When waiting for this album to arrive, I have wondered about its strange subtitle: “The internal campaign for the safe and complete return of the sleeping egyptian to the desert“.
How to prepare for an album about a sleeping egyptian craftsman, waiting endlessly in the British Museum, dreaming about his return to find rest under his lost ‘blanket of sand‘…?
I had no real doubts, of course, considering the preceding Human Greed albums, and Michael Begg‘s contribution to the Fovea Hex projects, as well as his ‘Fragile Pitches’ collaboration project with Colin Potter.
But, to be honest, I was somewhat reserved about this album’s mythological theme and the effect it might have on the music.
When hearing the very first notes from the opening track, all my doubts and reservations vanished (like sand between my fingers indeed), and I was immediately captured by this music’s dreamlike atmosphere, with such strong cinematic quality that you almost feel like you’re a part of it yourself.
“Fortress Longing” is only partly ‘electronic’ music, since lot of it is created with acoustic instruments.
This may come as no surprise: Human Greed‘s music has been described as “somewhere between the gorgeous drones of Stars of the Lid and the haunting and solemn “Symphony No. 3” by Henryk Górecki…”
The acoustic instrumentation definitely enhances the ‘historical’ feeling of the music, adding to the album’s theme.
It’s a truely fascinating album – and it almost hurts to realise that this will probably heard by too few people while it really deserves wide recognition!
The limited edition also contains a 36 minute bonus CD “Deshret“, featuring soundscape collage from original Fortress Longing sound material by Michael Begg and Colin Potter.
Needless to say that ambient/drone fans should definitely go for this limited edition.
Fortress Longing – Promo Trailer