon
∫ Produced by Guy Massey and Fran O’Hanlon
∫ Mixed and engineered by Guy Massey. Assistant engineering by John Prestage (AIR), Felix Rashman (Sleeper Sounds), Sam Grant & John Martindale (Blank), Matt Jaggar (Konk), Ion Metsovitis. Orchestral arrangements by Fran O’Hanlon (except ‘I’ve Known Your Heart’, by Sally Herbert).
∫ Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy and Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road. Vinyl pressed at The Vinyl Factory.
∫ Artwork and design by Drømsjel.
∫ Typography by Paul Burgess.
©® 2019 AJIMAL under exclusive license to Wow & Flutter Music.Review
WORDS: CHRIS PRENATT ⌊ 26/06/2020 ⌋ RATING: 9/10
∫ The singing doctor will be seeing you now. By day, Fran O’Hanlon works as a doctor, helping out those in need of physical care. But once the night starts to come around, another side of him reveals itself. AJIMAL, unlike his doctoral counterpart, heals those in a very special kind of way: mentally. With a voice so haunting that you swear you heard a ghost kiss your ear and lyrics so beautiful that some tears can be shed, AJIMAL is slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with. And if anyone gets hurt along the way, O’Hanlon can fix them.
∫ On his latest album As It Grows Dark / Light, O’Hanlon shows us how quick he is at mastering his craft. With the help of producer Guy Massey (The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead), AJIMAL creates one of the most haunting, gut~wrenching, calming, and emotional folk records of the century. His voice can move mountains, whether it be in ghostly whispers that would give Billie Eilish a run for her money (“ANIMALS”, “A Rapture Coming”, “How Could You Disappear?”) or soft falsettos that put you at ease (“Alive, Awake!”, “It’s Real”, “I’ve Known Your Heart”). AJIMAL puts the ambient in ambient folk, taking us on a whimsical journey on all ten songs, and trust me, you’re gonna need some tissues.
∫ There is a major sense of maturity in O’Hanlon’s songwriting. His debut Childhood gave us a hint of the power he had, but As It Grows Dark / Light expands it nearly as wide as the oceans. When each song stands out, that means something is being done right. You will never be able to find a dull moment on As It Grows Dark / Light.
∫ It’s hard to find an album where you can listen to every single song and say that they’re all amazing. And no doubt about it: As It Grows Dark / Light is one of those albums. From the quiet and chilling moments found in the opening number “ANIMALS” to the nearly seven~minute long grand finale “For Good, Forever”, each song is able to shine bright. O’Hanlon has created lyrical gold, and with how rich his tone is, it makes everything feel so spectacular.
∫ Tracks like “Above All Else, Be Kind”, “How Could You Disappear?”, and “For Good, Forever” are some of the diamonds found throughout this rich treasure chest of an album. “Above All Else, Be Kind” has AJIMAL’s soft ASMR~ish voice backed with the world’s gentlest guitar strumming, rocking you into a relaxed state of mind. “How Could You Disappear?” has to be one of the saddest, happy sounding dance numbers in recent times. It’s quite hard to groove when you are too busy wiping the tears from your eyes. And the last track “For Good, Forever” makes you feel like you’re drifting off into space. The strings kick in around the five minute mark and builds up to this magnificent crescendo which ends the album on a strong note.
∫ As It Grows Dark / Light will simply blow you away. Even though it may be quiet at some times, the emotional atmosphere speaks louder than anything. If O’Hanlon ever had any doubts that this would be a sophomore slump, he can rest easy now once he realizes he crafted one of the most stunning, heart~tugging records in forever. Get this album right now when you have the chance.
∫ https://www.discoveredmagazine.com/
Website: https://www.ajimal.co.uk/
Bandcamp: https://ajimal.bandcamp.com/album/as-it-grows-dark-light
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajimalmusic
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajimalmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajimalmusic/
≥ Na svém posledním albu „As It Grows Dark / Light“ nám O’Hanlon ukazuje, jak rychle zvládl své řemeslo. S pomocí producenta Guy Masseyho (The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead) vytváří AJIMAL jedno z nejbetálnějších, nejúžasnějších, maximálně uklidňujících a emocionálních folkových alb století. Jeho hlas může pohybovat horami, ať už v duchařském šepotu, kvůli kterým by Billie Eilish utíkala čistě kvůli prachům („ANIMALS“, „A Rapture Coming“, „How Could You Disappear??“) Nebo měkkých falsettů, které vás uvolní („Alive, Awake!“, „It’s Real“, „I’ve Known Your Heart“). AJIMAL vkládá ambient do ambient~folku, vezme nás na rozmarnou cestu v prostoru všech deseti písní a věřte mi, budete potřebovat nějaké kapesníčky.
Notes ∗:
⇒ Sylabus je stručný heslovitý přehled (myšlenkového postupu, např. přednášky), výtah. V anglosaské terminologii označuje tradičně učební osnovu nebo studijní plán zejména pro předměty, které se vyučují na vysokých školách. Sylabus popisuje cíle předmětu, jeho obsah, doporučenou či povinnou studijní literaturu.
Press:
≥ „Nastavení nového měřítka pro senzitivní pop.“ — The Line of Best Fit
≥ „Doteky Bon Iver a Jeffa Buckleyho jsou realistické, pravdivé, ale AJIMAL vytváří sofistikovanou, neomezenou zvukovou scénu a zvukový obraz, který je zcela jeho vlastní.“ — Crack in the Road
≥ „Idiosynkratické, srdcervoucí písně.“ — NME
≥ AJIMAL CREATES ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING, GUT~WRENCHING, CALMING, AND EMOTIONAL FOLK RECORDS OF THE CENTURY.
≥ AS IT GROWS DARK / LIGHT WILL SIMPLY BLOW YOU AWAY. EVEN THOUGH IT MAY BE QUIET AT SOME TIMES, THE EMOTIONAL ATMOSPHERE SPEAKS LOUDER THAN ANYTHING.
Location: Newcastle, UK
Album release: June 26, 2020
Record Label: Wow & Flutter Records
Duration: 55:20
Tracks:
01. ANIMALS 5:38
02. Alive, Awake! 4:49
03. It’s Real 7:27
04. How Could You Disappear 4:39
05. A Quickening Step 5:55
06. Above All Else, Be Kind 4:47
07. A Rapture Coming 5:33
08. Who Gives Me What I Want 4:24
09. I’ve Known Your Heart 5:11
10. For Good, Forever 6:57
∫ Sally Herbert, Rachel Robson, Tom Piggott Smith, Vicky Matthews, Oliver Hopkins, Ian Burdge: Strings
∫ Creative Sessions: Brass
∫ Emily Hoile: Harp
∫ Hinako Omori: Flute
∫ Guy Massey: Additional guitar and programming.
∫ ‘I’ve Known Your Heart’ also features Mark Broughton (piano and vocals), Ben Helm (bass) & Matt Hardy (drums).
Credits:
∫ All tracks written by Fran O’Hanlon
∫ Produced by Guy Massey and Fran O’Hanlon
∫ Mixed and engineered by Guy Massey. Assistant engineering by John Prestage (AIR), Felix Rashman (Sleeper Sounds), Sam Grant & John Martindale (Blank), Matt Jaggar (Konk), Ion Metsovitis. Orchestral arrangements by Fran O’Hanlon (except ‘I’ve Known Your Heart’, by Sally Herbert).
∫ Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy and Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road. Vinyl pressed at The Vinyl Factory.
∫ Artwork and design by Drømsjel.
∫ Typography by Paul Burgess.
©® 2019 AJIMAL under exclusive license to Wow & Flutter Music.Review
WORDS: CHRIS PRENATT ⌊ 26/06/2020 ⌋ RATING: 9/10
∫ The singing doctor will be seeing you now. By day, Fran O’Hanlon works as a doctor, helping out those in need of physical care. But once the night starts to come around, another side of him reveals itself. AJIMAL, unlike his doctoral counterpart, heals those in a very special kind of way: mentally. With a voice so haunting that you swear you heard a ghost kiss your ear and lyrics so beautiful that some tears can be shed, AJIMAL is slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with. And if anyone gets hurt along the way, O’Hanlon can fix them.
∫ On his latest album As It Grows Dark / Light, O’Hanlon shows us how quick he is at mastering his craft. With the help of producer Guy Massey (The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead), AJIMAL creates one of the most haunting, gut~wrenching, calming, and emotional folk records of the century. His voice can move mountains, whether it be in ghostly whispers that would give Billie Eilish a run for her money (“ANIMALS”, “A Rapture Coming”, “How Could You Disappear?”) or soft falsettos that put you at ease (“Alive, Awake!”, “It’s Real”, “I’ve Known Your Heart”). AJIMAL puts the ambient in ambient folk, taking us on a whimsical journey on all ten songs, and trust me, you’re gonna need some tissues.
∫ There is a major sense of maturity in O’Hanlon’s songwriting. His debut Childhood gave us a hint of the power he had, but As It Grows Dark / Light expands it nearly as wide as the oceans. When each song stands out, that means something is being done right. You will never be able to find a dull moment on As It Grows Dark / Light.
∫ It’s hard to find an album where you can listen to every single song and say that they’re all amazing. And no doubt about it: As It Grows Dark / Light is one of those albums. From the quiet and chilling moments found in the opening number “ANIMALS” to the nearly seven~minute long grand finale “For Good, Forever”, each song is able to shine bright. O’Hanlon has created lyrical gold, and with how rich his tone is, it makes everything feel so spectacular.
∫ Tracks like “Above All Else, Be Kind”, “How Could You Disappear?”, and “For Good, Forever” are some of the diamonds found throughout this rich treasure chest of an album. “Above All Else, Be Kind” has AJIMAL’s soft ASMR~ish voice backed with the world’s gentlest guitar strumming, rocking you into a relaxed state of mind. “How Could You Disappear?” has to be one of the saddest, happy sounding dance numbers in recent times. It’s quite hard to groove when you are too busy wiping the tears from your eyes. And the last track “For Good, Forever” makes you feel like you’re drifting off into space. The strings kick in around the five minute mark and builds up to this magnificent crescendo which ends the album on a strong note.
∫ As It Grows Dark / Light will simply blow you away. Even though it may be quiet at some times, the emotional atmosphere speaks louder than anything. If O’Hanlon ever had any doubts that this would be a sophomore slump, he can rest easy now once he realizes he crafted one of the most stunning, heart~tugging records in forever. Get this album right now when you have the chance.
∫ https://www.discoveredmagazine.com/
Website: https://www.ajimal.co.uk/
Bandcamp: https://ajimal.bandcamp.com/album/as-it-grows-dark-light
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajimalmusic
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajimalmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajimalmusic/