Product Description

"Records like this remind you where the term 'Heavenly Voices' comes from." - Mick Mercer


Mirabilis - the collaborative neo-classical / heavenly voices duo Summer Bowman of The Machine in the Garden and Dru Allen of This Ascension - return with Sub Rosa, the brilliant follow-up to their 2004 debut, Pleiades. The new album mixes classical sensibilities with exotic electronics and acoustic instrumentation to complement the vocal depth listeners are familiar with from Dru and Summer. The vocals are supported with a melancholic arrangement of flute, hammered dulcimer, and live percussion mixing with multi-layered vocal stylings to invoke a range of emotional textures.

These two sirens weave an irresistible spell of seduction with their haunting soprano vocals, and together they create a lush bed of dream-like harmonies. - Dark Realms Magazine

Sub Rosa is a Latin term meaning secrecy, literally translating to "under the rose." The rose in ancient times was a symbol of sworn confidence of participants at a meeting. Mirabilis uses these connotations to refer to the subtleties and new layers explored on this release. These unseen, uncharted territories explored on Sub Rosa will draw listeners in to a new musical journey.

Mirabilis will appeal to fans of Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Medieval Babes, and Loreena McKennitt.
Summer Bowman is half of the Machine in the Garden, and has released three albums on Middle Pillar Presents to critical acclaim in the gothic/ethereal genre.
Dru Allen sang for the gothic/ethereal band This Ascension, a cornerstone in the American underground dark music scene throughout the 1990's releasing four albums, first with Tess Records, then re-released on Projekt Records.
Released in cooperation with Middle Pillar Presents.

Track Listing

1. World Indifferent
2. Journey
3. Vastness
4. Nature Boy
5. Flowers Pressed Down
6. Undercurrent
7. Est Bel et Bon
8. O Maria Mater Pia
9. Odyle
10. Angel Eyes
11. Aubade
12. Ballade of the Centre
13. Farce
14. Because
15. Sub Rosa
16. World Indifferent [Restoration Mix]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141170 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-12
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Hail our sisters' return
If you like their debut "Pleiades", "Sub Rosa" is a blessed continuation down the shadowed, leaf-strewn path. Here's how to tell who is singing: Dru Allen has a slightly faster vibrato, while Summer Bowman has a shade more alto resonance. Regardless, their voices blend better than milk and honey.

The music in "Sub Rosa" is mainly sustained chords, dulcimer, and minimal tribal percussion, allowing the vocals to hold the foreground. This is especially effective in "The Journey". Cindy Adzuki Chang's voice blends with Summer's and Dru's with dramatic results. (Chang's flute heightens the melancholy of the song, a memorial to Chi-Huang Michael Chang.)

If you like Miranda Sex Garden at all, you *need* to hear Mirabilis' version of "Nature Boy". The a cappella layers are pretty haunting. "The Flowers Pressed Down", also a cappella, holds to Mirabilis' madrigal roots. One of my favorite things about Mirabilis is that they *never* hide their voices behind a wall of sound.

"Il Est Bil et Bon"?!? For God's sake, I had to sing that in high school choir 18,412 times. Nothing against Summer and Dru - I just feel like a eunich whenever I hear that thing.

Chang's flute returns in the funky "Odyle". This track is a pretty good counterpoint to Dead Can Dance's "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove". I think "Aubade" will stand as one of Mirabilis' standards. It's a gentle mix of piano, low strings and woodwinds, with Dru and Summer trading soprano leads. Gorgeous. "Farce" is such a straight shot of Kurt Weill-ish harpsichord cabaret, I can't help smiling.

As for their cover of The Beatles' "Because": Ohhh my God. This alone would be reason enough to buy the CD, fo' shizzle. Rebeca Colleen Miller's harmonies just make it even trippier. The ending mix of the opening track "World Indifferent" is a nice closer. It falls somewhere between Wolfsheim and Art of Noise.

The sirens call from the shore once more. Have your crew tie you to the mast if need be - just be sure to hear this album. Dru, if you're reading this, the only suggestion I can offer is MORE COWBELL.