Annot Rhul - Lost In The Woods (2007)

ANNOT RHUL is the brainchild of Sigord Luhr Tonna. Take his middle and last name and spell them backwards and you get the band's name. Sigord and the band are from Norway and they play a good variety of dreamy Psychedelia that brings PINK FLOYD and sixties Psyche to mind. There's a good variety here actually. I must admit i'm totally taken by this album. I should mention too that their first album "Who Needs Planes Or Time Machines, When There's Music And Daydreams ?" was originally just released as a CDR as they weren't signed to a label. That has been corrected here now that they are on a label. So we get both their first full length album plus the newer EP "In The Woods" which combined is just over 60 minutes.
The first six songs are from the Ep "Lost In The Woods" and these tracks were inspired by Horror movies. First up is "Lost In The Woods" which opens with organ and synths before the mellotron rolls in.The atmosphere here is thick. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes and when they stop it turns very spacey and then it picks up. Amazing track. "Ghost Children" has a laid back and dreamy soundscape as vocals join in. Female vocals help out too. A calm before 3 minutes then it builds. "Deadly Nightshade" is a mellotron storm from start to finish. "Roses Blue" is a Joni Mitchell track taken from her album "Clouds".This sounds very different from the original with the floating organ, mellotron and male vocals. Love it ! "Sailing On The River Styx" is a short but loud soundscape. Very epic and dramatic "The Dark Lord" ends the EP in style. This one rocks as we get some heaviness and aggressive vocals. Great track.
The last ten tunes are from the debut album. "Mirage' is a breath-taking soundscape of powerful atmosphere as sounds pulse and float. "Evergreen Forest" opens with nature sounds followed by a simple melody then mellotron. The atmosphere leaves 1 1/2 minutes in as it turns FLOYD-like but not for long. When it returns it sounds gorgeous. "Planes Or Time Machines" builds as drums pound. Organ comes in too. It's heavier before a minute. "Light" is a relaxed Psychedelic haze. "Carlos' Brothers" opens with drums, guitar and bass. An Eastern vibe comes in before a minute. The guitar then solos. Nice. "Sans Souci" opens with drums and keyboards. Haunting voices and sounds end it. "King Arthur" has a sixties Psyche feel to it. A Spanish flavour too. "Knife Valley" kicks in after a minute with an uptempo rhythm. Great sound. "The Haunted Mansion" opens with acoustic guitar and atmosphere. The sound gets fuller. Mellotron 2 minutes in. "Aurora Borealis" sounds like it was done by an Electronic band. Very spacey with lots of Moog. Cool tune. "Stung By A Cactus" is the closing number and it has a sixties Psyche feel to it much like "King Arthur" only this one has trombone in it.