NEUROSIS singer and guitarist Steve Von Till has announced his latest solo album, “Alone In A World Of Wounds”, arriving May 16 via Neurot Recordings.
Ploughing a different furrow, “Alone In A World Of Wounds” is a collection of sweeping gothic-tinged Americana, tripped out drones, beautiful world weary vocal melodies and slowly unfurling cello arrangements. Initially inspired by the harmonic resonance of piano and synths and his long standing love of ambient music, “Alone In A World Of Wounds” follows 2021’s “No Wilderness Deep Enough” in reflective ambience. Opening up his voice in ways he has never done before, the album’s genesis came via intuitive improvisations.
“The complex overtones of upright piano and synthesisers really inspired me to sing out more, to seek out the implied harmonies, and to find unique approaches within the limitations of my voice.” says Von Till.
On “Watch Them Fade”, Von Till‘s voice complex melodies with a rich, deep timbre. The lead single is available today alongside a stunning video by Bobby Cochran.
Aside from music, Von Till is a poet (he published his first collection — “Harvestman” — in 2021) and has a deep bank of poetry and wider writing that he draws on, frequently reflecting on our place within the universe while leaning into themes of loss and longing. Likewise, it is our place in nature and — crucially — our current disconnect from it that prove key to the sonic tapestry woven on “Alone In A World Of Wounds”. The album title itself was inspired by a quote from forester and environmental philosopher Aldo Leopold from his 1949 book “A Sand County Almanac”, which called for a reimagining of the relationship between people and the natural world (“one of the penalties of an ecological educations is that one lives alone in a world of wounds”),while — outside of music — Von Till remains equally committed to education (he has been an elementary school teacher for 24 years and also serves on the board of directors for the Firekeeper Alliance non-profit which is committed to reducing suicides among the youth of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana).
While “Alone In A World Of Wounds” may be far removed from the caustic aggression of NEUROSIS, make no mistake — the life-giving energy of punk rock and DIY ethic continue to provide deep inspiration and grounding to him. The search for deeper connection, living with the sorrow of our separation from the natural world, and relying on gut level instinct to get closer to the primal creative state are all key to Von Till‘s process.
“It is the transcendent nature of music, the cathartic healing process where I can leave everything behind and become one with sound,” he says. “When you allow yourself to go beyond the ordinary you might be fortunate enough to find a moment where you are creating in alignment with the flow of the river of the universe.”
Recorded mostly at his barn studio at home in Idaho and mixed at Circular Ruin in Brooklyn, New York with storied producer Randall Dunn (JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON, SUNN O))), EARTH, JIM JARMUSCH),“Alone In A World Of Wounds” also boasts cover artwork from Spokane, Washington-based alternative process photographer Brian Deemy — who works with colloidal wet plate “tintype” aesthetics, which complement Von Till‘s uniquely ancient yet grounded aesthetic, and one that perfectly matches his desire to reimagine the connection between the human and the more than human world.
“I often wonder where the psychological break was that caused the fatal delusion that we have dominion over the natural world, how it is reduced to existing solely for our benefit,” Von Till says. “Whenever that disconnect was — I believe it to be the root of most of our problems as a society, in relationships, and even within ourselves and our own minds. It always comes back to the fact that we must have a conscious shift back to understanding that we’re all part of a living animate earth: and that we need to think of the rivers and the mountains and the weather as part of us and us as part of the world. We are wild things but we’ve forgotten. Without this shift in consciousness we’re screwed. That’s the overarching theme. And when I look back on my life it’s becoming more explicit and more clear that this is always what I’ve been singing about.”
Steve Von Till is set to perform at Roadburn 2025 (Tilburg) next month and at Prepare The Ground (Toronto) and Fire In The Mountains (Blackfeet Nation) festivals this summer.
“Alone In A World Of Wounds” track listing:
01. The Corpse Road
02. Watch Them Fade
03. Horizons Undone
04. Distance
05. Calling Down The Darkness
06. The Dawning Of The Day (Insomnia)
07. Old Bent Pine
08. River Of No Return
Steve Von Till live dates:
Apr 17-20 – Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, NL
May 30 – Jun 1 – Prepare The Ground Festival – Toronto, CAN
Jul 25-27 – Fire In The Mountains Festival – Blackfeet Nation, MT
Photo by Bobby Cochran
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