We’re back with a little day-drinking Sunday special: just a little something to dull the pain of the end of the weekend and prepare your mind, body and spirit for the beginning of another long slog.  Drink from the cup of heresy.  This week’s offerings: Nibiridis’ Knight’s Heart and Pipeworks Brewing Company’s Oak Aged Märzen Lager.

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The Tunes: Nibiridis – Knight’s Heart

Crafting the kind of dreamy, ethereal and downright gorgeous folk most people can only dream of, France’s Nibiridis has been putting in the work as a singer and songwriter since she was thirteen years old.  Her passions run the gamut of folk, indie, alternative and Celtic tunes, but on the Knight’s Heart EP, she delves into the world of the medieval, mixing delicate singing with the kind of acoustic strumming and picking that wouldn’t be out of place at all in an interlude on an Obsequiae album.  These four short compositions effortlessly show off what Nibiridis can do with just a voice and some simple accompaniment, and perfectly capture the sense of wonder and romance you would hope medieval influenced folk is all about. 

Opener “Rose on the Sword” is an entrancing, vaguely Arthurian tale of a long-forgotten sword planted in a stone and the one who left it behind for reasons unknown.  The airy composition is made all the more haunting by Nibiridis’ high register and lilting vocal melody, wrapping the mind in a soft shroud and making it incredibly easy to drift off to a different time and place.  The rest of the EP is much the same; “Coeur de Chevalier” sees Nibiridis sing in her native French, “Ruined Castle” slows things down musically and emotionally, with a considerably darker and more somber than its mates, and closer “Glorious Story” features double-tracked vocals in perfect harmony over the most indie of all the chord progressions and melodic lines.  Everything on Knight’s Heart was done by Nibiridis, from the songwriting to the instruments to the production, and it shows through that this short piece was a labor of love.  Truly, the only thing I can fault Knight’s Heart for is that it’s simply not long enough: by the time “Glorious Story” is over, I find myself wanting so much more.  But I suppose there’s time for that soon, hopefully.

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Knight’s Heart is available now on Nibiridis’ Bandcamp page.  For more information, check out her Instagram.

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The Booze: Pipeworks Brewing Company – Oak Aged Märzen Lager

I guess all the clever names for brews have been taken at this point: Oak Aged Märzen Lager is exactly what it says on the can, and it’s a perfect kickoff to our descent into October and all the festivities contained therein.  German beers and German-style beers rule this time of year, and I’m happy to break my norm of super hoppy IPAs to dig into the more malty and grain-forward lagers, especially when they have a little twist to them like this one.  Right off the bat on the first sip, you’re hit with the classic vanilla sweetness that comes with oak aging, very reminiscent of the first sip of a nice bourbon.  The sweetness sticks around for a while as the beer evolves a nice, roasty backbone and a clean finish.  To me, it screams fall, and while the dregs of summer are sticking around with a vengeance, this beer is a welcome moment to savor what lies ahead.  Sometimes I forget that Pipeworks is local to us in Chicago, and this beer makes me realize I need to seek out more of their stuff, especially their deeper cuts like this one.

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Until next time, you know what it is: cheers, and be good to each other.

— Ian