Tag: folk

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Folk Stories Mixed Genre Science

The Story Song Scientists – Quantum Lyrics (review)

Released October 2021

Sit up, science is about to begin! For those who like to follow the Roud index as much as the Alper-Doger Index, an EP is out which looks at some incredible stories of science, celebrating them in the warm halo of Findlay Napier and Megan Henwood. The stylings of Glaswegian Napier and bluesy-lyricist Henwood’s folk have combined into something both nerdy and musically beautiful, the likes we have not seen of any time in recent memory (except of course their first EP “Story Song Scientists”, of course). This fusion with its heart in experimentation goes some way to make us quicken from a slow meander to a quintessential sprint with purpose as we hear of some previously unheard human accomplishments from our history (and not all positive in nature).  

This EP contains crackly call-backs to yester-year, poetry and good old melodies whose quaint exterior masks the quite seismic effects on our history. Supported by the Arts Council these science stories spectaculaire are a potent mix of songwriting that is every bit the beauty of that potassium experiment you remember with all its fireworks (and less of what could be found behind the safety screen afterwards).

“Ode to the Man with the Man with the Golden Arm” is like a quick,friendly embrace with its gentle and softly spoken, 60s ballad influence. Describing James Harrison, a man with a rare antigen to Rhesus Disease in his blood, the song captivates with a folky, calling harmony and a melodic guitar pluck that quietly celebrates his accomplishment. On discovery of the antigen, Mr Harrison is purported to have saved 2.5 million babies in Australia by regularly donating blood every week for 60 years. The duo’s voices celebrate as a reverent singing whisper for an enormously generous human being; the track ripples its delicate butterfly wings in the Far East spreading its influences out. Like the calm, thoughtful works of Simon and Garfunkel, Napier and Henwood glow in awe with their captivating song style.

The idea behind the “The Anarchist Cookbook” is, of course, that book of legend whose reputation hadn’t dimmed in some circles I knew at school in the 90s. The recipes for such things as the construction of weapons, how to make LSD, and most famously, bombs were contained within. The spirit of the age is invoked as the song wonders how William Powell’s book could have affected the conscience of the author, “there is ink on my fingers, blood on my hands”. The juxtaposition of the damning lyrics with the dream-like guitar dissolves into a final chorus of clicks, static and growing synth drums that really sticks in that time-honoured tradition that the jolliest tunes are probably the most grim in content (just look at child ballads). Mirroring Mr Powell’s own regrets, the song is like a poorly maintained fairground. Breezy and fun, the danger lies beneath the surface in the track; it rises to the surface in the off-beat continuation of “Specimen 4 – TAC” (Track 8).

We also want to talk about “1800 and Froze to Death”. This delightful ditty is the catchy, sing-a-long blues number that we would normally find within Megan Henwood’s cabinet of music, and it being here serves the listener very well. The early track speaks of Mount Tambora’s eruption (the most powerful on Earth in 10,000 years) and how it created a climate catastrophe of famine and exceptionally cold temperatures. Clever rhyming with and charming interface between the two singers allows this song to flow as it talks about global, seismic changes to the world in the style of a guy out of work and down on his luck. Smoky and stylish like Henwood’s solo fare with a good eye on the word (as per Napier), this is worth taking pause for.

There are other tracks for you to mull over here, but without going into details it is safe to say that “The Story Scientists” has been a worthwhile experiment with everything here. Henwood and Napier’s voices are complimentary, the album is polished in production, and there have been some inspiring choices of science throughout.

If you are interested in the album it can be purchased from all good stockists, but as always we recommend you buy from the artists themselves at: https://meganhenwoodfindlaynapier.bandcamp.com/album/quantum-lyrics

Categories
Acoustic Blues Folk Music Trad Covers Traditional

5th March 2022- Phil Beer at Wesley Centre, Maltby

We have recently had the pleasure of visiting the opening night of “Wesley Centre Live”, a series of folk gigs that has started in Maltby. We wanted to share our experiences with you, for more information about upcoming gigs, go to https://www.facebook.com/wesleycentrelive/?ref=page_internal. 

Heading out in your car a little East of Rotherham you come to Maltby, and near to the centre of that there is the Wesley Centre. The Wesley Centre is a Methodist Chapel with it’s first references to worship being from a directory entry in 1832 and for this night it is the setting for “Songs of the Road”, a post-Covid solo gig by Phil Beer (from folk band, Show of Hands). Phil Beer is a great choice of the inaugural gig for meetup being a multi-instrumentalist who not only lived and played through modern folk’s golden age but is also a personable lively sort of individual who is an affable, early tonic for the recovering live music scene. 

We found The Wesley Centre to be a great modern space for folk gigs. On entry there is enough space to fit a good number of audience members without it being a cramped space (there was  around 80 for this gig with space for more), but not so large as to detract from the intimacy of the event. The whole thing started with a warm welcome from Nick Wilson, one of the organisers who seems to have a great passion for live music. The overall shared sentiment was that live music was returning and this was a very welcome return indeed.   

Following the introduction, Phil takes the stage. Phil himself has many years of experience on the music circuit from his individual endeavours, partnerships, and of course recognition in the Exter everyman band that is “Show of Hands”. During the gig he regaled tales from his travels, recalled the folk club that was resident in the building many years ago, and had a few gentle humours regarding the Romans and their roads. Beer was softly spoken and with his banter he came across as a person very much interested in history, the landscape and the enduring purpose of music (folk or not). This was apparent as he dedicated his last few songs to singers of late who had themselves been given these gifts of early song. The most notable of these mentions was, of course, for Norma Waterson who passed away earlier this year. 

The set itself was split across songs that Phil and Show of Hands are well known for (folk and folk rock), and later on a delve into the blues influences that made up, “The Blues Hour” that Phil was involved in during the height of Covid-19 restrictions. This spread meant that Phil was leaning into the genres he has most been interested in, ones he has performed in extensively.

Just about timely was Phil performing, “Fire and Wine”, a song steeped in the immersive imagery of the cold season with it’s references to Robin Redbreast seeking food, and “wine for the mind”. With its winding recall of “we will sing Jack Frost away”, and the hint of light through the grey, heavy clouds, it is a great introduction to what will be a first live gig for many people. You could say that Beer’s guitar opens this lively, descriptive number with the careful eye of a jolly watchmaker.  We also heard the succinct, emotive fiddle of “The Blind Fiddler”, a historical American song about a blacksmith who gives up his job after an unfortunate accident and becomes a traveller seeking to help others. Beer brings an old, desperate angst to the song alongside some beautiful violin playing that both rises above the canopy of a verdant forest and to the low levels of despair felt by a drunken reveller lay in the drains. 

Phil’s rendition of “Cocaine Blues”, as most songs of it’s type, has a sparkle in it’s guitar that belies the nature of its subject matter. It is a popular and well-received song by the audience whose reception is only eclipsed when Beer turns his attention to that stalwart sing-a-long work number, “Blow the man down”. Both are a joy to hear and an example of Phil rousing the audience without even having to ask. We also hear “The next Best Western” which was Phil’s interpretation of Richard Shindell’s number about lorry driving. That signature blend of Christian imagery and occupation shines as a more deliberate part of the evening that like the slow whistling of the dust from the Southern Plains caused the audience a moment of reflection and thought during the twilight part of night. 

Seeing Phil Beer again, and at the Wesley Centre, has been an enjoyable experience. In relatively uncertain times there is a smile to be had to hear the well-travelled Beer sing songs inspired from history of the world, and the history of songs themselves (from several foundational Blues numbers). Cosy and inviting, the Wesley Centre is a good venue for the purposes of folk music (as shown from history) and long may it do into the future. The magic is in how Beer’s words and songs recall decades ago but it feels literally like yesterday as his spirited showmanship brings them right up to date and into our hearts.


To find more information about Phil Beer, go to http://www.philbeer.co.uk/

Categories
Acoustic Album/EP Reviews Cabaret Folk Music Folk Pop Irish Mixed Genre

Emma Langford- “Sowing Acorns” – A Review

A fun album that will defy attempts to hold it down in one place. Well arranged and with some seriously confident creations, this disc hints at a continued bright future for Langford.

Release Date: September 2020

It’s been a long time coming, but we have finally got around to reviewing the second album by the characterful, nu-folk joy of a musician that is Emma Langford. Nu-Folk you ask? 

Well Nu-Folk can be all sorts including songs about love, teenage issues to new worries about the world and environment, and all of it will contain a trapping or more of folk music within it. It might be something with a diy acoustic vibe, a grandiose trumpet/some-kind-of-brass solo or some incredibly shiny banjos and usually it is all held together without any historical theme or mention of tradespeople, but something different that speaks to a modern sadness or joy.

This “different” thing is not always what we are personally interested in, but before you expertly flatten your cap to go and find a song about ploughing, take pause. When done well,  Nu-Folk, like all music, is a wonder to behold. When jazz hits folk in a way that creates that yesteryear feeling, when the lyrics are tightly wound and chosen and each word is strung and tuned more daring and precise than the last, then you can go back to your porridge and everything in the world is still right. It is safe to say that Langford has got things right here with a strong sophmore entry.

Irish-born Langford has made strides in recent years. She has been named Best Emerging Folk Artist by Irish national broadcaster, RTÉ Radio 1, and likewise was shortlisted as the Best Folk Singer in the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards of  2020. Before these awards and the phenomenon of Covid, Langford found many opportunities to tour away from  Limerick, with her sound being  over Europe in Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and others. She must be as joyous as a raffle winner; the one who is making her strides to the raffle table to choose and collect the one good remaining prize (which is usually a suspect looking bottle of wine).

Listening to the CD the first thing that strikes you is the contrast between the songs here. Like a honey badger fighting a mole snake, it is a beast of a CD with different flourishes and movements that it showcases to be able to make success on it’s own terms. There are tracks that are a showcase of a folk-talent bonny and bright, but then you have the other genres mixed here with their colours coming together delightfully like a skittle milkshake (though brush your teeth before and after this album please). This being said, there is nothing here that is over-sentimental or sickly sweet (or as disagreeable as the lime skittles).

“The Winding Way down to Kells Bay” is a light-touch, joy-filled handshake of a song that splashes and sprays seawater over the rocks of the sunny beach you are walking down. This could be a folk staple with Langford’s voice being the engine that is in James Bond’s Aston Martin compared to a modern supercar. She isn’t racing you along so you aren’t getting a battering in the ribs, but rather you get to see the scene in the stately drive, see the landscape and feel the land. Much like the foam of the sea it is breezy and casual yet quintessentially and seriously the folk you are looking for .

The album opener “BirdSong” is a striking choral chant that thuds and scraps it’s way onto the scene with it’s rolling shockwaves of confidence and defiant tone. Demanding attention, it’s lyric “Til your eyes find me I’m strong as my bones” is pretty much a spell of power harkening to all women whose strength of mind and body is not unlike a basalt carving. Moved and formed by a volcanic heart of compassion and love, it portrays a grit and determination in it’s stalwart composition and steady pace. Contemplating the weakness in pairing with another person, the song itself repeats and builds, many voices come in and it’s musical layers come together in an almost spiritually clean manner. Simple enough in construction but the devil is in the detail, it shines like stars in the night cloak of the sky. 

Goodbye Hawaii is probably our favourite track on the album. Definitely having it’s mirror focused on the yesteryear here is a song with a vintage, jazz sea-sprayed quality combined with buzz words from Grey’s Anatomy. Undeniably rosy-cheeked and spirited, it is interspersed with lyrics that call on Oxytocin and heart muscle as if they were volleyball buddies in Miami. Perhaps it is the sound of Hannibal having a holiday in the Bahamas or Dexter on a city break? Whatever the intention, gruesome interlude or cute fact-check on anatomy it’s a visceral description of what being heart-broken is like and the associated emotional pain that is felt from being left. Langford croons incredibly well amongst the jangly percussion. Langford’s classy image, the sound of suburbia and a clear looking love to this island you get the impression that there was a lot of fun to be had here.  

You Are Not Mine (This Song Isn’t About You, You Lying Bollix) is another good swinging time with punchy, soft drums and gentle strums in between a purposeful, yet meandering heady mix that seems an awful lot like those complex interactions at wedding receptions. It is the sound of history as you share a space with an old relationship, that weird spark of energy and familiarity that grabs your heart until your head overrides. Hopefully you realise that little heist that is going on is a sequel to the tune of Oceans 12, and is probably not a good idea. A great track to finish the album. 

There is a lot else here to enjoy such as the breathy, intimate questioning of “Free to Fall” in it’s acoustic simplicity, the anthemic and placard raising sensibilities of the title track, or the bright, snappy retro Angel Delight of a dessert that is “Ready-O”.  Langford moves through the pages of history stopping at the heart-felt meadow, the cosmopolitan champagne bar, and wind-swept beaches like a bee collecting the nectar of music. As she goes she collects what she needs to make a confident, whimsy-filled album brimming at the edges with joy and talent. The cabaret has started, everyone start your cheers.

“Sowing Acorns” is available on Bandcamp directly from the artist, at https://emmalangfordmusic.bandcamp.com/album/sowing-acorns

For more information about the artist, go to her page here.

— I do not claim ownership or copyright of any pictures used in this post. If I have not identified your work and you want your photos credited then please contact us at reviewer@folk-phenomena.co.uk

Categories
Album/EP Reviews British Energetic Folk Music Folk Rock Modern Arrangement Political Protest Folk

Merry Hell – Emergency Lullabies (review)

Exuberant and rousing with a few inspired sentimental stops, Merry Hell still have a lot to say with their sixth album. 

RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020

What can we say of Merry Hell? They are a band often seen on the live circuit with an impressive turnaround of albums (this is their sixth studio outing); you could believe they are the folk world’s equivalent of oxen in a Renaissance painting with their ubiquity, whilst looking incredibly cheerful in their toils. Having listened to their latest offering “Emergency Lullabies” it is safe to say that Merry Hell continue to skillfully and happily pull the yoke of folk rock over our current fertile music scene and show us exactly how they continue to be seen and heard in all quarters.

Consisting of Virginia Kettle (vocals), John Kettle (guitar), Bob Kettle (mandolin), Andrew Kettle (vocals), Lee Goulding (keyboard), Nick Davies (bassist), Neil McCartney (fiddle) and Andy Jones (drummer); Merry Hell have forged a high path in the folk scene through their lack of pretentiousness, an iron-solid bit of songwriting and a kind of national concern and warm embrace contained in their music. The key to their success is surely that their albums are of very subjects that appeal across the political spectrum as, when all is said and done, they don’t try to score political points they just look for the good in people and society through hope, charity and joy. Once this is all mixed up with a well-developed Folk/Punk energy (from their time as the Tansads) we get a loveable, people-orientated band on a mission to cheer up and rally the populace. 

Their new album is an interesting beast as it seems to take a two-pronged approach to entertaining and pulling at the heart-strings. It feels like an album of two dates for your prom night. The first is a cheerful, self-assured protest marcher whose presence does not require added charm (or a megaphone), the other is a downright soppy guy arriving on your doorstep drenched from rain and clutching wild daffodils, slightly broken at the head of the stalk (but he knows how to woo in Latin). This duality, much like 1968’s film “The Odd Couple”, fills the album with charm and allows the magic to happen and spread across the album. This is all well, but what of the tracks?

“Go Down Fighting” has all the hallmarks of a classic Merry Hell Song that works by painting a sombre picture that of dark days to come which “we” can all bust with determination and grit , “bring in all your doubt and all your fears, bring the consternations of your years.” The track reminds of their previous work “We Need Each Other Now” and can be seen as the bread and butter pudding of Merry Hell’s vision and voice . Fighting their war with “peace and love”, their words spin on an active pacifism that has a feeling of a “warm glow” much like fluorescent coral of the sea. Backed with a bouncy, chopping electric guitar, thumping drum and a fine tonic of voices, it is a great opener to the disc.

Another song, similar in inspiring pride but vastly different in execution is “Three Little Lions” (track 3). Virginia Kettle takes the lead on vocals here, delivering a fable-like telling on what seems like England taking on a new identity in the world. Heavy in metaphor and spinning a story of the present and future through strong national iconography we get a spell-like song that calls to all the points on a compass. Complete with epic fantasy level chanting later in the track and some nice fiddle amongst that guitar, it is a song that is asking for fur suits of armour and/or the nations of the United Kingdom combining in a kind of Braveheart style fight against a shadowy opponent. For many listeners there will be some interesting themes to pick through this particular track.

The pinnacle of this particular  theme of national pride has to be attributed to track 7, “Beyond the Call”. A song for the NHS, doctors and nurses who stand “beyond the call” is a kind of celebratory prayer prepared with relatively delicate backing instruments whose rallying power culminates with the community voices added to the song from across the UK. Collected during the lockdown (a challenge to acquire and edit I am sure), it is a rather triumphant and powerful statement of support for our nationally funded health services and the workers therein. On point still at the time of writing (March 2021) it is a big thank you, and almost certainly the defining moment on this album for many. 

This lighter, supportive side of Merry Hell then turns into a kind of stylised classic sentimentalism at different points within the album which give it a wider appeal. Of course being a little sentimental does not make the subject of “Violet” a wallflower by any means,  but this “beautiful recluse” of a song is lined with clever small rhymes, and the track skips like a cheerful grasshopper moving from blade to blade, beat to beat. It is a song celebrating the outspoken, self-assured woman in a vaudeville turn you would expect instead to be about an eccentric gentleman with a penchant for colourful waistcoats, but is more the better for not being. As you listen through several gamboling and witty lyrics later, you feel like you’ve dropped off the suitcases to your room, arrived at the hotel pool bar with a cool mojito in hand and have the moment of peaceful bliss as you take in your surroundings. The yesteryear swagger and nostalgia combined with these combinations of words reveals another part of Merry Hell’s success; they know how to have a jolly laugh with themselves. 

Continuing on this theme we also get “Handsome Sally” and “Younger Than You Were”. We have to say, we are rather partial to these sweeter numbers on this album and are glad for their inclusion. “Handsome Sally” excels in that everything has been dialled back just a little bit. Slightly less flashy and big band,  slightly less bombastic it is the quiet, affecting advice from a lifelong friend to you in your time of need. The guitar leads with a sparser strum, a gentle violin and a drum hiding behind the curtain. It feels like the kind of song that would be shuffling around the top of the charts at Christmas time in the 90s, the familiar solidness of it all burns like a pleasing Boxing |Day turkey curry. Andrew Kettle draws on some fine inspiration beyond his singing in this track and it is a solid contender for track of the album. 

“Younger Than You Were” is more like the rhythmic, spark on a faster, more recognisable Merry Hell track but not any less touching for it.  Guaranteed to get people on the floor during a set, and possibly a place on a folkie’s wedding reception list or engagement party (is that a thing in normal times?) Sounding like a well-loved, well-considered couple who have known each other “since records began” it is celebratory, joyous and incredibly descriptive of the love that grows as the years go on. Many would say this in their relationship to Merry Hell’s music, and that is tricky to argue against.

So, all things considered, we get a strong mix of warmth both towards society and the individuals within from this sixth album by a modern staple of the folk scene. With an output that continues to “spark joy”, as they say, and the sense that there is a ton of ideas yet to come (in arguably “less creatively challenging times”) when the pandemic is a distant memory; we highly recommend the latest album by these rocksters. The whole package has been extremely well put together, sounding rich, deep and somehow (maybe alchemy) as if it was constructed in better circumstances outside of the pandemic. Like a swiss mechanical watch, these reliable, essential and high quality artists continue to shine and tick, providing a valuable, treasured service to many.

To buy the album, we recommend going direct to the artist on their shop here, though it is available in all good stockists.

No ownership of the images exhibited is implied. Please message and I will credit and label your work.

On the way to buying this album, also check out Merry Hell’s 1st January release “When We Meet Again”, another fine articulation of hope and reassurance for these difficult times, http://www.merryhell.co.uk/when-we-meet-again.html

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Gentle Nature Folk Political Vitality World

Lizabett Russo- “While I Sit and Watch This Tree” (album review)

Russo’s album is a brighter, more focused affair that lets the positive rays of growth bring more optimism to her delightfully individual music.

To Be Released: Late November 2020

Gathering her ideas from the characterful stream of her mind and hewing a sound from the knotty avant-garde folk tree, Lizabett Russo continues a work very much her own with more integration of her core ideas around nature, personal anxiety and politics. With “While I Sit and Watch This Tree” it also feels that Russo is letting the background sing as much as her own interesting, searching voice.

“While I Sit and Watch This Tree” sees Russo (classical guitar, charango) joined by the musicianship of Graeme Stephen (electric guitar, loops/effects, piano), Oene van Geel (cello, viola, percussion), Udo Dermadt (various percussion, clay pot). Interestingly, the album itself is being released by not-for-proft charity, “Last Night from Glasgow” which strives to provide artists, “fair remuneration for their work” and is funded by patrons. They have some enticing options for supporters and if this piques the reader’s interest, is well worth a look at, (https://www.lastnightfromglasgow.com/).

Lizabett Russo is a Romanian-born (now Scotland-settled) artist with wide-ranging vocals that can swing around a point like a pencil in a metal compass, pleasantly drawing patterns only she can see. It has always seemed to us that Russo’s signature style could be how she musically captures the “meeting of her thoughts” within a song. The joy in this is when she begins with one idea there is often no certainty about where this will end up in terms of style, beat and genre. When these shifts happen her ideas clash in a great auditory drama and the song becomes something else altogether; jazz moves to folk, to expansive poetry and far beyond. Therefore, it is rare that Russo’s music is a steady-paced jog in the countryside, it is more akin to orienteering upon a craggy rock face with various dashing and walking speeds, the wonder of finding the puzzle, and wading through water while the sun bakes your muddy jersey.

“While I Sit and Watch This Tree” continues this stylistic motif in parts (and Russo’s great voice endures) but this time there feels more like a greater continuity to the tracks and it’s cognitive, political and natural folk music is layered around a vision which is more optimistic, and probably less mystifying than her previous works. What do we feel about the songs?

“Two Hands Together” is the musical fusion of a union rally call stretched across the drums of a shamanistic greeting. The song asks for the listener to  “get up and fight, get up and see what is there to see beyond the horizon” as it calls the “brother” and “sister” to action. The hands clap and the spirit of rebellion splashes up onto the jungle raft as it moves along. It is a song about the destruction of the rainforest in Ecuadar,and in character it feels much like the protest is coming from “within”the trees and the cultures of the area. Atmospheric and spiritual, it appeals to the senses with it’s peaceful yet pleading message.  

The track “I Was Young When I Left Home”, is as nostalgic and delicately skipping a track as you might find from the young artist. It’s a moody assortment of piano and jingly percussion which begins like the building bustle of an Alpaca textile stall in the morning. As it starts the track’s colours glow and Russo’s ideas firmly greet each other in a busy kind of joy. By the second half, it is a track that has ascended like red vapour from a heavenly candle, flickering for a moment in the mind. It seems to play like a contrast between her life now and from her past. Russo paints not an unhappy picture of her youth, but with the contrasting styles of the track you wonder if she considers her current creative life akin to spiritual enlightenment, as she has noted previously that music is not considered a profession in Romania and more a “hobby”. Whatever it’s intention, the song presents two distinct and interesting sides of Russo’s character.

“Depending” is a song like an anagogic spray of glitter and lights crackling in the heavy, damp air. It starts brimming with Russo’s echoing vocals portraying a contented inner voice with some solid, earthy strings backing this up. Much like Heraclitis’ famous wisdom, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Russo explores virtue and time within one of her more simply structured songs on the disc. With a clear message and voice that sounds like it hovers over swarms of heady springtime bees. It is a nice entry among many.

Photograph by: Vicki Rose Evans. https://en-gb.facebook.com/VickiEvansPhotography/

Russo’s cover (her only one here) of “The Water is Wide” is also a welcome addition. Russo takes on a folkier track than usual and the results are a song of easy listening that sings lightly of transformation and joy. Voice and lyrics are still front and centre, but unlike other versions (such as Karla Bonoff’s) it has both a stronger world feel, and both instrumentation (particularly the charango) and composition are more wedded to the elements of Nu-Folk. Russo gives us two co-existing ideas; one is her future character singing with a care-free confidence of a dilettante as she looks back at her migration. The second is the content of the song which hints at past Russo’s worries about impending travel and starting a new life. It is a cheerful affair though and a worthwhile cover.

So with the latest offering from Lizabett Russo we get a sunny, idea-filled exploration of Russo’s own beliefs and history. Her music reminds of the art of Scott Maismithi with it’s sharp, bright colours showing the natural landscape like a musician’s heart and soul in bloom. Moreso, it shows that Russo has much more to say about her life as well as ways to say it.

As the fourth album of Russo’s catalogue, it is possibly the most joyfully introspective but also a perfect starting place for those new to her works so we recommend that you check it out.

For details of purchasing her album, have a look at Lizabett’s website here, https://lizabettrusso.bigcartel.com/

Here is a preview of the album on Youtube:

Russo’s live stream of her album launch is taking place on YouTube on 27th November, check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifPfprFRKKY

Categories
Album/EP Reviews British Debut European Folk Music Nature Folk Traditional

The Wilderness Yet – Debut Album Review

Their ears and hearts nested in the traditional, ‘The Wilderness Yet’ provide an album with many brilliant, emotional responses to nature.

Away from the bustle, in a secret garden within the leafy settlement of Sheffield, we get the glimpse of a band bringing their debut to the fore. 

“The Wilderness Yet” comprises of Rowan Piggott (fiddle), Phillippe Barnes (guitar/flute) and Rosie Hodgson (vocals), a trio of South Yorkshire folk artists entering the “wilderness” that is a folk world full of surprises and joys; they are accompanied on tracks by guest musicians Ewan Carson (bodhran), Charlie Piggott (button accordion) and Johnny Ringo (bodhran). The result is a swirling, strong entry into the genre that plays a hand of cards that will suit long time enthusiasts with it’s traditional leanings, but also excite by keeping some new songs up their sleeve.   

What goes a good way towards the atmosphere of the disc (that helps carry it along) is the artwork, which we have to start by praising. The artist Adam Oehlers (http://www.adamoehlersillustration.com/) brings together animal and tree in a beautiful, coppery unity. At this time of year in particular the golden hues of the leaves, the branches and grasses (with laws unto themselves) and the wondrous spectacle of the inside illustration are calling to the wild, calling to the intricate system of nature. When you pick up the disc, it is a sensory, auspicious start.

This scene setter leads into the light dance and explicit harkening to the season in the first track “The Beauties of Autumn”. Inspired by a walk outside Halsway Manor (definitely a semi-wild spectacle) in the early morning, the track feels like the crinkles around your wellies during an unexpected dry spell. Quietly celebratory it marks the beginning of the album with it’s positive, warm and fresh sound.

Speaking of warm beginnings, “In a fair country” is a sweet, fruity medley of blackcurrant and apple in a rich chutney that could be part of of an oaty breakfast. Sang traditionally and with a chirpy harmony, it is a good track that lends to your ears it’s familiarity in structure and character. We mention fruit as Hodgson’s voice reminds of gooseberries, a hint of sharpness that tingles the soggy tart pastry. It all works well and there is a good mingle with Piggott and Barnes’ who lay a deeper, essential mossy covering to the track. As a song which laments for the loss of trees it is close to our heart (particularly with the previous years’ battles around tree felling in the Steel City).

It is definitely an album which looks to the natural path. Queen and Country is a nice little ditty (and named pun) with its theme of pride, bees and the parallels with the commitment to the cause. Previously part of a collection from EFDSS about bees in 2018 (www.songhive.co.uk) this is very welcome here. A joyful song combining a humble self-appreciation and joy in one’s place (as the subject refers to themselves as a labourer), it is like a mug of tea as the Summer winds out, an understated comfort that is universal. 

We love the lower, heavier notes that precede the group’s cover of Bogle’s “Song of the Whale”, a song about the beguilement of fisherman at the sound of the humpback 200 years ago. Adding a dynamism and rumble to the entrance is a nice contrast to the lighter lyrics. Stripping out the prominence of the original’s guitar for a nautically-turned viola d’amore and flute is a good choice as it  brings more otherworldliness to the song. As a sailor you might think that the sound has come through the veil of the world itself.

Another fine song that errs towards the darker is “Of Men Who’ll Never Know”. Calling towards the darkening of the world there is a beautiful expected starkness and stillness to this Swedish Love Song.  Mournful and disarming, the bleak end of things comes and with the gentle rattle of the accompanying instruments. For an album with is mostly light and springy, it is an unexpected diversion which adds a grim ink to this chapter of the album (but is none the worse for it).

Artwork by Adam Oehlers http://www.adamoehlersillustration.com/

Overall, “The Wilderness Yet” is a fine album themed around nature and people’s experiences of it be it quiet joy, strange wonder, fearfulness or  a merry dance alongside. The a cappella numbers are stirring, the original tracks clever and the inclusion of Scandi music is a very good one. Together as a package of theme, music, song and art it is as one. Well mixed (Piggott) and mastered (Sam Proctor), the album finds the right places to shine it’s spotlight be it the vocals, the gentle tap of the bodhran or the bright fiddle. It is rooted quite nicely in the the traditional form and has some lovely original additions to it’s body, like a shapely orchid emerging from rainforest bark.

If you would like to purchase or find more information on the band, go to www.thewildernessyet.com and check out this video below.

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Historical Vitality

Kirsty Merryn – Our Bright Night (review)

Released 24/04/20

Singularly beautiful, contemplative and dark. Merryn’s second album is a creeping jaguar in the rainforest of folk.

When you think of 90’s films with pianos.. What comes to mind?

Is it “King Ralph” (1991) with John Goodman playing “Good Golly Miss Molly” in formal attire and bragging about his Rolling Stone Collection, or maybe it is Matt Damon and his exquisite side-parting in “The Talented Mr Ripley” (1999)? Or something a little lighter like “Big”?

We have to admit that our mind first races towards “The Piano”, a 1993 New-Zealand period film about a young woman with a failing arranged marriage. She gives piano lessons to a man called Baines in order to get her piano back in her possession; it is a beautiful, sensual and ruminatory film.

Why do we mention this? Well Kirsty Merryn the piano-folk, singer of stories has arrived with her second album “Our Bright Night” and with it certain expectations. There is an image in the film that always sticks out to me. Near the beginning the beautiful instrument of the piece is left abandoned on the beach (it is tricky to move). Later on it is transported and effectively held to ransom by Baines in exchange for the aforementioned piano lessons and (consensual) sexytime. 

Photo by Todd Macdonald (https://vimeo.com/toddmacd)

What we are getting at is that much like that piano in the film, the “tricky” second album must feel like moving a mountain to create, especially as Merryn’s first outing “She and I” was a powerful celebration of incredible women from history which shone from beginning to end. Whether this is just some musician’s ghost story, a cold hard fact or somewhere in between could be a source of worry. But actually, much like “The Piano” and it’s savage vistas, this album turns out to be a beautiful meditation with a touch of the wild to it. All-in-all it is a quieter affair than “She & I”. Rather than the explosive joy and spontaneous hugs from mission control when the space mission launches, it is the quiet reverence as the large, looming wondrous sight of Mars fills the viewscreen.  Let us see this and look at the songs more closely.

The album has an epic wedding train of an entry with “Twilight/Banks of the Sweet Primroses”.  Merryn demonstrates from the beginning that her pianos and vocals are as strong and enticing as each other. On “The Banks of Sweet Primroses” we are also treated to Phil Beer’s enrapturing violin that contribute to a reworking that is like a grand stage curtain cloth. It isn’t Luke Kelly’s “rustle through the trees” or Clarke & Walker’s “echo in a woodland glen but rather like the unearthing of an archaeological find with its earthy, scholarly sound. A good place to start.

Photo by Todd Macdonald (https://vimeo.com/toddmacd)

“Constantine” is one of Merryn’s songs about a beach in Cornwall that early in her writing career inspired her. It is a grand  evocation of an attentive piano and longing vocals from both Merryn and Alex Alex (who joins Merryn here). It could also be a song about drugs, possibly the depressant kind as Merryn muses, “I feel your icy water cover me”. It is a gentle brush with the psyche on a cooling night with Merryn and Alex calling to lovers within nature, within the world. Quietly trembling and shaking with simplicity, “Constantine” is an excellent track.

There is also more traditional fare to re-examine. Merryn’s take on the “Outlandish Knight” can be described simply as anger-incarnate. You can picture the character is shaking her head at her deed of killing the man looking to drown her in the brine (as he had six others). Merryn’s voice maintains it’s quiet dignity whilst exuding pure judgement and righteousness in this vigilantism. Through choosing this traditional ballad and modernising some of the lyrics, Merryn infuses this with song with terror the likes of which we have not heard since Grimes’ “Oblivion”. Whichever way you look this is a celebration of powerful women both very different and very similar to her muses in  “She & I”.  

Photo by Jonathon Cuff (http://www.jonathoncuff.com)

“Mary” is virtually a row of sunflowers as Merryn tackles the often-mentioned subject of a “traditional courting song”, except with a slight twist. Trees become telephone masts and electricity pylons and the seafront has been “tarmacked” in a possible near future. Unlike many folk songs, its a song that surprisingly does not linger on outrage for nature being stripped or for industrialisation taking over. This does make it kind of refreshing. Think of the romance in Jon Boden’s “Afterglow” except that the post-apocalyptic Orwellian-hellscape only happened in Croydon. Lyrically beautiful and excellently sung and played (like all the tracks here), this song is inspiring in its foresight. Whatever the future holds, there will clearly be more industrialisation in some areas of the world (hopefully not everywhere). Just as old and current folk songs talk about heather, fields, the sea and places of beauty; folk songs of the future will take place in these other environments and maybe they will be considered old, beautiful sites of yesteryear. Whatever the case, a great song.

There is much else to like here such as the ghostly soft tones of Sam Kelly luring a woman to her death in “Shanklin Cline” with the dropping in of ominous minor keys and haunting longing, a galloping song about theft by the higher-ups in “The Thieves of Whitehall” and (probably) Merryn’s most stark and emotive song of passing to date in “The Wake”. 

In sum it is fearlessly mixed (Ben Walker) and mastered (Nick Watson). The quiet moments are thoughtful, Merryn’s voice soars in tandem with the piano like a pair of hawks and neither get lost in the twirling hurricane that is the mixture of percussion and strings. At times Merryn’s album is like a tragic fairytale. There are twinkles of light on the black sea of space (which feels very much like the album’s namesake) but as the dark themes of ill deeds  emerge the work is grounded in the vast moorlands and gritty folk-horror of history. Another way to look at the contrast is that there is a kind of gallows humour spread around like marmite on a piece of sourdough, but also the joy of shared bread eating.

Photo by Todd Macdonald (https://vimeo.com/toddmacd)

If you had not guessed, we cannot recommend this album enough. 

Go and buy this while you can, there is part of the tapestry of your mind yet to unwind. 

Check out a sample video below, we recommend buying from Kirsty’s website herself at https://www.kirstymerryn.com/shop

Kirsty’s online album launch was on 1 May on Facebook. If you want to listen a little more before purchase, then check out the video link on her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kirstymerryn/

Categories
Uncategorised

The Idumea Quartet- “More Than One” Review

Classical musicians take on the Appalachians and win while still dressed in their tuxedos and ballgowns.

Release Date – 9th April 2020, relisted to 1st November 2020

Label – Penny Fiddle Records

Like an inhale of peppermint-laced breath, The Idumea Quartet’s debut album offering is a spicy yet cooling work whose self-description of “tradition, innovation and whimsy in equal measure” is pretty much on the money. Comprising of Ewan Macdonald (violin), Jane Rothfield (violin, vocals), Rebecca Wolfe (Viola, vocals) and Nathan Bontager (cello, vocals), this fearless foursome have engaged in some considered work in applying their classical trained skills to reworking Appalachian folk music. 

Credit: David Rynkowski

You see, while this album is a sustained effort of chamber-folk it has its share of whimsy too. It is the kind of shake-up that makes this album like a flash of the magician’s deck of cards, and therefore something interesting indeed. The refreshing nature of “More Than One” is perhaps that brilliant friend you have who wears flowers in her hair and is often seen vaulting into the middle of a sardine packed dance floor full of energy and vitality. To look at her you might think that spontaneity is ill-informed, but she has done this many times and has the experience to back-up the novelty. Let us look at the tracks and see this in action.

The first is an excellent set of “Falls of Richmond/Grub Springs”. We particularly love this version of “Falls of Richmond” which whilst sticking close to how you expect the tune of the James River and small waterfalls therein, the training and orchestral bent of the quartet are here to enjoy. It isn’t played super-fast, the tune can be savoured and enjoyed as the parts all converge, rise and fall into the springier “Grub Springs”. A joy to begin, though potentially misleading like the pleasant ambience of walking into a sauna, things are going to get hotter quickly. Unlike a sauna though where it generally just gets very very hot, you do not expect what is to come here.

Next, for example, there is a great version of the Christian Gospel “Fall on my knees”. Beginning as the solemn take you would imagine it quickly transforms from cautious caterpillar to soaring Red Admiral Butterfly as the call of the thumping cello emerges and the pace picks up. It has the feeling of a spontaneous jam by the smoking camp-fire with its share of red medium-rare vocals and inquiring violin. More a shared bond of life than an overt call for a higher power, it’s humanist overtones are warm and inviting. In fact one could argue that the group’s cover of the Bluegrass song “Cluck Old Hen” is more religious in sentiments. Apart from the odd vocal flourish that slips the disguise a little, it feels like you are more in the house of God than the Henhouse. In fact in terms of reverence and introspection (about laying eggs) this song is on it’s way towards being like “The Old Churchyard” in feel. The interpretation brings with it a sense of desperation, resignation and the idea dancing on a poor family’s lips as to whether this hen’s fortunes turn round or it becomes the family’s last taste of meat before the cold hits. Bold and interesting, it is worth checking out. 

Carthy Hoose in contrast is a light delight of a tune. While airy in general feel, the violin and cello strings feel embedded like weighty iron train tracks; you can almost hear the cry of Mountain life outside the clattering carriage shutters. This steam engine starts as a formal dance but chuffs its way into the rural circle, champagne gives way to good old-time bourbon and a good time is had by all. Joy on several levels the track is brimming with movement and chi and it is also our favourite tune and track on the album.

We are also treated to a version of “Sally Anne” which is an interesting diversion sans banjo (as you might normally hear it). Quite dense musically, intentionally or unintentionally the backing vocals kind of sound like they are in the wind with so many overlapping strings dominating your senses. Kudos to the sound design and production on this track as I could easily imagine this recording falling down under its own weight under lesser hands. The sound production throughout the album (mixed by Jason Alder, mastered by Sam Proctor) is very good, you can hear the life that all the strings have of their own, in a way the disc seems to shine a spotlight on the instrumentation slightly more than the vocals, but for a classically trained ensemble this is exactly what you want. Except once again the band diverge from this notion with the next track..

It is of course the Idumea Quartet’s version of “Silver Dagger”. Up to now it would be difficult to predict how they choose to approach this song of high renown as the Quartet like to play with the blocks of form. It is safe to say it is treated well, sung with deep emotion and a backing musical overture which is like a dawn’s chorus as it grows from humble rays to fuller shining sun. We admit “Silver Dagger” is not our favourite song (I know, shock horror there), but we recognise the skill in which this old faithful dog has been taught some new(ish) tricks.

This album is like a wild hare. One moment it stands on its hind legs majestically austere as it surveys the scene, you turn your back for a second and the next time you look it is frollicking and springing into the air with festivity.There are musical conventions and consistant choices that could have legitimately made the disc a particular sound to fulfill a particular desire (pure fans of the Appalachian Folk)  but, to our personal relief it is playful and inventive as well as being competent and traditional.

Check out some videos below, you can purchase the album from BandCamp https://theidumeaquartet.bandcamp.com/album/more-than-one-2

Keep an eye on their website and social media to see when they are touring near you, they are currently rescheduling due to the Coronvirus outbreak. https://idumeaquartet.com/

Categories
Gigs

Village Folk – Trials of Cato: Welsh Folk Heralds – 06-04-19

Time moves on and once again we return to Village Folk in Chellaston to see what folk wonders are in store at the Lawns Hotel.

For those not yet acquainted in South Derbyshire, Village Folk is a consistently welcoming, entertaining and inclusive folk-gig night that takes place once a month. Without fail they attract big, successful modern and classic folk artists who always get a friendly embrace. Over the years they have managed to tempt the likes of Martin Carthy, The Dovetail Trio, Ninebarrow and Geoff Lakeman to the mix; long may they continue to do the great things they do. Check them out at www.villagefolk.org.uk

We managed to pop down the long road from Sheffield to see the wonders-of Yorkshire-by-way-of-Wales-and-Beirut, the “Trials of Cato” as they make their first appearance here. The Trials of Cato is made up of the trio of Robin Jones (mandolin, tenor banjo, vocals), William Addison (irish bouzouki, vocals) and Tomos Williams (guitar and vocals).

As the gig starts, the band have a glint in their eye as they tell us about how miserable they made their old landlord (Cato) and how this came to be their name. No, it is not some kind of historical, Britain-shattering court battle or a moral quandary a brave Spanish knight might have had around his true love or his duty as a soldier, but it still entertains massively.

How can we describe The Trials of Cato? Well we have already made a start, by calling them “Welsh Folk Heralds” in the title of this post. They are indeed as their set includes almost never-heard folk ballads such as a version of “Haf”, which they describe as a “garden song”. This song is like a child dancing around a maypole or a relaxed glance into a sun-drenched vineyard. Their set comes to life as it conjures all the very best memories and impressions of the summer festival season. Hearing this at the height of the sun will be a very good pleasure indeed.

On listening you notice that the clarity of their instrumentation playing is dazzling. The closest thing I can compare their determination and energy to is that of a band of geese feasting on a freshly opened packet of crackers. You notice this particularly on the uplifting tracks such as the soul-raising set “Difyrrwch” where the performance winds and builds like a rising minaret or “Kadisha” that makes the feet move in ways most unexpected yet natural.

The Trials of Cato don’t stop at these sugar-rush classic folk tunes though, there are some slower and more political moments. “These are the things” casts a wayward eye that purposely does not settle (it was noted by the band that this was their “general protest song”). They are right to say this, it does have an almost Monty Pythonish ability to protest in every way possible without actually saying what has put a bee in their bonnet. This is just a light jab though as it is a rousing song and it’s generality is a good sign, it means everyone will be able to project their annoyance be it at politics or the flavours of Walkers Crisps and this song should provide a good amount of catharsis. This protect is double-downed on with their version of “Tom Paine’s Bones”, a rally for standing up for what is right and to not be afraid of bringing the revolution.

From seeing these three cavaliers live we are under little doubt that the hype surrounding “The Trials of Cato” is totally justified. They are as fresh as newly cut grass bringing to the folk table a little magic and inventiveness. The seeds have been sown, their time in the sun is now and harvest is a long time off yet.

Check out more at “The Trials of Cato” website about their excellent “Hide and Hair” album https://thetrialsofcato.com/ . If you can get to see them they have many, many more tour dates. We recommend you put down that real ale at home and get yourself to a venue for a fresh, hand-pumped beer and a chance to see some new stars in the constellation of folk. https://thetrialsofcato.com/live/

Categories
Folk Music Interviews

Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival Interviews #5 Michele Stodart

Ahead of performing at this year’s Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival, taking place from 10 to 12 May, we were delighted to have interview, in partnership with “Last Night I Dreamt of…”, talented solo artist, singer-songwriter and member of the Mercury Prize nominated Magic Numbers, Michele Stodart.

Q: For those who haven’t come across you before, tell us more about Michele Stodart?

Michele: Well… I was born in Trinidad where I left for New York when I was 4yrs old. Most of my childhood memories are those of the big city. Then my family moved me and my two brothers to London / Hanwell where I live now. We moved around a lot as kids must’ve had over a dozen schools. Our family, let’s say is a little unorthodox all self-employed, living every day as it comes. My brother Romeo had a band and took over the front room made it into a studio where he started playing the guitar. I was always interested, going to all his gigs. He taught me a few chords on the guitar and it was a like a lifeline for me a way of breathing. I was painfully shy growing up. I started writing songs hiding away in the bedroom. He then later asked me to play bass with him one day and that was it. Most girls my age were looking at boys, the bass guitar was my first love. I was obsessed! Then The Magic Numbers were born! Signed the record deal at 19 and we toured the world and life pretty quickly became like a dream. Still writing songs on my acoustic, Romeo convinced me to record my first solo album… it was a crazy time because I was pregnant. So there I was touring with the band 24yrs old now and recording my album heavily pregnant. I remember recording the double bass and my baby was kicking away inside me. Anyway… fast forwarding a bit she’s now 11 years old (my best friend) I’m on the fifth album with the band and about to record my 3rd solo. Life has sure been an adventure!

Q: How would you describe your music in five words?

Michele: Honest, intimate, raw, melodic, reflective.

Q. What inspires you as an artist?

Michele: Dreaming, Learning, growing as a person. Looking at the world differently, people, their journeys and stories in their lives. Shared experiences. The strength of someone, women especially doing their own thing.

Q. What can audience members expect from your set as part of the Hebden Folk Roots Festival?

Michele: I’ll be playing a lot of new songs as well as some from my solo albums. Kathryn and I have also written an album together which is yet to be released so we’ll play some of those together also. That record is gonna be something special.

Q. What’s your favourite song to perform as part of your set and why?

Michele: It really depends, it changes every night with the crowds and the way I’m feeling at that particular moment.

Q. What do you love most about performing on the festival circuit?

Michele: I like the general vibe at a festival, there’s a freeness to a lot of great festivals. It’s the open space, music playing around the corner. Also as a performer it’s always good practice to play in front of a crowd that’s not necessarily there to see you. There’s a different buzz to that when you’re up on stage.

Q. What is your album Pieces about and what’s your favourite track from the album?

Michele: Pieces is really a storytelling album it’s about many things. It was the first time I started writing songs away from the guitar. I would take myself of long train journeys, late night walks, sit in cafes on my own just looking at people around me. Thinking lots. There are songs on the album about letting go… breaking the chains that bind you. ‘Something About You’ is about that moment (the little death) of completely surrendering however scary and secretive. I’d say I’m really enjoying playing ‘Ain’t No Woman’ at the moment it’s grown so much for me that song in its meaning.

Q. What’s the best and worse thing about touring as a solo artist? And how is it different to touring with The Magic Numbers?

Michele: It can be quite lonely touring on your own. Sometimes that’s nice coz I can write and take myself off on walks and stuff, but there’s a sense of fun and craziness with the band that I love too. But I’m lucky to experience both worlds it keeps me sane. Just about!

Q. What’s coming up next for you as an artist?

Michele: I’m starting the first stages of making another solo record. This month I go in the studio for a few days just to record (demo) a lot of the songs I’ve written to work out what kinda record I want to make and what I wanna say with this one. Other than that there’s lots of various projects going on as always. I’ve been very lucky to be asked to collaborate and record with lots of artists I admire. Kathryn Williams being a big part of that. Also playing bass and guitars for Huddersfield duo O’Hooley & Tidow, Rowan Rheingans (Lady Maisery) Ren Harvieu, David Kitt, David Ford. I’ve also been doing lots more curating, putting on nights at this amazing venue in London called Green Note where my brother and I host these monthly nights bringing artists together.

Michele Stodart will be performing at Hope Baptist Church at 9pm on Saturday 11 May alongside Kathryn Williams (read our interview with Kathryn here) as part of Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival. For further information on Michelle Stodart visit https://michelestodart.co.uk. For further information on the Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival visit www.hebdenfolkroots.org.

As mentioned, this interview was in partnership with “Last Night I Dreamt Of…”, a website dedicated to arts and theatre in South Yorkshire. For further information visit www.lastnightidreamtof.co.uk