Shadowfax - Orpheus (2023)

"Orpheus" is the debut studio album by Vancouver-based Canadian alternative folk band Shadowfax (not to be confused with the renowned American new age/jazz ensemble Shadowfax from the 1980s). The album was officially released on April 6, 2023.

Work on the material and concept for the release, led by band leader and musician Jeremy Gerard Raphael Hanlon, has been underway for many years (since 2010). The album's release was repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic and financial difficulties, eventually becoming a long-awaited project for the band.

The album is a seamless blend of traditional American and Canadian folk, bluegrass, shoegaze, classical music, and elements of bebop. The instrumentation is rich and dynamic: in addition to acoustic guitars, banjo, and violin, it features pedal steel, double bass, and theremin.
The album is structured as narrative stories and character-driven novellas. The central motif of the record is a reimagining of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice descending into the Underworld. The poetic lyrics explore themes of love, loss, nature, human sin, and attempts at redemption.