A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos

Press

"Intense, reflective, occasionally threatening and wholly enveloping" ★★★★ - The Times

"Burning from warm embers to a triumphant climax of violins and burring cello" - NME

"A dark, beautifully cold, fantastical record" - Drowned In Sound

"The sustained string tones swell and lengthen until they take on monumental proportions" - Resident Advisor

"Absolutely heavenly" - Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC 6 Music

Adam Wiltzie and Dustin O’Halloran return with their second studio album inspired by contemporary dance and new instrumentation After releasing a first glimpse in the form of the ‘Atomos VII’ EP earlier this year, A Winged Victory For The Sullen finally reveal their second full-length album entitled ‘Atomos’, which besides familiar piano, string and drone sounds also sees the duo introduce flurries of electronics, harp and modular synthesisers. In 2011 A Winged Victory For The Sullen introduced themselves to the world with a self-titled album, showcasing their unique collaboration of ambient guitar drone from Stars Of The Lid member Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie and sparse piano tunes by contemporary classical composer Dustin O’Halloran, winning them fans around the world. ‘An immersive, and inevitably cinematic, ambient gem’ ★★★★ – Mojo Wayne McGregor, founder of Random Dance Company and resident choreographer at the Royal Ballet, was one of these fans and chose to play the album repeatedly during practices with his core group of dancers. After noticing the group's reaction with the music, he contacted Adam and Dustin to see if they could write the score for his new oeuvre. The duo were given complete artistic freedom and they treated the score with the same care and attention as their debut album. They recorded more than sixty minutes of music over a four-month period during the summer of 2013 across studios in Brussels, Berlin and Reykjavik, with the help of their long time collaborative sound engineer Francesco Donadello. During the recording process they realised, that this would become their official second studio album. McGregor provided them with the inspiration to expand their sound palette into more electronic territory, whilst keeping their signature chamber sound, resulting in a very unique record.