Various Artists - Occult Lullabies (Youngbloods)

The form of an object, outside the dream, is beholden to the dreamer. But as somnolence dawns and the dream’s tapestry takes shape, the object’s true nature blooms like a night flower with tranquil hues unreal, lulling the dreamer deeper still. Forms, as a series of musical collections, opts for measured themes unique to each edition. Meditative, with carefully constructed folds, the compilation is sewn together with the intent to capture, and make tangible, concepts in motion. For the third edition of our compilation series, we invited twelve artists to find their voice between ambient and folk stylings to capture the ethereal, macabre panorama of lullabies. Gentle in force and colored by soaring, haunting melodies, each composition straddles restful fantasy and a calm, quiet alertness. New artists to the series Stefanie Santana, Clare Wieck, Genevieve Artadi (of KNOWER), and S J N hide somber undertones beneath beautiful melodies where Neck, Zenizen, Fishdoll, and Real Clothes channel baroque ballads. In contrast, label mainstays Sontag Shogun, Annabel (lee), and Tom Terrien align with the likes of film composer Zoe Polanski to score soulful, languid landscapes through swaying, minimal structures at a gentle pace. Spanning 12 pieces over 46 minutes, Occult Lullabies nudges the threshold of waking life. The comprising voices, though disparate in origin, find a spiritual connection within an amalgamation of joy, solemnity, and nurturing.