Steve Von Till - "Dreams of Trees"

        Over the weekend I was stumbling around the internet and came across a true gem while I reading through a few old articles about Neurosis. It was a link to Steve Von Till's new single from his upcoming album No Wilderness Deep Enough titled "Dreams of Trees". The featured artwork alone was enough to tempt my attention. I had no idea that there were any other adjacent projects to Neurosis besides Tribes of Neurot, but it didn't take much convincing to check it out. 

        It starts with a string section fading in over these long-drawn notes, with echos from synthesizers fading in and out around the background. At the 29 second mark, a deep confident voice enters the mix with a very Tom Waits vibe to it (only in the best way possible). Honestly, I don't believe this moment could have been written or performed any other way. It's haunting, gripping, and puts me right in the middle of a calm and cold wilderness setting. 

        As the music continues to play it walks along the line between calm and anguish. I truly feel like I'm in the middle of a deep forest looking out onto old-growth and seeing the centuries they've observed pass on by. A piano joins the music at ~3:23 as a welcome addition to the textured mix. Rounding the 4-minute mark the tone starts to shift towards a feeling of trying to hold onto the calm like it's a fleeting moment about to blink out of existence. The song ends with a somber piano piece that is quite beautiful. 

        The opening line reads "It always seems to be clearest at the stream, dragged from the ocean and given eyes, called from the wind as if we were wise." It captures a feeling of being both wholly in a moment of beauty while also reflecting on life. Given the lyrical matter displayed in this song, it doesn't surprise me that Von Till will also be releasing a collection of original poetry titled Harvestman: 23 Untitled Poems and Collected Lyrics. I have also come to learn that Steve Von Till previously performed and released music under the Harvestman moniker. 

        This song was a truly memorable find and one that has given me even more music to seek out and take in. The only unsurprising thing about finding this material is how skilled and put together it is. After a long career with metal heavy hitters Neurosis, it feels like a fresh product, and one definitely worth your time. 

        Both the book and album are available for pre-order right now and are set to be hitting the marketplace as of August 7th, 2020 via Neurot Records. 

Check out the track here

Pre-order track here here

Find Steve Von Till here