Ian Arkley prepares to release Two

May 25, 2022

Throughout his musical career Ian Arkley has built up an impressive canon of work with the likes of Seventh Angel, Ashen Mortality, Guillotine Dream and of course the magnificent My Silent Wake. However, in 2020 he released his first solo album, the enigmatically entitled One, with which he wandered down passageways in his creative spirit that had been hereto unexplored. My Silent Wake’s acoustic albums had hinted at the richly organic, atmospheric pools of sound that Arkley would uncover with One, but under his own name the multi-instrumentalist, song writer and dreamer could immerse himself completely beneath those still waters. Now it is time to turn the next page in Ian Arkley’s fascinating tome of personal musical endeavour and unveil Two...

Two is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the natural successor to One, but the paths within its soundscapes lead even deeper into Arkley’s hidden kingdom. Recorded acoustically in Arfryn, south west Wales, Two is an album of intertwining tales and layers of sound. It somehow combines a stark simplicity with a fecund complexity, an earthy reality with a gently unnerving, yet deeply enthralling magic. Shamanistic and visionary, folkloric and hypnotic, ancient and as fresh as the new day, Two moves through a myriad of moods and textures. This is music that connects with all the senses; songs you can see, touch and taste as well as hear. Pieces like ‘Der Fund’ and ‘King’ draw from the blood of the earth, from our forgotten history and reconnect us with something utterly essential. Through ‘Times Of Innocence’ and ‘Chrysalis’ vistas of spirit and imagination are opened to the willing listener. In Two, Ian Arkley has created one of the most remarkable and captivating albums of his career – which is not an accolade to be given lightly.

The inimitable Opa Loka Records have embraced the sounds of Ian Arkley’s solo work and will be releasing Two on June 1st, on limited edition digipack CD and digital formats. The beautiful artwork and photography were all created by Arkley himself, with the layout being designed by Michael Shaffer, who also mastered both Two and its predecessor, One. This is an album to be sought out, grasped and held close to the heart; a treasure whose gleam will never fade.

Track Listing:

1 – Raven Valley (variation 1: Birth)
2 – The Imprint Of Time
3 – Outage
4 – Der Fund
5 – Times Of Innocence
6 – Raven Valley (variation 2: Death)
7 – Rhyddid
8 – Chrysalis
9 – When Once
10 – From Forest From Sea
11 – King
12 – Raven Valley (variation 3: Sleep)

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