In fact ever since he came to my attention with his first group Strength Through Joy, a project he shared with Timothy Jenn, who operated in the realm of "apocalyptic folk" as it was then known, and whose releases appeared on Douglas P. of Death In June's Twilight Command label. The west and Europa have long been an influence on this Australian born artist.Īt the time I jokingly referred to them as being an "Occidental protégé" of Douglas P., as he released and produced their two albums. Strength Through Joy disbanded after two albums. Somewhere along the path we lost touch with Ostara, as they moved from the acoustic folk of Secret Homeland to a more pop-folk hybrid found on albums such as Kingdom Gone, Ultima Thule, Immaculate Destruction, and The Only Solace.Īnd from its ashes sprung Ostara, a new musical vehicle for the words and music of Richard Leviathan, along with varied collaborators. Last year we became reacquainted with Ostara following the release of Napoleonic Blues, an album issued by Soleilmoon Records. We wrote that "their music once acoustic strum, is now more varied and powerful, at times folk tinged, and at other times anthemic all filled with melodic pop hooks. The accessibility of the music belies the complex thought and meaning that Leviathan has compressed into a wonderful poetic form." Furthermore in our review of the pop-edged neo-folk of Napoleonic Blues we mentioned how Richard Leviathan "has proven to be quite the intellect, previously steeping his lyrics in mythology, symbolism and heady philosophical concerns but with Napoleonic Blues his poetic form and insights are condensed into lyrics that are more simple and direct." It was perhaps a misstep as Richard's lyrics have always been clever and intricate drawing upon history, philosophy and condensing them into a lyrical poetic form. Last year his poetic work was published as Odes, a collection of elegiac pieces to some of his favourite poets, novelists, philosophers and historical figures. Napoleonic Blues, Ostara's most recent album, is a concept album, described as "a reflection on the persistence of the past in the chaos of the present". Unlike many acts in the neo-folk genre who fixate on Europe, and its victories and defeats. Ostara cast their gaze far wider with a global view that stretches from the deindustrialisation of Detroit in America to the embattled zones of Gaza and Tehran in the Middle East. Paradise Down South, the previous Ostara album, ruminated on the effects of the global financial crisis and Napoleonic Blues furthers this crossing ages and spanning continents mixing philosophies, history with the tribulations facing the modern world. As Leviathan so succinctly extrapolated on Napoleonic Blues the problems of today continue to be steeped in the past and in history. This interview digs deep into his motives and love of history that stretches from the Weimar Period, the Third Reich to Norse and Greek myths, Gnostic cosmology and the Christian roots of America. Ostara are often viewed as a neo-folk act with all that comes with it. Richard Leviathan is of Jewish origin, and it's this that intrigues me and in this interview he expands on views surrounding his Jewish ancestry, Palestine and much besides as well as the inspiration of Yukio Mishima and the literature of Japan. I hope it is of interest to readers who are aware of Ostara and Richard Leviathan as it provides valuable insight into the themes that permeate and circulate around the lyrical concerns that Richard Leviathan brings to Ostara, wrapped around his stunning pop-folk sensibility. This interview was conducted following the release of Napoleonic Blues. Ostara are currently working on a new album, Eclipse of the West, which will be released in 2018. This interview was conducted by Sergio Volumen. Thanks to Sergio for conducting the interview and to Richard Leviathan for kindly offering it to compulsiononline in this unedited form. Can you introduce our readers what is your project Ostara about and how did you start it? Thank you for accepting this interview, Richard. Ostara was born out of the ashes of my first endeavour, Strength Through Joy, both originally consisting of myself and Timothy Jenn, who left in 2002. It has been essentially a solo venture ever since with various collaborations.
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