Ultra giga disclaimer: in the interest of full disclosure, I wanna say the man behind Hircine, Damian Smith, was for a short time a writer with Everything Is Noise. His last LP under Hircine was covered here by me in late 2023 before we had a professional relationship because it was great music and this new album will be covered because it is similarly great, and because he no longer writes with us therefore negating any conflict of interest policies we strongly adhere to otherwise. Cool? Cool.
Somewhere early on in my playthrough of the game Avowed, it was made apparent what the stakes are and what sides war with each other in the grander scheme of the game’s world. Without spoiling too much (because it’s a really good game and you should play it if you’re a fan of focused, mostly linear fantasy RPGs, especially those by Obsidian Entertainment), in a nutshell, it’s a story of imperialistic empire versus the natural order, the latter interpretable a couple of different ways, though chiefly it can be taken pretty literally. Nature itself fights against the unnatural, the order seeking to route the chaos in often violent ways. It’s instinct, at least to a point, not driven by anything resembling sentience, only primal reaction for base survival.
Hircine likewise represents the natural order. In my review for Luna & the Light, I made this very apparent just as the music itself does, going as far as calling it ‘sonic altruism‘, but I don’t know, something about A Crown of Wildflowers makes it completely inseparable. Perhaps it is the influence of my Avowed playthrough, but this LP drowns in adventurousness. It’s a free roam through the wilds with nary another soul like yours in sight – just flora, fauna, and the structures erected by old civilizations now laid bare with time, ready to explore if you’re brave enough. With “Pathways of Fallen Leaves” or “Sylvan Magick”, I see detailed and vast landscapes coated in greenery, fallen stone pillars being reclaimed by vines and moss, the majesty of a fantasy world complete with its esotericism and magic before me like a feast for the eyes.
But there are still moments of tension or otherness. Most songs delve into the twinkling whimsy of different realms, colored uniquely as if they were seasons in a diverse biome, but others are more curious, rapt with a journeying and explorative spirit that leads to tracks with more dense, heavier tones and an enclosed feel. It’s akin to entering those dilapidated dungeons and temples pock-marked around the wilderness, not knowing what you’ll find. Big horns, drums, and choral vocals on “Corvus Oculum Corvi Non Eruit” (Latin proverb for ‘a raven does not pick out an eye of another raven‘) fill the dank, musty air with power and uncertainty, though not an explicit danger. Like how Luna the cat was never truly in dire peril throughout the story of Luna & the Light, so too are you reasonably safe during A Crown of Wildflowers.
I love the use of flute throughout the album as well. Not only is it reminiscent of and quite fitting to old school RPG games, but also reminds me of the more exotic sounds that Kero Kero Bonito will weave into their production on tracks like “When The Fires Come”, also nature-focused though more doomed than anything here on A Crown of Wildflowers. “Duskfall Revelry” is great for that, sounding like a nighttime visit to a tavern in the forest, people dancing under the darkening sky. My favorite song though is probably “Stories Told Unto the Wind”, the longest Hircine track that I’m aware of thus far at over seven minutes and a smorgasbord of feelings and instruments, my fave being the liberal harpsichord use that anchors the track.
Hircine has once again nested itself into a lowkey, cozy modality with A Crown of Wildflowers. It’s not a sedentary album though – just as before, there’s fun and adventure at its core, a keen sort of fun that calls to the explorer in us all. Each song is its own moment in time and place (ha), uniquely tuned to convey something very specific and all easygoing enough to soundtrack anything from, well, me literally writing this review, to walking around the city you live in, perhaps looking for quests and such. The wealth of sounds and moods are best honed in on though – this is a very detailed album and so taking in as much as you’re able to is its own reward.
