Through Shaded Woods

{{Infobox album

| name = Through Shaded Woods

| type = Album

| artist = Lunatic Soul

| cover = Lunatic Soul Through Shaded Woods Album Cover.png

| alt =

| released = November 13, 2020

| recorded = April 2019 – August 2020

| venue =

| studio = Serakos Studio, Warsaw, Poland

| genre = Progressive rock, progressive folk

| length = {{Duration|m=39|s=50}}

| label =

| producer = {{hlist|Mariusz Duda|Robert Srzednicki|Magda Srzednicka}}

| prev_title = Under the Fragmented Sky

| prev_year = 2018

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Through Shaded Woods

| type = Studio

| single1 = The Passage

| single1date = September 24, 2020

}}

}}

Through Shaded Woods is the seventh studio album by Lunatic Soul, the side project of Riverside bassist, vocalist, and songwriter Mariusz Duda, released on November 13, 2020. The album was described by Duda as 'more folky' than previous releases,{{Cite web |last=Trimming |first=Leo |date=2020-11-14 |title=Mariusz Duda – Lunatic Soul |url=https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2020/11/14/mariusz-duda-lunatic-soul/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=T P A |language=en-GB}} with more influence from Scandinavian and Slavic folk{{Cite web |last=Sharppublished |first=Johnny |date=2020-12-14 |title=Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods album review |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/lunatic-soul-through-shaded-woods-album-review |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=louder |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Lunatic Soul «Through Shaded Woods» (2020) |url=http://inrock.ru/reviews/lunatic_soul_2020 |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=InRock |language=ru-RU}} and fewer electronic elements.{{Cite web |title=Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods (album review ) {{!}} Sputnikmusic |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/83145/Lunatic-Soul-Through-Shaded-Woods/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=www.sputnikmusic.com}} In Poland, Through Shaded Woods peaked at number 5 on OLiS (Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaży, Official Sales Chart).{{cite web |title=Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart |url=http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=1332&lang= |accessdate=2020-11-26 |publisher=olis.onyx.pl}} Mariusz Duda composed all the songs and, for the first time in Lunatic Soul's history, played all the instruments on the album.{{Cite web |title=Lunatic Soul "Through Shaded Woods |url=https://mystic.pl/product-pol-55201-Lunatic-Soul-Through-Shaded-Woods.html?srsltid=AfmBOop-44QFMB14afTIx_RrQppyZHz6985SFup9cTfI3m6EV7JU-D0X |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=MYSTIC PRODUCTION |language=pl}}

On Through Shaded Woods Duda maintains the melancholy and darkness characteristic of his music, but this time he focuses also on "light and hope."{{Cite web |title=Lunatic Soul "Through Shaded Woods |url=https://mystic.pl/product-pol-55201-Lunatic-Soul-Through-Shaded-Woods.html?srsltid=AfmBOop-44QFMB14afTIx_RrQppyZHz6985SFup9cTfI3m6EV7JU-D0X |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=MYSTIC PRODUCTION |language=pl}} There is no electronics on the album, which dominated earlier Lunatic Soul albums.{{Cite web |title=Through Shaded Woods |url=https://audio.com.pl/muzyka/recenzje/rock/28277-lunatic-soul-through-shaded-woods |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=audio.com.pl |language=pl}} The release is based on organic sounds of acoustic guitars, bass and keyboard instruments.{{Cite web |title=Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods {{!}} recenzje ArtRock.pl |url=https://artrock.pl/recenzje/54581/lunatic_soul_through_shaded_woods.html |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=ArtRock.pl |language=pl}} The songs contain the use of various sounds inscribed in folk - whispered choirs, pulsating rhythmic drums or delicate keyboards.{{Cite web |last=Pietrzak |first=Joanna |date=2020-11-13 |title=Lunatic Soul - "Through Shaded Woods" (2020) |url=https://kvlt.pl/muzyka/recenzje/lunatic-soul-through-shaded-woods-2020/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=KVLT |language=pl-PL}}

Reviewers noted that Through Shaded Woods is the most positive album from Lunatic Soul. As the portal rockserwis.fm stated: “In this difficult time of covid-19, full of challenges and anxiety during the pandemic, Mariusz Duda invites us on a walk into the forest to seek harmony and peace, and to forget, even for a moment, about the depressing everyday life."{{cite web|access-date=2025-04-08 |title=Recenzja – Rockserwis.fm |url=https://rockserwis.fm/recenzja/2020-11-13_lunatic-soul_through-shaded-woods |website=rockserwis.fm}}

In the extended version of the album, the second disc features the suite “Transition II,” a nearly 28-minute-long piece which is the longest composition in Mariusz Duda's career.{{Cite web |title=30.11.20 |url=https://mariuszduda.md/30-11-20/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=mariusz duda |language=en-US}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Through Shaded Woods

| title1 = Navvie

| length1 = 4:03

| lyrics1 =

| music1 =

| title2 = The Passage

| length2 = 8:57

| lyrics2 =

| music2 =

| title3 = Through Shaded Woods

| length3 = 5:51

| lyrics3 =

| music3 =

| title4 = Oblivion

| length4 = 5:03

| lyrics4 =

| music4 =

| title5 = Summoning Dance

| length5 = 9:52

| lyrics5 =

| music5 =

| title6 = The Fountain

| length6 = 6:04

| lyrics6 =

| music6 =

| total_length = 39:50

| lyrics_credits =

| music_credits =

}}{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus Disc

| title7 = Vyraj

| length7 = 5:32

| title8 = Hylophobia

| note8 =

| length8 = 3:20

| writer8 =

| title9 = Transition II

| length9 = 27:45

| writer9 =

| title10 =

| length10 =

| writer10 =

| total_length = 76:27

}}

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Lunatic Soul website.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-12 |title=through shaded woods |url=https://lunaticsoul.com/d-through-shaded-woods/ |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=lunatic soul |language=en-US}}

Lunatic Soul

  • Mariusz Duda - music, lyrics, all instruments

Production

  • Mariusz Duda - production, mixing
  • Magda Srzednicka - production, recording, mixing, mastering
  • Robert Srzednicki - production, recording, mixing, mastering

Design

  • Łukasz "Pachu” Pach - artwork design and layout
  • Julia Malec - cover symbol and corner designs
  • Tomasz Pulsakowski - images
  • Tomasz Bogdan - images

References