A Winged Victory For The Sullen - S/T (Vinyl LP, CD)

Here's a dream marriage in floaty heaven! Adam Wiltzie from Stars of The Lid and Dustin O'Halloran have a new thing and this is it. Initially it sounds like how you'd expect it to sound. O'Halloran tinkling away on the old ivories and Wiltzie making some orchestral majestic sounding drones in the background. So far so good. At times it goes all Icelandic but that could be Hildur Gudnadottir who throws his cello all over it (you've also got Peter Broderick on there, fact fans!). The drones are very much in the vein of the last Stars of The Lid album (And Their Refinement), ie. they're very orchestral and grand sounding and essentially totally epic. Over that you've got O'Halloran's emotive playing and the two together work hand in hand like a pair of hands holding hands. It's beautiful, maudlin, soul searching, emotive and everything else you'd expect it to be. My only regret is that we've had a promo of this around the office or ages and I didn't spot it and now I've heard it I think it's fucking ace. Fans of Johann Johannsson and of course Dustin O'Halloran and Stars of The Lid will 100% totally love this doozie of an album!!