While one should generally expect the unexpected from ULVER, Lyckantropen Themes is actually not far off the mark from the band’s recent works. Lyckantropen Themes continues along the lines of ULVER’s minimalist ambient muzak stylings exemplified by their previous two EPs, Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing. However as a soundtrack, Lyckantropen Themes stands out as more thematic…less experimental. The ten tracks blend together seemlessly as one continuous piece, opening with twinkling melodies a la early APHEX TWIN then quickly blending into Alec Empire-esque ambience. Brilliant is ULVER’s ability to shape sound and elaborate on a single theme from seemingly nothing. Yet the face value of such a soundscape-type soundtrack (far removed from both Perdition City and Themes from William Blake’s the Marriage of Heaven and Hell) carries hardly the weight of a feather. (Jester Records/The End Records)
