We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

landscapes

by Soul Traveler

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      €6 EUR  or more

     

1.
Black sand monochromatic beaches and a distant sun this is where it all began a sleeper awakens... where am I? darkness inside me bleak volcanic rock barren lava fields where steam is rising from the hot ground where dragons breathe beneath the earth Who are you, I wonder? Desert Witch: Me? I am wandering stardust a cosmic jester playing with infinity and you? who would you be if you’d forget who you were, are souls etched in eternity or shaped by experiences? I? I don’t know What is this place? Desert Witch: Hahaha, everywhere is nowhere here each step forward brings you back one step closer to where you came from Can’t you hear the song of the stars? the song of the night sky? a serenade of nothingness expanding Leave me be then if you need mocking me Desert Witch: Since when is truth mockery? The desert is merciless she will reveal your truth always you might not like the truth no one ever likes it... at first The desert witch turns away in front of her sits a black cat their eyes meet little soul? little life? No just soul, just life the cat meows his name is warrior a notion of sorrow moves through her face as she looks at me and the chasm at my fingertips opens Desert Witch: between life and death lies a grey indifference when you stand on the edge of the void it’s just a mirage of the self to watch one universe end as another one begins unearth the darkness you carry it with you wherever you go there is no place that is all light She runs her fingers through my abyss and marks me with the sign of ash no mask anymore just raw self this is my gift to you and the desert witch with her outstretched arm gives me a heart Sometimes a little less suffering is all we can hope for
2.
Irrlichtwald 08:02
through nightscapes an untitled self wanders in a forest among silhouettes of giants cascading shadows and the sun drips liquid fire tears for a lover or tears of wrath no one knows reflections of moonlight in the water drifting between dream and reality everything dissolves in light and is reunited in shadows the universe is a place of darkness where drops of light fade in and out of existence again and again... an infinite cycle of mystery ...wondering which bubble of light I am when I look up at the night sky coldness creeps in little flames flicker faintly eerie ghostlight glimmering dancing an ominous dance teasing me inviting me to dream dreadful dreams stalking apparitions weightless yet they can’t fly like still life longing for motion a bear roars in the distance as the night unveils her the sylvan goddess her hair falls in autumn colors the dew of morning dawn on her skin her bioluminous eyes rest upon me like her kiss where a heart beats there is wilderness and where a fire burns there is a home Sylvan Goddess: Oh dear sister soul dear brother soul I made you from earth I gave you flesh so you may feel my warm and tender kiss fill me with the love of your heart from now on grandfather bear protects you walk in his steps and you shall never fall or tremble you shall never be lost walk in his shadow and you shall never be afraid you shall never be alone honor him for he is strong and he carries the memories of the ancestors dear brother souls dear sister souls I forgot the wind on my face the whispering of the trees I forgot who I was but now I remember welcome one enter together reveal yourself among them there they sit around a fire dancing beating the drums laughing and singing under the trees and the starry sky at night the wild ones gather
3.
She introduced herself to me in the language of water her beauty spanning horizons she tells me stories from distant shores I sit down and listen mesmerized her dance, so fluent like waves dunes of ever moving water always in motion like a tsunami upon arrival destroying everything in her wake like humans mirrored in tides creative destructive alive Ocean Goddess: I give you blood and desire passion for a beating heart embrace the emotions that come with it though you will curse them What should I do? Just flow Is that all? It is the only truth I know gone now left alone with my loss longing moves my heart ghosts she doesn’t understand driving me into her wide open arms a thought maybe only felt sensed by something else Chasing the horizon I can feel a storm coming he has many faces one in multitudes multitudes in one I am the dragon of the great winds the eternal devourer my wings are the sands of time encompassing the universe I am the dragon of the deep sea the eternal creator my wings are the fathomless waters below the surface and as the tempest meets the waves each a mirror of their own forever engaged they battle the nature of the storm is to rage the great tearer apart the nature of the sea is to flow the eternal source of life and a soul floats, drifts, dissolves along the greater currents towards yonder... Why all this pain? Ocean Goddess: there is a rift in all of us a space of separation and connection it’s one and the same thing just given two names where would duality end and individuality start if there were no difference even in the smallest part? Will I die? Ocean Goddess: Only to be reborn
4.
the rivers carried me here on glacier’s tongue I arrived the language of water is widely spoken the currents bed me gently into the lap of the mountains the medicine woman is beating the drums she heals my aching flesh she seals my bleeding wounds from the rhythm of her drum from the voice of her song a blessing received behind this veil of fog the mountains rise giants of stone grey clouds dim the light the medicine woman leads me to caverns in the deep I enter the belly of the earth where shadows dwell where I walk astray in strange chambers ash and smoke fill the air old fires burn long before mankind Medicine Woman: a demon gnaws at the roots of the mountain you must face what you will find there salvation damnation both are fertile grounds for healing We are all under one sky the wretched, the unwanted the demon is I you are my brother I see you you are my sister I see you a part of me apart from me I know you I love you I set you free Medicine Woman: rise like fire travel as the snow leopard does his name is Wind he might mislead you if he pleases over steep hill and slope I stumble, I fall, I rise over rock, root and stone I stumble, I fall, I rise your shadow follows you whispering Cassandra’s truth and the summit floats in a sea of fiery clouds Medicine Woman: I carved these bones for you they will keep your foot steady your step determined the roots of the mountain become your roots she walks me to a cliff it’s time for you to return home all it takes is a leap of faith trust you will be held like clouds falling from the sky arrive on earth as snowflakes or drops of rain unburdened by self but I just found myself then lose yourself again the sun is always shining above the clouds so are you always yourself no matter the clouds of the world you rise by falling I take the step cutting the strings flying towards earth a spirit free
5.
Her kiss like raindrops on my lips She gifts me breath I open my eyes to her smile Nymph of the Meadows: You are a beautiful soul Dissipating clouds like old memories make space for a blue sky and the sunshine of a free spirit the grass is wet under my feet the last memories of a forgotten storm She swirls around me like wind teasing the blades of grass Did I die? Nymph of the Meadows: Silly soul She giggles and embraces me under the gaze of the mountains You never have been more alive Dance, sing, smile make a home for yourself the shadows exposed will always follow you make them a home too A glimpse of hurt in my eyes Nymph of the Meadows: I can taste the void on your lips do not despair we all flirt with the light by day yet at night we lie with the wilderness that is in our nature we are a part of the land and the land is a part of us dragons run through our blood The cry of a Gyrfalcon followed her voice and this one of course his name is Sky he is your companion if he chooses you now come and see as I walk among lush emerald meadows and past thundering waterfalls the force of a flowing river is like the patience of paper hidden places and secret gardens revealing their treasures unto me lust is the love language of earth and earth is in your bones when she fucks the sky all the wild beasts rejoice and celebrate At morning dawn three paths lead me astray Nymph of the Meadows: Where will you go? to source to desert or... just life? will you perpetuate the loop an echo of souls past recursive dreams onto themselves or will you break it? there is no place that is all dark the Gyrfalcon cries out towards the blue sky he is calling my name I am on my way to the only place I know wilderness is home wildness is soul

about

We are part of the land and the sea and they are part of us. Welcome to a journey through the landscapes of earth and the inner landscapes of the self...


My debut album landscapes was inspired by Mary Reynolds Thompson’s book Reclaiming the Wild Soul in which she details a soul journey through the five archetypal landscapes of earth: Deserts, Forests, Oceans and Rivers, Mountains, and Grasslands.

Writing this album started in 2017 and took me almost five years. During this time I went to different places both inside and outside. I wandered the landscapes, I started photography, I continued writing poetry and music. I got more familiar with my acoustic guitar and my style of playing changed over these years, which can be observed comparing the first and last song to the rest of the album.

My deserts were the lava fields of Iceland and the emptiness between the stars in the night sky, my forests were the primeval forests of Germany and the Taiga of Sweden and Finland, my oceans were the Atlantic as well as the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, my mountains were the rock formations of Norway, and my grasslands were the Norwegian fjords and lush valleys. I went there sometimes with my guitar, sometimes with my camera, and sometimes with just a pen and paper. Throughout all these years of writing poetry and music, every time I went afar, I brought back stories of the wind, the trees and the stars, or sometimes ... just myself.

One story in particular quickly materialized as the main threat woven throughout the album. The journey of a blank soul not only through the landscapes of earth but through the inner landscapes of the self. Piece by piece putting itself together, uncovering the darkness and the light, the softness and the wildness, the maturity and immaturity. Guided by nature and animal spirits, this blank soul could be anyone and no one in particular experiencing life.

Dear traveler, may you find something inside these notes and words and this life that resonates within you.

To all of us together
góða ferð

Sebastian

credits

released March 20, 2022

Thanks to my loved ones and all who enjoy this music.

Special thanks to the sacred landscapes of earth and that wild and free spirit.


Credits

Music and poetry written by Sebastian Malinowski
Mixed and mastered by Charles at Studio Greywolf

Cover photo by Matt Johnson
Instagram: @mattj.pnw

Released March 20th
“landscapes”, Soul Traveler, 2022

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Soul Traveler Helsinki, Finland

Atmospheric fingerstyle guitars combined with ritualistic percussion, poetry and imagery to tell stories inspired by life, death and the journeys within.

contact / help

Contact Soul Traveler

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

Soul Traveler recommends:

If you like Soul Traveler, you may also like: