Label: Not On Label (InGowanRing Self-released) – none
Format: CDr, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Experimental

Tracklist

1 Pool And Leaves 1:44
2 Under A Willow Tree 3:48
3 Just Like Arcadia - Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Electric] – Eli Morrison; Acoustic Guitar, Trombone, Voice – B'eirth; Glockenspiel, Voice – L. Lysager; Handclaps, Voice – M. Sherod 2:25
4 Reckoner's Theme #1 - Performer – B'eirth, E. Davidson 3:50
5 Of Skin And Tresses 3:27
6 Coffe Morning - Backing Vocals – B. Castillo, M. Leaf 4:27
7 The Lord Of Man - Bodhrán – Michael Moynihan; Violin – Annabel Lee; Voice – Annabel Lee; Written-By – R. Williamson 2:51
8 On The Butterfly's Wing 5:42
9 Reckoner's Theme #2 - Performer – B'eirth, E. Davidson 2:39
10 Ring -O- The Rascal - Performer – Anthony Snow, B'eirth, Jesse Winters, L. Lysager 5:37
11 Jeweled Jangles 1:45
12 Mistress Of The Revels 3:21
13 Pool And Leaves - Reprise 1:40

Notes
A collection of recordings.

The tracklist on the back-sleeve doesn't exactly match to the tracks in the inside.
On the back, the track calls:
track 3: "Reckoner's Theme #1",
track 4: "Arcadia"
track 7: "On The Butterfly's Wings"
track 8: "The Lord Of Man"

Packaged in a structured fold-out sleeve.
Available to users only

Label: Not On Label (InGowanRing Self-released) – none
Format: CDr, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Experimental

Tracklist

1 Vernal Rising 3:03
2 Green Grows The Lilly - Performer – Anthony Snow, D. McCarthy, Jesse Winters, L. Lysager, N. Frykdal 1:58
3 Play For Me Fiddler! 6:26
4 A Lock That Aint Worth Pickin' 7:05
5 Berzerka Murzurka I - Performer – B'eirth, B. Castillo 2:59
6 Light Rays And Smoke Shapes - Performer – B'eirth, B. Castillo 2:10
7 I Have A Friend - Performer – Annabel Lee, Anthony Snow, Jesse Winters, L. Lysager, M. Star 4:04
8 Spindle Tree With Dreambox 3:42
9 Urn And Water 3:01
10 Sea Ritual - Performer – B'eirth, Dave Payne, Jesse Winters, L. Lysager, M. Sherod, Dill; Written-By – Darley 6:58
11 The Black One - Performer – Aaron Garland, Annabel Lee, Markus Wolff, Michael Moynihan 2:32
12 A Bottle Of Wine - Cello, Double Bass – Margie Weink; Performer – B'eirth; Performer [Sackbuts] – Gayle Neuman, Philip Neuman 3:10
13 Berzerka Murzurka II - Performer – B'eirth, B. Castillo 1:17

Notes
A collection of recordings.

The tracklist on the back-sleeve doesn't exactly match to the tracks in the inside.
On the record there are only 13 tracks, on the back-sleeve there is written a 14th track calls: "Vernal Rising (Reprise)"

Packaged in a fold-out sleeve.
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Label: Time Is A Spiral – SPIRAL 001
Format: Vinyl, 10", Limited Edition
Country: Netherlands
Released: Jul 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Acoustic

Tracklist

A1 Boat Of The Moon 5:17
A2 On The Stragglin' Way 4:03
A3 Morning's Waking Dream 4:31
B1 The Seer And The Seen 3:09
B2 Cupped Hands Spell 5:52
B3 Dandelion Wine 2:56

Credits
Artwork By – Iker Spozio
Recorded By, Producer – Berry Kamer
Vocals, Flute – Amber
Vocals, Guitar – B'eirth

Notes
First in a series of vinyls containing recordings from the VPRO radio program "Dwars". Limited to 500 copies.

Tracks 1 and 2 are incorrectly labeled as "Beat Of The Moon" and "On The Straglin' Way".


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Label: Not On Label (In Gowan Ring Self-released) – none
Format: CDr, Limited Edition
Country: US
Released: Apr 2008
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Acoustic

Tracklist

1 Webwork Begins 2:13
2 Crack Of The Sun 4:39
3 Keep It With Mine - Cello – Margie Wienk; Percussion – Tony Snow; Written-By – B.Dylan 4:40
4 Aurora 6:02
5 Christina's Song - Piano, Voice – Maja Elliott; Written-By – C. Rossetti 2:57
6 Bee At The Dolmen's Dell - Harmonium – Maja Elliott 3:02
7 Adi Shakti I 2:52
8 Sad Song 3:22
9 Dandelion Wine - Harp – Oliver; Percussion – Rudi; Wind [Chalameau] – Fiona 3:19
10 Wheel Of Fortune 3:44
11 Nancy - Written-By – L. Cohen 3:48
12 Lonely Prophet Blues 6:38
13 Adi Shakti II 3:44
14 Rumi's Dance - Voice – Sommer Mousel; Written-By – Rumi 5:36
15 Nature Boy - Written-By – Eden Ahbez 2:22
16 Chanson De Prevert - Written-By – Serge Gainsbourg 2:53
17 Zephyr Through Willows - Voice – Vio 3:21
18 The Carnival Is Empty - Harmonium – Vio 3:10
19 Crack Of The Sun 3:15
20 Untitled 2:11

Credits
Written-By – B'eirth (tracks: 2,4 to 6, 8 to 9, 12, 17 to 19)

Notes
Housed in a hand-crafted digibook made in India.
Limited to 50 numbered and signed copies.

There were a few variations on the general theme of the packaging depending on some of the materials, so every artwork is unique.
The colours reach from light green till dark blue.

Track 9 was recorded together with the band Faun on the "Pagan Folk" tour.
Available to users only

Label: Shayo – Série Yûgen 01
Format: CDr, Limited Edition, EP
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Acoustic, Ambient, Neofolk

Tracklist

1 Martyn Bates - Sir Hugh (Child #155) 5:10
2 In Gowan Ring - Shadow Of The Bird 3:53
3 Martyn Bates - Seven Yellow Gypsies 7:15
4 In Gowan Ring - Huge And Luminous 4:39

Notes
Handmade paper package.
The CDr was available at concerts of Martyn Bates and In Gowan Ring in 2006.
Limited to 150 hand-numbered copies.
Available to users only

Label: Ahnstern – Ahnstern25
Format: 2 × CD, Remastered, Compilation
Country: Austria
Released: 25 May 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Acoustic, Neofolk

Tracklist

1.01 Montesinho Instrumental 2:05
1.02 A Single Flower - Written-By – D. Cousins 4:18
1.03 Are We Lost - Written-By – M. Heron 4:06
1.04 Bedlam Boys 8:18
1.05 Winter Flowers 2:24
1.06 Spider Song 3:12
1.07 Hazel Steps (Green Handed) - Performer – John Woosley 6:58
1.08 The Secret Heart - Written By – D. Goulder 3:26
1.09 I Went Into A Hazel Wood - Violin – Annabel Lee; Written-By – W.B. Yeats 3:57
1.10 BenterDiction 2:29
1.11 Way To Blue - Written-By – N. Drake 5:51
1.12 Pool And Leaves - Performer – Lorna Cobia Pack 1:39
1.13 Under A Willow Tree - Written-By – Tradintional 3:44
1.14 Just Like Arcadia - Performer – Eli Morrison; Written-By – Psychic TV 3:38
1.15 On The Butterfly's Wing 2:42
1.16 The Lord Of Man - Violin – Annabel Lee; Written-By – R. Williamson 5:37
1.17 Mistress Of The Revels 3:16
1.18 Green Grows The Lilly - Performer – Dawn McCarthy, Nils Frykdal 1:52
1.19 A Lock That Aint Worth Pickin' 7:00
1.20 Montesinho Revisited 2:07

2.01 Vernal Rising 2:57
2.02 On The Setting Sun 3:01
2.03 Ring O The Rascal 5:31
2.04 Rosehip November - Vocals – Margie Weink; Written-By – V. Bunyan 2:21
2.05 Berzerka Murzurka - Written-By – Castillo 2:57
2.06 Light Rays And Smoke Shapes - Performer – Brian Castillo 2:06
2.07 Elements Play 5:49
2.08 I Have A Friend - Performer – Annabel Lee, Marion Star;Written-By – Legendary Pink Dots 3:41
2.09 Sea Ritual - Performer – Patrick Dill, Richard Couch; Written-By – George Darley 6:50
2.10 InVacation 2:29
2.11 A Bottle Of Wine - Performer – Gayle Neuman, Mergie Weink, Philip Neuman 3:02
2.12 The Black One - Vocals – Annabel Lee, Markus Wolff, Michael Moynihan 2:24
2.13 Icarus - Written-By – 17 Pygmies, Amber Jarvis 6:55
2.14 Where The Sun Keeps Shinin’ - Written-By – F. Neil 3:09
2.15 Spindle Tree - Performer – Richard Couch 3:36
2.16 Lil’ Sir John 4:04
2.17 Death And The Maiden - Performer – Marta 5:34
2.18 The Wind Of Change - Written-By – J. Rodrego, R. McKuen 4:10
2.19 Leaf Patches On Sidewalks 3:38
2.20 Vernal Reprise 3:04

Credits
Artwork By [Art & Layout] – Jessamyn Grace West, Max Presch
Bodhrán – Michael Moynihan (tracks: 1.02, 1.09, 1.16)
Composed By, Written-By – B'eirth (tracks: 1.01, 1.05, 1.07, 1.10, 1.12, 1.15, 1.17, 1.19 to 2.03, 2.05 to 2.07, 2.10, 2.11, 2.15, 2.19, 2.20)
Mastered By [Remastered], Compiled By [Collated] – Axel Frank
Performer – Anthony Snow (tracks: 1.18, 2.03, 2.08), B'eirth, Dave Payne (tracks: 1.04, 2.09, 2.15), Jesse Winters (tracks: 1.04, 1.18, 2.03, 2.08, 2.09, 2.15), Lincoln Lysager (tracks: 1.04, 1.14, 1.18, 2.03, 2.08, 2.09, 2.13, 2.15), Melinda Sherod (tracks: 1.04, 1.14, 2.09, 2.15)
Written-By – Traditional (tracks: 1.03, 1.04, 1.06, 1.18, 2.12, 2.16, 2.17)

Notes
Collated and remastered at the Blue Lounge Studios, Berlin.
Re-released + remastered selection from rare 4 CD-R series "Exists And Entrances" from 2002-2004. Comes in a foldout cardboard sleeve.

Tracks 1.01, 1.03 to 1.09, 1.11, 1.20 and 2.04 from Volume One: Vernal Equinox 2002.
Tracks 1.12 to 1.17 and 2.03 from Volume Two: Autumnal Equinox 2002.
Tracks 1.18, 1.19, 2.01, 2.05, 2.06, 2.08, 2.09, 2.11, 2.12, 2.15 and 2.20 from Volume Three: Vernal Equinox 2003.
Tracks 1.02, 1.10, 2.02, 2.07, 2.10, 2.13, 2.14 and 2.16 to 2.19 from Volume Four: Autumnal Equinox 2003.

Track 2.05 and 2.06 recorded in 1994.
Track 2.13 recorded in 1995.
Track 1.14 recorded in 1996.
Tracks 1.04, 2.09 and 2.15 recorded in 1997.
Tracks 1.06 and 1.12 recorded in 1998.
Tracks 1.13, 1.15, 1.18, 2.03, 2.08 and 2.12 recorded in 1999.
Tracks 1.03, 1.08, 1.11, 1.16, 2.11 and 2.18 recorded in 2000.
Tracks 1.05, 1.07, 1.09 and 2.04 recorded in 2001.
Tracks 1.01, 1.17, 1.20, 2.02 and 2.17 recorded in 2002.
Tracks 1.02, 1.10, 1.19, 2.01, 2.07, 2.10, 2.14, 2.16, 2.19 and 2.20 recorded in 2003.

Available to users only

Label: Not On Label (InGowanRing Self-released) – none
Format: CDr, Limited Edition
Country: US
Released: 30 Nov 2011
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Acoustic

Tracklist

1 Persephone Awakens - Written-By – B´ee
2 October´s Song - Written-By – R. Williamson
3 Again - Written-By – B´ee
4 Ritual I
5 White Angel - Written-By – B´ee
6 Boat Of The Moon - Written-By – B´ee
7 Seven Sevens
8 Snowcloud - Written-By – G. Rolfe
9 Evening Air - Written-By – Palmer, Bidwell, Bennett
10 Ritual II
11 No Other - Written-By – G.Clark
12 Song For Isabel - Written-By – B´ee
13 Persephone Sleeps - Written-By – B´ee

Notes
Subtitled: "Aural Scrapbook released November 2011"

CDr comes in cardboard sleeve, limited to 69 numered & signed copies.


Available to users only

Label: Les Disques Du 7ème Ciel – 7C12D
Format: CD, Album, Digipack
Country: France
Released: 23 Sep 2015
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk

Tracklist

1 The Serpent 3:31
2 Thousands Of Bees - Oneiric Observation – Iida Ojanperä; Viola – Georg Börner 5:19
3 Sial At Play - Baroque Flute, Voice – Emma Skemp 7:25
4 Julia Willow - Viola – Georg Börner 4:35
5 Set A Candle In The Night 4:24
6 Field Of Dream - Nyckelharpa – Georg Börner 9:16
7 A Song, A Story And A Stone 6:32
8 The Dove 4:43

Credits
Mastered By – Mark Beazley
Music By – B'ee
Sleeve – B'ee
Sleeve layout – Damian O'Hara
Voice, Spanish Guitar, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Dulcimer, Oboe, Bowed Bells, Drum, Choir, Jaw Harp, Percussion, Bells, Animism & Elementals, Electric Guitar, Bowls, Specters – B'ee
Words By – B'ee

Available to users only

These memories create a pensive and nostalgic frame of mind that leaves me wondering how far I have come both as a fan of music and as a man in general. My entrance into the world was at the end of their meridian in terms of songwriting, but it set a noteworthy precedent on that particular era’s brand of folk music. This brand has gone unrivalled since their days as relevant titans of the music industry, and Simon and Garfunkel still remain a key influence on professional artists today, folk music and otherwise.

In Gowan Ring didn’t grab my attention to the extent that I had expected them to at first. When I received my copy of Faun’s Live at the Pagan Folk Festival, which also featured both In Gowan Ring and the ever-impressive Sieben, the song ‘Dandelion Wine’ seemed slightly out-of-place amongst the energetic reputation of the German medieval folk act. There is no questioning lead singer B’ee’s vocal ability and charming presence though. I was too busy to catch the split-EP release with B’ee’s other project, Birch Book, in what would become In Gowan Ring’s first release with the French Les Disques du 7ème Ciel imprint, but a retrospective listen will show that the litmus test revealed a positive reading, leaving the pathway for this masterpiece set in stone.

Neofolk as a genre in the modern day has become a very broad-brush term. To consider the genre’s name with little understanding of what acts, and more importantly, sounds have fallen into the scene, any educated music lover would consider the music to be that which has become released beyond the two folk revivals of the twentieth century. With The Serpent and the Dove, the production, arrangements, and vocals are strongly reminiscent of folk music’s golden era. I won’t open the debate on exactly when this ‘golden era’ occurred, but the music and lyrics take you to a poetic and bygone era—an era of bards and skalds wandering the countryside, bringing tales and news of what lay beyond the reach of the common man. In identical format, In Gowan Ring delve back into that lost void and take you on a timeless journey into the roots of modern music with distinct influence from the Celts, nature, and folklore.

‘Sial at Play’ begins with a collage of flute/wind instruments; the entrance of strings and the polished voice of B’ee immediately take me back to the aforementioned memory of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer’.

‘Field of Dream’ will take you on a vivid journey, a journey that you will repeat more than once as it encourages your mind to take you to a different vision with every reprise. It’s a poetic tale of starlight, windswept landscapes, and a ‘great bowl of tea’. The inclusion of what seems to be a hurdy-gurdy coupled with the record’s best display of B’ee’s vocal ability. This is a song that I would define as ‘epic’ if played live and with a bit more of that Faun’s gusto.

If you were fortunate enough to acquire copies of In Gowan Ring’s self-released CD-Rs, Webs Among the Din (Volumes I-III), you are holding onto some very collectible records. I say this because The Serpent and the Dove is going to attract a new generation of fans. As a music critic, I will say that this record will be hard to top. It has been the most distracting record on my writing pile to date. The saying ‘poetry in motion’ has been widely used to describe many aspects of and interests in life from dressage horse riding, elite athletes, ballet, et al. I’m personally tempted to dub The Serpent and the Dove as ‘poetry in music’. If In Gowan Ring is waiting for their ‘golden parachute’, now is the time!

Rating: 10/10
Written by: Malachy O’Brien

http://heathenharvest.org/2015....he-dove

Label: Not On Label – none
Format: 14xFile, Album
Country: US
Released: 11 Dec 2015
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Neoolk

Tracklist

1 Sial At Play 07:24
2 Julia Willow 04:35
3 Field Of Dream 09:17
4 Limpid Brook 04:42
5 Aurora 05:52
6 Hazel Steps 05:13
7 The Seer And The Seen 03:23
8 Morning's Waking Dream 06:05
9 Boat Of The Moon 05:36
10 To Thrum A Glassy Stem 04:05
11 Cipher's String On The Tree In The Dream Of The Queen 13:06
12 Cupped Hands Spell 05:37
13 Dandelion Wine 02:07
14 A Swan Song 03:01





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