Brand new album, 'Tramor' released by Heddlu
Words: Rhys Reviews
★★★★☆
Tramor (which directly translates to “oversees/stranger” from the Welsh language) is the newest musical project from the mind of Rhodri Daniel that documents his re-exploration of his love of music after losing his hearing which can obviously effect the way in which he experiences the world around him. The title itself hints at the idea of adventure and discovery that is captured perfectly throughout the album.
The opening song of this bend new album is titled “Y Pell’ which translated from Welsh to English means the far which I have to admit as a proud Welshman every-time I see the Welsh language being utilised in a piece of media I do a little dance as it not only brings me back to my childhood in Wales but also can only benefit/celebrate the Welsh language. As well as being an avid consumer of the music industry, I am also a massive fan of fantasy/otherworldly video games.
I have to say that this atmospheric opening track full of unusual , electronic instruments as well as the title itself referencing an unknown place and hints at a sense of adventure instantly transported me back to playing certain video games where you are encouraged to explore a new/undiscovered planet. The inclusion of the powerful drums in this track also helps to develop a sense of tension and adventure that would tease some sort of upcoming battle on the aforementioned video game. It has been reported that project leader Rhodri Daniel has recently been experiencing issues with hearing loss and this could easily tie into the idea of adventure and exploring as the artist is experiencing things he has not done before and having to re-develop his love of the music industry.
Having this song as the opening track in this album helps to instantly grab the listener’s attention as the audience want to know where this adventure will end up next.
The second track in this album was the wonderful ‘Fire a Flare’ which opens in a very calm and tranquil fashion until the strings (yet another love on mine) kick in which creates a very uplifting and powerful atmosphere. The combination of repetitive and simplistic lyrics with the energetic vocal style seemed to play on the classic essence of 80s music, which was welcomed change from the instrumental opening track. This number documents the singer talk to a the off-mic character and outlines how they will always be there when the second persona needs them most.
I can see this number pairing beautifully with the opening song as it could easily be used as an audible relief at the end of an intense battle during a video game where a struggling her receives some much needed help from third party. I do have to say that at some points in the number, the vocal were at times hard to hear due to the intense background music and so there maybe some mixing issues that could be resolved.
However, the closing moments of the track sees the accompaniment strip back so the audience can solely focus on the incredible vocals which I wish we could have clearly paid attention to throughout. Cleary Rhodri and his team clearly possess both a passion and a talent for storytelling as this (maybe entirely uniformed) interpretation of his opening songs as I personally found it very easy to mentally imagine certain scenes of the collection which showed how vivid the music is!
The journey of the album then takes a drastic turn from an intense and adventurous atmosphere to focus on a much more romantic mood as the tracks appear to be dedicated to a romantic interest. The first track that really brings this idea into the spotlight is the poetic ‘Cut The Rope’ which begins with a very ornate and delicate guitar solo that instantly changed the mood of the previous tracks. The wonderful vocals of Rhodri are then introduced with a much more soft tilt in his voice that only amplifies the romantic opening of this song.
The particularly prominent lyrics that stand out in this song is where Rhodri with his soothing voices declares “why is it I could never see exactly what you mean to me” however it is clear that this is not a relationship that last as the music again changes to explore the feelings of the person singing it. What I found particularly clever about this song is the fact that the music physically continues to build throughout the track to portray the intense building of emotions overwhelming the narrator which allows the listeners to clearly and audibly understand the plethora of emotions contained in this song.
This, then transitions into what is clearly a post total breakup conversation between the past lovers. This is clearly demonstrated in the opening moments of the track as Rhodri sings “what do you want me to do sitting here across from you” layered into of the wonderfully tranquil accompaniment which instantly transports the audience into the not only into the emotions of the people involved but also mentally into the room where this conversation is taking place. As someone who has experience my own fair share of people deciding to heading in different directions of life, I personally found the lyric “once we were so aligned” insanely powerful as it outlines how people can go from inseparably close to strangers in a short space of time. The repetitive structure of the song , simply being a verse followed by a reoccurring chorus, not only adds to the simplicity of the song but also highlights the desperation of the performer for honesty in their relationship. When you actually think about it the idea of honesty in a relationship is a very simple and easy thing and the team have clearly thought about this as the accompaniment in itself also reflects a simple idea.
The album’s narrative then returns to the idea of adventure as it references characters from one of the most iconic fantasy franchises to ever exist King Arthur. Despite being a born and bread , proud Welsh man It was only recently that I discovered that Morgana Le Fay was considered as the half brother of King Arthur with different iterations of stage/screen adaptations depicting her as one of the villains in the story which is hinted at during Heddlu’s song ‘Le Fay.’ At first glance the title itself could also be in reference to the mostly dungeons and dragons class known as Faye which for most people is similar to that of a fairy (but more in that later) which the wonderfully ornate percussion utilised throughout this number fits wonderfully to. However, there is a mysterious undertone to this number which could suggest that (like some media portrayals) Morgana posses an evil side which may hinder the narrators adventure.
This reference reappears later in the Heddlu album as there is a song titled ‘Fata Morgana’ which translated from Welsh to English means fairy Morgana which again plays on the idea of ‘Fayes.’ The track itself is a heartfelt nod powerful duet between two characters who are reflecting on the world around them and criticising the world as a whole. One of the most poignant lyrics in this song is “it’s not us that are sick it’s the world we live in,” which serves as an almost analysis of how we as a society function and decide to live our lives.
This song also manages to musically capture the building stress and anxiety the narrators posses as they struggle with the world as a whole which really helps the listeners understand and follow the uttermost sense of emotions. I do have to say again however that at certain points in this song the vocals were somewhat difficult to hear over the accompaniment and with the voices working so beautifully together I do wish they were easier to focus on.
In conclusion, the new musical project Tramor from Heddlu/Rhodri Daniel is a fantastical audial adventure through a range of emotions and experiences. The vivid and atmospheric storytelling is utilised perfectly throughout the entire album that I can easily imagine being used as a mood board for an intense and powerful video game. I would rate this album 4.5 stars out of 5!