It’s very uncommon nowadays to find a music release that is genuinely different from anything that has come before. Or at least, find music that is different enough from what’s around that it feels fresh. Henki, by a collaboration between English folk singer Richard Dawson and Finnish rock band Circle, is just such a release.

I admit that I’ve never listened to either artists’ respective music, and was only dimly aware of their existence at all before stumbling upon Henki. The album was both highlighted on AllMusic, my go-to resource for music reviews and staying on top of new releases, and reviewed by online critic Anthony Fantano, a sure sign of cultural cache if there ever was one. I was intrigued by the cover art – it’s a throwback to the underground art of the late-Sixties counterculture – as well as the potential fusion of freak folk and experimental rock.

I wasn’t let down. Henki’s cover is a pretty good encapsulation of what the music sounds like: a glorious city on the hill, made up of a melange of pan-cultural architecture, surrounded by arched railroad tracks, waterways filled with tugboats and junk ships, and on the fringes, a massive system of intertwined roots that hint at an untamed wilderness beyond. It’s a scene out of a fantasy story, and Richard Dawson and Circle have supplied the soundtrack.

Dawson’s cracked vocals draw from traditional British folk. It sounds very medieval. The lyrics are dense with mystical and archaic imagery, as  if a humanities grad student decided to write about the most arcane subject matter to impress his friends.

What really makes it, however, is the music. Circle fuse prog rock ambition, krautrock pulse, fusion jazz and misty folk into an alluring palette of shifting sounds. Sometimes a comparably heavy-ish riff will rise up too, but this is far from metal. The overall effect of Circle’s music with Dawson’s singing is comparable to Peter Gabriel-era Genesis with more modern drive, or Seventies British medieval style bands like Steeleye Span or Gentle Giant with looser, less complex arrangements. I also got some King Crimson vibes, between the foreboding guitar work and the openness to experimentation, seeing where the music takes you.

Highlights: “Ivy,” progresses  into a circular trance. “Silphium,” the longest track on the disc, stretches way out until the players devolve into abstract noodling before naturally and effectively coming back together into the main riff. Finally, “Methuselah,” about the ancient bristlecone pine tree, is the hardest track here with a great central riff. 

Admittedly, Dawson’s voice does take some getting used to, and I’m not sure if I’d have enjoyed the album nearly as much if it wasn’t supported by Circle’s playing. That said, his songwriting is the clear driving force of the Henki’s quirky adventurousness, so you can’t really take one without the other. I’m not sure if I’m ready to jump into his solo material, but I would be interested in checking out Circle’s back catalogue. 

Don’t get me wrong – this is not music to put on at a party, unless your party takes place at a Ren Faire. This is not music to put on with a date, unless that date is really into crystals and tarot cards. Yet this is music for sipping some tea on a foggy morning, or dreaming up your next DnD character. It’s singularly different, and that makes it a worthwhile addition to the year’s collection.

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