In Gowan Ring - "This is a Spiral"

In Gowan Ring - Beat of the Moon (Clear Spot 2007)

In Gowan Ring - This is a Spiral / Clear Spot

I first heard In Gowan Ring alone in the middle of a night with a full moon. The indelible impression This is a Spiral has left on me may never be equaled, but if it isn't then there's a good reason and the reason is the music. If all albums were so simple to describe, music critique (or even discovery) would be not only monotonous but redundant. In that sense, it's nice to have records that demand critical analysis and repeat listens... But this isn't one of them. This is a Spiral is an immediate recording, but it's less about scales or lyrical adroitness and more about impressionism, a walk through your local Renaissance Festival after the families have gone home and the jousters have retired for the night.

In some ways, I feel it's better not to know anything about In Gowan Ring when you listen to this (or any other) release. Something about its fragile intimacy incorporates an innate sense of medieval mystery, and you'll see what I mean when you play this 10" all the way through on both sides.

But since this is a blog and you don't just come here for the songs (I hope), there's no harm in telling you everything I know about In Gowan Ring. In short: Not much. The "band," if it can be called that, is the nom de plume of a man they call B'eirth (or Bee to his friends). There are a revolving cast of characters to the collective, but the only constant is the voice behind these six songs. And what delicately wonderful songs they are: "Beat of the Moon" is the kind of song you can listen to during the day and not feel the same thing as when it's late at night and only the moon knows what you're really thinking. It has to be the pan flute, which is so tastefully placed throughout this mini-album that it is not only impossible to ignore but genuinely revelatory to hear. Hell, the whole A-side is killer: "On the Straglin' Way" and "Morning's Waking Dream" are not dissimilar, and when you reach Side B "The Seer and the Seen" is there to pick you up and carry you, quiet acoustic strumming and pan flute meandering, right through to the hippie-esque "Dandelion Wine." It's like something straight out of either 1968 or 1168. The fluidity of these songs is remarkable.

Fluidity as remarkable is a bit suspicious when it comes to acoustic-based acts, I know. But I say that because this recording is the first of a special series with a running theme: It is recorded live. Alkmaar, Netherlands-based Clear Spot International are better known for their distribution, but In Gowan Ring are kicking off the first in a series of 10" vinyl plates commemorating Berry Kamer and his excellent radio program "Dwars" on another Netherlands-based operation, radio station VPRO. Interesting digression: "Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep" was what VPRO stood for, which translates to "Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcasting Company." Though it was founded in 1926, the actual meaning of the acronym was dropped in the 1960s and nowadays VPRO operates sort of like the BBC in that it's got radio and television stations.

When This is a Spiral was recorded in June of 2003, there's no way B'eirth could've known he would be the inaugural release for the "Dwars" series, but fast forward four years and here we are with a fantastic bit of vinyl that is sadly limited to 500 copies. It's been out a while now but hopefully this will be the kick in the pants you need to pick this up.

I post this late because I want you to feel the same effect I felt; if you're in another timezone and cannot relate or read this much later, I'm sorry. I've failed you. In Gowan Ring hasn't, and his massive back catalog suggests as much. Should this be sold out by the time you fetch it or maybe you just aren't up for a 10", seek something else of his out. And try to play it on a night when the kids are away to bed, the moon is out, and thoughts of "Jane and the Dragon" are far, far away.