I sat down to review Tasseomancy’s latest effort, Ulalume, alone in my house at night. Possibly a questionable idea. A melodic and beautifully haunting epic, the album could almost double as the soundtrack to a weird, twisted psycho-thriller, perhaps set in an abandoned mental hospital or ancient graveyard, or a once enchanted forest now taken over by the Dark Lord.
Formerly known as Ghost Bees, Tasseomancy consists of Canadian twins Sari and Romy Lightman. Ulalume is their second full-length release and tends to move on from their earlier, more acoustic-based arrangements into experimental, ambient, and brooding tones laden with the sisters’ uniquely sweet and harmonic vocals (not unlike those of Karen O or perhaps fellow Canadian songstress Feist).
“Heavy Sleep” features a nice, slow, tambourine-soaked drumbeat, and eerie and intense keyboards with high-pitched ethereal vocals floating over the top. “Diana” has a choral, almost hymnlike sound to begin with, then transcends into a harmonious chorus backed by 60s-style keyboards and light acoustic guitar. “The Darkness of Things” is the only track containing male vocals, with an angelic female accompaniment—a sweet and light track conveying that there is perhaps a light through the darkness. “Night” starts off lighter and happier also, but then draws you into the dark night with heavy guitar breaks and menacing riffs.
Named after the Edgar Allen Poe poem “Ulalume,” wherein a man finds himself following the night sky and wrestling with his jaded heart, only to find the moon and stars have led him to his long-lost love Ulalume’s grave on the year anniversary of her death, it’s no wonder this album is as haunting as it sounds. Though it may not be a crowd favorite at parties, I must give credit where credit’s due. Ulalume is a creative and uniquely original work and a fine second effort from the Tasseomancy twins.
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