Silence Teaches You How to Sing

Silence Teaches You How to Sing
EP by Ulver
Released	September 3, 2001
Genre	Glitch, dark ambient
Length	24:05
Label	Jester
Ulver chronology
Perdition City (2000) Silence Teaches You How to Sing (2001) Silencing the Singing (2001)

Silence Teaches You How to Sing is an EP by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Recorded and mixed in February 2001, the EP was issued by Jester Records in September 2001, limited to 2000 copies. Loosely recorded during the sessions for the Perdition City, together with Silencing the Singing, the EP is a subtle counterpart to the more dramatic full-length, issued in March 2000.^[1]

The style is more experimental/atmospheric and less beat-oriented; rather mood pieces that revolve around the Perdition City theme.^[2] Due to the experimental nature of the music, both Silence EP’s were limited to two thousand, and three thousand copies. However, both Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing EP’s were re-released as one disc, issued through American independent label Black Apple Records, under the title Teachings in Silence, in November 2002.^[3]

Portions of the EP appeared in the 2012 supernatural horror film Sinister.

Critical Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Chronicles of Chaos	link

Metal Archives commented, “This album contains one 24-minute title-track filled with a swirling resonance of static, mysterious sounds, and haunting, surreal melodies and textures. It is a strenuous, chaotic experiment gone out of control. The ideas are very spread apart and abstract rather than intricately jumbled atop one another, further proving Ulver's ultra-musical-flexibility and ingenuity.”^[4]

William York, writing for AllMusic rated the EP four stars, commenting, “Silence Teaches You How to Sing has the same type of subdued, rainy night in the city atmosphere as that album, but here the material is not beat-oriented like on Perdition City, and it is also a lot more sparse than anything on that album. Sharing more in common with experimental/electronic artists such as Coil, Pole, and Tarwater. It's a risky move for Ulver to be stepping into this territory, but here, at least, the band has managed to pull it off with a subtle counterpart to the more dramatic Perdition City.”^[5]

Alvin Wee, writing for webzine Chronicles of Chaos, comments, “Minimalist and sparsely beautiful, the single twenty-minute track gradually sweeps forward with near-inaudible drones and subtle statics, occasionally throwing glowing sparks of light into the sombreness with higher-end metallic resonances. What's unsettling is the music's ability to retain its icy core while pouring forth warmer organic tones: the aura of desolation and despair becomes apparent not long into the disc, and never releases its chilly grip on the soul for a moment. It's one that open-minded listeners won't want to miss. This is sugar-coated depression at its best.”^[6]

John Chedsey, sums up, “The cumulative effect of listening to this EP is similar to someone scanning through radio stations on the AM band and occasionally landing on musical pieces. The twenty plus minutes of the EP takes the listener through static, peripheral sound effects and takes one on a short journey. The more musical moments are akin to the mood pieces on Perdition City, giving the listener one last visit (well, almost) in this urban landscape before Ulver moves onto their next adventure.”^[2]

Track listing

Personnel

Ulver

• Trickster G. Rex
• Tore Ylwizaker
• Jørn H. Sværen

References