Hold Sacred
by Esben and the Witch
Ron Hogan
Ron Hogan
At first I thought Rachel Davies' voice was reminding me of the '90s band Bel Canto, but then it dawned on me that Esben & the Witch's stark arrangements were giving me serious Heidi Berry vibes... and Berry's self-titled album is one of my all-time favorites.
heartcooksbrain
heartcooksbrain
This album means so much to me already - it helps me through a tough time, with Rachels beautiful voice and it's calming peacefulness. Although I like the bands louder energetic tunes a lot, this is something very special.
Favorite track: A Kaleidoscope.
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift card
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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album"Hold Sacred" by Esben and the Witch on black vinyl.
Includes unlimited streaming of Hold Sacred via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 7 daysPurchasable with gift card£24 GBP or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album"Hold Sacred" by Esben and the Witch on CD.
Includes unlimited streaming of Hold Sacred via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 7 daysPurchasable with gift card£14 GBP or more
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1. |
The Well
04:21
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I am down here, in my chapel,
Where I’m safe from the evils of the world.
I’m forgiven but forgotten,
So am I just at the bottom of a well?
Through the window, where the rain flows
In a black hole and it’s pouring down on me.
Can it clean me, will it redeem me?
With the tears that are spilling out,
From the eyes of God.
When I’m desperate, when I’m empty,
I can climb out, if I dig my fingers in.
To the earths vaults, in the clay bricks,
To that circle that is hovering above.
When the night falls and my eyes fail,
I will build a ladder, that’s purely made of light.
With a silk rope round my shoulders,
That is spun by, the spiders in the walls.
Those kind beasts, that are banished,
Are all demons just misunderstood?
Yes they’re strange things, these small beings
but they’re quiet and they help me kill the flies.
Help me kill the flies.
Follow the rats, follow the rats, follow the rats.
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2. |
In Ecstasy
04:11
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Wait for the darkness to fade, in the morning
The birds start to sing in the shade of a lilac tree
Carrying fruit filled with wine that is heady and sweet
On your lips, let it stain them a ruby red.
Raise your hands to the sky like a flower in bloom,
Open palms, catch the light from the sun
As it bursts through the clouds, in a flash, it is dazzling,
Seared in my mind and inside of my eyes, burning.
Bright, as a spark from a bolt, electricity
Flows through my bones and my blood, it is coursing through
Me and my veins to my heart, to illuminate,
Is this life? Is this love? I’m in ecstasy.
Fill my body with light, from the tops of my toes
To the crown of my head, make me holy.
And warm my blood ’til it boils, ’til it bubbles,
The ice in my heart is starting to melt away.
Raise your hands!
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3. |
Fear Not
05:28
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Don’t be afraid, when the darkness starts to fall,
These hours are my cover and I your comforter.
Don’t be afraid, when you find yourself alone,
If fear stalks the lonely, then fear not.
In the glowing flame of a roaring fire,
To the dreams where you toss and turn at night.
In the gliding light underneath the door,
In the eyes and knots of the wooden floor.
As the silver curtain starts to move,
In the dark that surrounds the waning moon,
In the moments when you feel despair,
It’s okay, don’t be frightened, because I’ll be there.
Don’t be afraid, I am there.
In the dark embrace of a crooked wood
And it’s writhing insects under foot.
In the smell of the soil, the petrichor,
In the neon felt of the forest floor.
When the roots conspire to make a stair,
When the slope is steep and treacherous
And the path well trodden is swept away,
Keep on, keep going, because I’ll be there.
Don’t be afraid, I am there.
In the spots of light when you close your eyes,
When the blackened sky is torn apart
And the rolling thunder starts to grow,
As the dogs they cower, their whimpers low.
In the wind as it whistles through the leaves,
A symphony that sounds in a minor key.
In the corner where the dust collects,
I am there, I am watching, I’m everywhere.
Don’t be afraid, I am there.
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4. |
Silence, 1801
02:44
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I don’t know where I’m going, all I have is my breath,
So I’ll walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Bound tight like a bud, curled up in a ball,
What is broken in spirit, can be mended with gold.
All is calm,
All is bright.
Bow your head like a flower, turn away from the West,
Hear the drum that is beating, inside of your chest.
Heavy heart, heavy limbs,
Sunk in front of an altar, darkness visible.
All is calm,
All is bright.
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5. |
True Mirror
05:20
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Look into the mirror,
Show me what’s real.
Truth appears leering
But at least I still feel.
Suck the poison out of me,
Make me feel better.
Even the most bitter fruits
Origins are sweeter.
I can see the pieces,
Underneath the skin.
That I tried so hard to hide
But now it’s all seeping in
And out in a strange display,
I’m ready for the carnival.
Have you got your ticket
For a private horror show?
Strip away the muscle
’Til I’m just skin and bone.
A brittle silhouette,
Standing here all alone.
When the cracks are in the walls,
Will you still come home?
When you see what lies beneath,
Will you still love me?
Strip away the muscle
’Til I’m just skin and bone.
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6. |
A Kaleidoscope
05:20
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Unfolding, these new wings,
The creaking of my new skin.
How tender, how gentle,
From this lace must life break.
A kaleidoscope.
We destroy, to escape
And crawl out, tentatively.
So fleeting, so fragile,
How beautiful this day is.
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7. |
Heathen
05:22
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Give me everything.
I’m more than a vessel, the treasure is mine alone.
Do you fear me?
Yes, I am frightened, but also I’m full of love.
I am all you need.
Your silence says other, wise are the ones who seek.
If you idolise...
Then yes I am guilty and guess I’m a heathen too.
Formless, only light, I am bursting.
Faithless, to the last, serving no one.
Boundless, in this sky, I am soaring.
Hailing, not a man, only nature.
Heaven’s gates are near.
A pearl is a stone that can only be found at sea.
Hell is underneath.
A landscape of pain is not a landscape to praise.
Bow down to me.
Why should I kneel, if truly I can ascend?
I will seal your fate.
A monstrous god is as human a myth can be.
Burning, like a star, I am shaking.
Waiting to explode, into crystal.
Weightless, I am love, I am floating,
Through the endless dark of the future.
Hold Sacred.
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8. |
The Depths
05:10
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An orange light appears,
It signals night is here,
Fluorescent, like the reefs
That used to lie beneath.
A flickering at sea,
Is guiding you to me.
A tower in the gloom,
Is just an empty room.
All my hopes and fears
Are dashed upon the cliffs.
The sea is dark and deep
And it’s consuming me.
You can’t stem the tide,
When the moon is bright.
Wave after wave after wave.
You can’t stem the tide.
A shoal of tiny fish,
Glitter in the mist.
A galaxy below, where
The constellations flow.
The jellyfish they swarm
As the waters start to warm.
Threatening to sting,
Their tendrils beckoning.
A virtue or a sin?
If it taught me how to swim.
So if swallow all my pride,
Will I sink below the brine?
You can’t stem the tide,
When the moon is bright
Wave after wave after wave
You can’t stem the tide.
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9. |
Petals of Ash
04:43
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In a flash the whole world lit up,
A blast so loud that it shook us,
To the crust, to our core, through the mantle,
Lighting the fire in the centre.
The centre of you.
We made our tracks from the old town,
Headed to the top of the mountains.
Above the dust clouds ballooning,
A sulphurous light was blooming.
Take in the view.
The schools were lost and burning,
Even the grandest churches.
Their spires that once were piercing,
Are all broken and splitting.
Splitting apart.
All the things that we helped build,
Razed to the ground in a moment.
Where we laughed, where we slept, where we made love,
Now petals of ash before us.
What was before us?
So let’s bathe in the light of a full moon,
Meet me there in the doldrums.
We’ll watch the blue sky turn black,
As the stars all crumble around us.
So take in the view,
Take in the view.
Take me with you.
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about
This record was born in a hot mosquito summer in a terracotta villa an hour outside of Rome. It bloomed in winter on an abandoned beach in a fishing village close to Porto, overlooking the Atlantic. It found form in a gîte in the middle of the French countryside and grew in a ramshackle old house, full of old cloaks and books in rural Germany.
Protect what is precious. Hold Sacred.
Protect what is precious. Hold Sacred.
credits
released May 12, 2023
All songs composed and performed by Rachel Davies, Thomas Fisher and Daniel Copeman.
All lyrics written by Rachel Davies.
Recorded and Engineered by Daniel Copeman.
Mixed and Produced by Esben and the Witch.
Mastered by James Plotkin at Plotkin Works, New York, USA.
Esben and the Witch are;
Rachel Davies - Vocals, Bass
Thomas Fisher - Guitar
Daniel Copeman - Keys, Programming
Field Recordings by Esben and the Witch.
Recording and Engineering took place in Roskow, Brandenburg, Germany.
All artwork by Rachel Davies and Thomas Fisher.
Artwork assistance by Kiyoshi Stelzner.
All songs written between 2019 and 2021 in Italy, Portugal, France and Germany.
(P) & (C) Nostromo Records 2023, under license from Esben and the Witch.
All songs composed and performed by Rachel Davies, Thomas Fisher and Daniel Copeman.
All lyrics written by Rachel Davies.
Recorded and Engineered by Daniel Copeman.
Mixed and Produced by Esben and the Witch.
Mastered by James Plotkin at Plotkin Works, New York, USA.
Esben and the Witch are;
Rachel Davies - Vocals, Bass
Thomas Fisher - Guitar
Daniel Copeman - Keys, Programming
Field Recordings by Esben and the Witch.
Recording and Engineering took place in Roskow, Brandenburg, Germany.
All artwork by Rachel Davies and Thomas Fisher.
Artwork assistance by Kiyoshi Stelzner.
All songs written between 2019 and 2021 in Italy, Portugal, France and Germany.
(P) & (C) Nostromo Records 2023, under license from Esben and the Witch.
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Esben and the Witch
Looking for the light in the dark since 2008
discography
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May 2023 -
Nov 2018 -
Nov 2016 -
Sep 2014 -
Nov 2017 -
Dec 2015 -
Apr 2014 -
Sep 2009
contact / help
Esben and the Witch recommends:
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The Engine of Night
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Music For Drowning Out The Sound Of Other People
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Thoughts submerged in melancholic waves of synth.
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