Product Description
It’s a name-your-price download at our Bandcamp page.
2. Carol of the Drum 03:55
3. Carol of the Drum (A Cappella) 03:48
4. We Three Kings 03:02
A string of intimately lavish dark duets offers a haunting brand of holiday caroling. Chanteuse Sue Hutton (of the beloved Canadian ensemble Rhea’s Obsession and presently of Indarra) and troubadour Athan Maroulis (presently of NOIR and formerly of Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and Executive Slacks) collaborate on new Christmas material released in time to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their track “We Three Kings” which appeared on Projekt’s Excelsis Vol 2: A Winter’s Song way back in 1999.
The twentieth anniversary of that luxurious recording inspired Sue and Athan to recruit the talents of producer/instrumentalist Kevin Laliberté for three new dark holiday duets where touches of ethereal and world music merge with chants and flashes of the classic 4AD sound. Sue cut her sensual vocals in Toronto while Athan crooned his in New York City in the summer of 2019.
Featured songs include a lush take on the traditional “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” originally penned in the 18th century, a pair of renditions of the beloved 1940s “Carol of the Drum,” and their original 1999 exotica-flavored recording of “We Three Kings.”
Projekt releases Christmas Nocturne November 22nd via all streaming and digital outlets.
For those who feel their holiday music doesn’t offer enough moody atmosphere, Sue and Athan fill the void and please enthusiasts of Dead Can Dance, Enigma, TSO and Delerium.
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From ReGen
Sue Hutton and Athan Maroulis celebrate the holiday season with new Christmas EP on Projekt Records
Athan Maroulis (NØIR, Black Tape For a Blue Girl, Spahn Ranch) and Sue Hutton (Indarra, Rhea’s Obsession) have joined forces to celebrate the holiday season with the Christmas Nocturne EP, now available as a “name-your-price” item on Bandcamp. With proceeds split between Projekt Records and the two artists, the EP presents the duo collaborating on four traditional Christmas carols, including a rendition of “We Three Kings” the pair recorded in 1999 for Projekt’s Excelsis: Vol 2: A Winter’s Song collection, effectively celebrating the track’s 20th anniversary. For the remainder of the EP, Hutton and Maroulis recorded their vocals in their respective homes of Toronto, Ontario and New York City with Xris Smack; the pair also recruited producer/musician Kevin Laliberté for new instrumental and a cappella renditions of the 1940s “Carol of the Drum” and the 18th century traditional “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
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From Brutal Resonance
Sue Hutton (Rhea’s Obsession, Indarra) and Athan Maroulis (NOIR, Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) have teamed up to release a special holiday EP titled Christmas Nocturne. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their song ‘We Three Kings’ released on Projekt Records’ compilation Excelsis Vol 2: A Winter’s Song back in 1999, the duo teamed up again to offer an alternative, moodier set of holiday songs for this upcoming Christmas season. The new EP comes with a cover of the traditional song ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, two versions of ‘Carol of the Drum’, as well as the original song that inspired it all ‘We Three Kings’. -Steven Gullotta
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From MK Ultra
Projekt Releases Christmas EP from Indarra and NOIR vocalists
The twentieth anniversary of their recording of “We Three Kings” for Projekt Records’ release Excelsis Vol 2: A Winter’s Song, inspired chanteuse Sue Hutton (of the beloved Canadian ensemble Rhea’s Obsession and presently of Indarra) and troubadour Athan Maroulis (presently of NOIR and formerly of Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and Executive Slacks) to team up with producer and instrumentalist Kevin Laliberté, to collaborate on some new Christmas material. The collective results can be found on Christmas Nocturne, a series of duets that offer a unique haunting brand of caroling with touches of ethereal, dark wave and world music. Featured songs include a lush take on the traditional “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” originally penned in the 18th century, a pair of renditions of the beloved 1940s “Carol of the Drum,” and their original 1999 exotica-flavored recording of “We Three Kings.” Projekt has just released Christmas Nocturne via streaming and digital outlets along with a free download option on Bandcamp. -Alex Zander
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From Sounds + Shadows
The most recent of Projekt’s holiday releases came out on Nov. 22. Sue Hutton (Rhea’s Obsession, Indarra) and Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, black tape for a blue girl, NØIR) joined forces on this EP, which includes a re-release of “We Three Kings,” the duet they first created in 1999 for Excelsis Vol. 2. I count their version of “We Three Kings” as my favorite recorded Christmas song. Recorded with Sue’s world music-inspired previous band, Rhea’s Obsession, it captures the mysticism of the three wise men journeying from the east. The song features Sue playing a bulbul (a North Indian dulcimer), and the last third of the song focuses on hand percussion with vocalizing in her Indo-Bulgarian style while Athan provides mellifluous harmonies. The blend of these elements offers some of the most sublime moments to be found in dark world music.
20 years later, Athan and Sue have brewed a new batch of achingly beautiful, dark and velvety concoctions. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” has several unique sections. It begins with Sue singing the intro to the medieval Christmas carol “Gaudete,” while Athan sings backing vocals. It then becomes more of a traditional duet with minimal instrumentation as they sing the familiar lyrics about comfort and joy. And then the heavy electric guitars kick in, lending more gravitas. Kevin Laliberté provides production and instrumentation, and the overall effect is a bit like Dead Can Dance meets Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Christmas Nocturne also includes “Carol of the Drum,” penned in the 1940s based on a traditional Czech song and now most often known as “Little Drummer Boy.” Athan takes the lead on this one, providing a rich vocal line while Sue offers the backing harmonies. There are two versions, one with some faint drums and atmospheric keyboards, and one performed acapella, in which the vocals themselves offer the rhythms and allow the harmonies to glitter on center stage in an arrangement that rivals anything Pentatonix could come up with. -DJ KellyA