At Bottle Imp Productions, there is a sale on “We Waited For A Subtle Dawn“, which you can buy in high quality MP3 format for $2.50. This will only be valid for a week or so.
A review of the album from Grave Concerns E-zine:
Much of the material on this album was originally recorded two years ago, but Life Toward Twilight composer Daniel Tuttle has re-released it with additional material after a long hiatus, during which he cared for his fiancée, who was dying of cancer. Given the circumstances behind this release, it’s immediately striking how unsentimental even the new material is. Rather than focusing on emotional reactions, Tuttle’s work seems to be a meditation on mortality itself, replete with clashing cymbals, martial drumbeats, and orchestral strings that call to mind the Darwinian hymns of Boyd Rice and Albin Julius. Though there are quieter moments, like the operatic vocal interludes of “Eclipse II” or the lovely nocturnal soundscape of “‘Time,’ She Says,” these softer elements are ultimately overwhelmed by the clashing steel and industrial clatter of “This Peculiar Phenomenon,” the thunderous timpani of “Might And Wrath,” and the and the dark bombast of “‘Time,’ She Points Again.” Even “Nightmares Away From The Moon,” which begins so subtly with distant conversations and eerie, languid pianos, eventually builds into a cacophonous crescendo, this time conjuring a grim Oriental exoticism with wailing Tibetan horns. Perhaps the future will see Tuttle exploring grief and melancholy, but the militaristic ambiance of this release seems starkly unforgiving of such sentiments.
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You can also purchase the CD at the Bottle Imp Productions store.
Review for “We Waited For A Subtle Dawn” from Grave Concerns:
Much of the material on this album was originally recorded two years ago, but Life Toward Twilight composer Daniel Tuttle has re-released it with additional material after a long hiatus, during which he cared for his fiancée, who was dying of cancer. Given the circumstances behind this release, it’s immediately striking how unsentimental even the new material is. Rather than focusing on emotional reactions, Tuttle’s work seems to be a meditation on mortality itself, replete with clashing cymbals, martial drumbeats, and orchestral strings that call to mind the Darwinian hymns of Boyd Rice and Albin Julius. Though there are quieter moments, like the operatic vocal interludes of “Eclipse II” or the lovely nocturnal soundscape of “’Time,’ She Says,” these softer elements are ultimately overwhelmed by the clashing steel and industrial clatter of “This Peculiar Phenomenon,” the thunderous timpani of “Might And Wrath,” and the and the dark bombast of “’Time,’ She Points Again.” Even “Nightmares Away From The Moon,” which begins so subtly with distant conversations and eerie, languid pianos, eventually builds into a cacophonous crescendo, this time conjuring a grim Oriental exoticism with wailing Tibetan horns. Perhaps the future will see Tuttle exploring grief and melancholy, but the militaristic ambiance of this release seems starkly unforgiving of such sentiments.
A new review for “We Waited For A Subtle Dawn” posted on JudasKiss:
We Waited For A Subtle Dawn contains 15 tracks totalling 67 minutes. ‘A Subtle Dawn’ opens with a passage of a cappella wordless female vocals, which give way to a gloriously uplifting orchestral overture mingled with a confusion of looped crowd noise and staccato violins, which recall the work of modernist composer Steve Reich. Cymbal crashes and snare drum rolls add a bombastic martial flavour, but the track is over all too quickly, giving way to the choppy strings and strange scrabbling noises of ‘In A Chalice Shape’. Again, pizzicato strings and heavy rolls of percussion lend this track a cinematic, neo-classical quality. Life Toward Twilight are operating in the same general area as Shinjuku Thief, Frederik Klingwall or A Challenge Of Honour, at the point where neo-classical, orchestral compositions take on narrative overtones, evoking visions through sound. ‘”Time”, She Says’ is very different, though, eschewing orchestral instrumentation in favour of thunder effects rumbling across the stereo channels and a dense, gloopy morass of dripping and whispering, with a steady ticking clock fading in to mark the passage of time, a theme which continues into the following two tracks, ‘”Time”, She Points Again’ and ‘Years’, all of which reminded me a little of the recent Eight Studies In Transition collaboration between K. Mietzer and Horologium. All these tracks use cold, bleak dark ambient soundscapes, only occasionally introducing conventional instruments – a brief passage of cello, a lonely, remote piano melody, a dissonant blast of horns. The next few tracks are rather samey and indistinguishable – low, industrial ambient drones and subdued strings punctuated by deep, reverberating percussion and vocal samples, but the tenth track, ‘Eclipse II’ stands out, opening with thin, scraping high frequency tones, and bringing in dense barrages of textural noise and whistling feedback, something like Toroidh or Droin. Elyse Reardon’s vocals float above this uncompromisingly bleak backdrop. ‘Horbehutet’ is the lengthiest track on the album, at nearly nine minutes, and it’s a mesmeric, immersive experience of deep, Ain Soph-like esoteric drones and muffled, distant beats – I’d have been delighted by a whole album sounding like this, but Life Toward Twilight is a very eclectic and diverse-sounding project, ranging far and wide across various musical styles whilst preserving the prevailing dark mood.
“We Waited For A Subtle Dawn” is still available on CD, and can be downloaded for free from the Bottle Imp Productions site.
Sorry again to JudasKiss for disc mixup, normally promo packages go out with a lot of material. Will send you a better package soon!
Experimental music reviewers Evening of Light posted a review of “We Waited For A Subtle Dawn”.
“Life Toward Twilight is an American project by a man called Daniel Tuttle, aided by the synth works of Brent Nicholas and the (very sporadic) vocals of Elyse Reardon. This long album contains a mixture of dark ambient soundscapes, heavier neo-classical electronics, samples, and much more. This mixture is quite evenly distributed over the album, each song having a theme and intensity of its own. So, a few minutes might be filled with dark drones and effects, while the next few might blow you away with some heavy martial percussion or synth melodies. This might make the album less attractive to ambient purists, but all the more appealing to those who like an eclectic approach to dark electronics.
I must say that I like this eclectic, varied approach, because it sets We waited for a subtle dawn apart from many other albums. It also heightens the estranging atmosphere that hangs around most of this material. You never know what strange sounds or melodies await you ’round the corner. It might be a sweet, slightly cinematic piano melody as at the end of “Years”, or a cold industrial percussion session, such as “Might and Wrath”. Some other personal favourites are the heavy “this peculiar phenomenon” and the deep drones of “Horbehutet”
As others have remarked, this album partly came into being in a period where Daniel was under great personal stress, because is fiancée was mortally ill. But emotions seem wholly absent on this release, which is unforgivingly cold and harsh, rather than sad or mournful. In a way, this contributes to a solid dark atmosphere. On the other hand, I feel this material might have benefited from a bit more feeling, because it is very bleak, and in a distanciated way. But, I confess, this is a very personal feeling, and it should not deter you from trying out this very good release. This is a highly interesting free release for any lover of dark electronics.”
Regen Magazine chose Life Toward Twilight for their Artist Spotlight this week. You can read an interview they did with me by clicking here.
Here is text from their review of my material:
If you’re sick of spending all your money importing dark ambient albums from Sweden, you need to check out this album from Detroit’s Life Toward Twilight. Not only does it combine the eerily haunting soundscapes of Raison d’Etre, the rumbling percussive clatter of In Slaughter Natives, and the unforgiving bleakness of NON, but to celebrate his return to music after a two-year hiatus, project founder Daniel Tuttle has made it available as a free download from the Life Toward Twilight Web site. Perhaps the album’s most stunning work is the two-part “‘Time,’ She Says” and “‘Time,’ She Points Again,” which starts off with a nighttime sound collage of birds, water and insects, but then gradually transitions into a most ominous martial ambient piece, complete with menacing staccato strings. “Eclipse II” is a perfect mixture of beauty and harshness, with Elyse Reardon’s wordless operatic vocals contrasted with grating metallic squeals and buzzing feedback, while “A Tide, Confusion” is an exercise in entropy, as bits of background conversation decay into incomprehensible noise. Although this album was originally released around the same time Tuttle was caring for his terminally ill fianc�e, this is hardly a musical Hallmark card; with such apparently unsentimental tracks as “Might and Wrath,” We Waited for a Subtle Dawn seems less a reflection on Tuttle’s own experience than a broader meditation on the inevitability of death as a whole. To say it’s not a happy listening experience is an understatement, but there’s a stark beauty in Tuttle’s music that’s incredibly stirring.
A review of “We waited for a Subtle Dawn” was written for Legend Magazine’s issue #162.
Life Toward Twilight is a post-industrial project from Detroit, started in 1999. They’ve appeared at Detroit’s Movement Festival (2004) and Slave Indvstries’ BodyHammer Festival (2000) as well as a few other one shot shows. Five CDs already, We Waited For a Subtle Dawn their latest. The existence of Daniel Tuttle’s previous project, Ogun’s Will, with seven years following in then current incarnation of LTT shows a definite capability with LTTs sound. Daniel’s music is matured, well crafted and certainly not amateurish by any stretch.
Music on We Waited For a Subtle Dawn consists of well played neo-classical movements with touches of dark ambient and interesting arrangements. The subtle hidden voices in “Time”, she says mixed with the watery background makes for a ghostly effect that, while disturbing, I enjoy. Slight additions of ticking, breaking objects and such add a storyline to “Time,” she says that moves the track along an imaginary line of thought before it moves into a more computeresque frame of thought. Nicely done.
The loping low tone sounds of “Time”, she points again is minimal but brilliant, growing slowly as we progress. Tracks like With Pins and Needles are pleasant, but breathe a darker pact towards you. This oozing darkness permeates most of the latter half of We Waited, sometimes with a natural bent and sometimes with a more industrial soundscape. Reluctant Memories of Conquest is one of the latter, a buzzing electronic signature that is only slightly modified by Daniel’s skilled hands.
I love the use of tribal and classical drumming through In a Chalice Shape and the way it will grow into climaxes at various points through the piece, with the orchestration marching across the plains like an approaching army. Years is a disturbing piece, strange calls in the dark from fairies, goblins and wraiths.
The overall result of We Waited For a Subtle Dawn is its skilled subtlety that tends to build and grow around you. Very well done, minimal with talent – Daniel’s quiet manipulations of the otherwise simple pieces show his prowess at letting his music retain a natural feel most of the time with a languid background style. Even the industrial pieces have an “as-is” natural status to them that he only touches with slight movements of sound.
A review of “We waited for a Subtle Dawn” was posted last month at Grave Concerns.
Click here to see it on their site.
Much of the material on this album was originally recorded two years ago, but Life Toward Twilight composer Daniel Tuttle has re-released it with additional material after a long hiatus, during which he cared for his fiancée, who was dying of cancer. Given the circumstances behind this release, it’s immediately striking how unsentimental even the new material is. Rather than focusing on emotional reactions, Tuttle’s work seems to be a meditation on mortality itself, replete with clashing cymbals, martial drumbeats, and orchestral strings that call to mind the Darwinian hymns of Boyd Rice and Albin Julius. Though there are quieter moments, like the operatic vocal interludes of “Eclipse II” or the lovely nocturnal soundscape of “‘Time,’ She Says,” these softer elements are ultimately overwhelmed by the clashing steel and industrial clatter of “This Peculiar Phenomenon,” the thunderous timpani of “Might And Wrath,” and the and the dark bombast of “‘Time,’ She Points Again.” Even “Nightmares Away From The Moon,” which begins so subtly with distant conversations and eerie, languid pianos, eventually builds into a cacophonous crescendo, this time conjuring a grim Oriental exoticism with wailing Tibetan horns. Perhaps the future will see Tuttle exploring grief and melancholy, but the militaristic ambiance of this release seems starkly unforgiving of such sentiments. In any case, this work is grandiose in its coldness, and fans of such acts as Desiderii Marginis have no excuse not to check it out now that Tuttle has made the entire album available as a free download from the Life Toward Twilight website.
A new review for the Life Toward Twilight album, “We Waited For A Subtle Dawn” on Heathen Harvest:
Usually, I’m not really a fan of ambient releases, but once in a while there is this release that suits me just fine. In the past it has been In The Nursery’s Asphalt and the stuff Desiderii Marginis released. Now, there’s Life Toward Twilight with We Waited For A Subtle Dawn.
Life Toward Twilight is the project of Daniel Tuttle, who founded it in 1999. Even though he released five CD’s already, Life Toward Twilight is still without a label. Because of this, four of the five releases are fully available for download. The music of Life Toward Twilight is very different per release. D+B features some of the hardest power electronics while We Waited For A Subtle Dawn is very calm.
It starts off with female vocals, not singing anything really. Very clear and enjoyable. Then the first song gets even more neoclassical elements, with long synth sounds and a drum. Near the middle of the track we shift into something different again, as now we’re listening to a restless synth solo with some weird human sounds in the background. As the end is coming, a climax pounds in your ears, leaving you as quickly as it came. Not really what I would call A Subtle Dawn, but it’s very enjoyable to listen.
As the clock ticks on, the songs drift by. Flowing from one musical style into the other, the songs alternate each other without really clear separation. The end of one tune is preceded by the beginning of the next. The whole release doesn’t really consist of tracks. Instead, it’s a 65-minute journey through your own mind, where your thoughts will be influenced by the music you’ll listen to. Don’t be surprised when you think something twice in those 65 minutes, as some songs feature some of the same sounds. This is not at all disturbing, as the sounds are always just a tad different, and always accompanied by other soundscapes.
The only really strange thing on this release is the final 2-minute song; War. It does not really fit the rest of the release, as we’re listening to a speech of someone that is accompanied with some soundscapes. It might just be my single point of criticism, that War is just a wrong track on this high standard release.
The strange mixture of ambient soundscapes with martial and neoclassical elements turns out to be really enjoyable. Further more, I’d like to thank Daniel for his very nice promotional material and of course the nice words he wrote on the back of it. I enjoyed your music Daniel, hope you’ve enjoyed this review.
Another positive review of “We Waited For A Subtle Dawn” appeared at Lunar Hypnosis.
From the review:
The Detroit, Michigan based band, Life Toward Twilight has been going at it since 1999 when Daniel Tuttle (the driving force behind LTT) established the project and began to fully focus on it in 2000, after leaving Ogun’s Will. LTT music drifts between neo classical, martial symphonic, ambient, noise, and experimental like music all flowing together as one long song, but kindly broken up into fifteen shorter pieces. Joining Daniel is Elyse who adds her angelic female voice to the recording and also Brent who worked on a lot of synth and noise textures found throughout the recording.
Before even getting to the review of this album I have to first say that Daniel is one courageous man. Last year his fiancée’ lost her battle to cancer, and obviously this has had an enormous effect on Daniel’s life. I must admit I’m proud of the fact that he was able to continue on with the project after such a tragic loss. Hang in there Daniel, were rooting for ya! He also mentions on the LTT website that this event will have a big effect on future material. So it should be interesting to see where this project goes.
Anyway as previously mentioned LTT is a variety of genres sometimes co-existing and sometimes riding it out on there own. The whole album generally takes on a very dark intimidating sensation, but also sometimes sounding more bombastic like with subtle keys and military percussion. The ambient pieces generally show a dark empty heartbroken side and when things become a bit noisier we get to her the frustration and confusion within. There are also a few moments where delicate piano sounds enter into the chaos of the nosier songs. Elyse’s female vocals are scattered about the album, and are well placed, but I wouldn’t have minded hearing them a bit more. There are also some voice samples that add further depth to the recording, and the interplay between the different genres on tracks like ‘Eclipse II’ is rather remarkable.
I’m probably missing something, but case in point though, this album is great! There’s droning ambiance, melodic ambiance, neo classical elements, military percussion, harsh noisy industrial sounds, and all other kinds of experimental tendencies fusing together to form one fine album called ‘We Waited for a Subtle Dawn.’ To make the album even better you can download it completely free from the bands website, which I would highly recommend to fans of music from the Cold Meat, Eibon, Steinklang, and Cyclic Law labels.
Review
Stirring and daring dark ambient pieces that stare into your body and reach for your soul, Detroit’s Life Toward Twilight hopes to show you that noise and abstract collage can be collated in such a way that it becomes a new brand of future music never before dreamed. Soundscape aficionados will salivate over this tantalizing and marvelous piece of audible art. Neo-classical formations that are carved neatly alongside ambient pieces and post-industrial clang make “We Waited For a Subtle Dawn” one of the more intriguing albums I’ve heard in a while.
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