Tag: Review

Merry Hell’s Bloodlines – Album Review

Post author By blueestai
Post date 21st November 2016
No Comments on Merry Hell’s Bloodlines – Album Review

Release Date – 1 November 2016

Merry Hell are certainly putting their hours in. There are a working band with new disc “Bloodlines” coming out within two years since their last album, “The Ghost in Our House” (2015). They are in the middle of an exceptionally busy looking tour schedule too (with dates being filled up to next August).

Introduction

Consisting of brothers Andrew (vocals), John (guitar) and Bob (mandolin, bouzouki) with Virginia Kettle (vocals), Nick Davies (bass), Lee Goulding (keyboards), Neil McCartney (fiddle), and Andy Jones (drums) they continue their musical odyssey. This time they rally around the artery of politics, a blood system that courses throughout their folk-rock sound both in name and attitude. On previous musical dashes of theirs you can find tracks such as “No Money”, “Old Soldier” and “Pillar Of Society” that do this already by considering politics in one form or another, but unlike previous albums “Bloodlines” particularly feels like it has been conceived as an outlet for collective unrest in British society.

I say “outlet” rather than spear because there is a certain amount of melodic encouragement and lighter relief to Merry Hell’s sound that cushions this jagged edge of direct protest. It is not a folk album widely influenced by the punk tradition after all though much of the feel depends on the songwriter of each song in question. The male Kettles’ songs are slightly brasher with mental images of steel and industry and farm materials, a direct blow to society’s alloy. Virginia’s lyrics seem instead more like a forest canopy with meanings that dance beneath it’s surface. When combined the overall property of gentle defiance emerges as the intermediate. Whether a song fits into one of these, or to the other band-members songwriting credits; the delivery of the lyrics is generally bouncy, accompanied by a toasty warm bass and a grassy lawn fiddle. Despite the material being split into either being heavily action or contemplation, there is an overarching feel of conciliation and trust in others that forms the shale base.

Track List

1. We Need Each Other Now

2. Bloodlines

3. Come On, England!

4. Coming Home Song

5. All the Bright Blossoms

6. When We Are Old

7. Stand Down

8. Sailing Too Close to the Wind

9. Chasing a Bluebird

10. Over the Wall

11. Under the Overkill

12. Man of Few Words

13. Sweet Oblivion

Tracks

In the opening track, “We need each other now” there is an unambiguous call to action in it’s words, “as borders crumble land and sea, bored with ideology, the skinhead and the refugee, you need each other now.” Along with “Come on England!” it looks to society to act together through the lens of change in response to the barriers of modernity. For the most part it settles on describing political structures and how they affect our personal liberties. If the album had been written later on this year (especially with the US election results) I do wonder if it’s fruit would be less sweet given what feels like a further shift in the political landscape, but these thoughts are largely academic.

“Come on England!” is a great track and does it while talking about “bluebells”, “teacups”, and “dandelions” which in fairness works well to balance with the other darker lyrics about “robbers” and “racists.” Those with a streak of patriotism will really like this song; in the engine that is “Bloodlines”, “Come on England!” is the protest fuel that burns at the highest grade. This musical direction is a hallmark of Merry Hell’s work and in a way reminds of Show of Hands musical explorations. Merry Hell is more playful and optimistic though, “Bloodlines” is not a savage hound going for the throat, it is a St Bernard taking aid to the parched explorer.

“When we are old” is a delightfully fervent turn from Virginia Kettle taking the reins of main vocals. Swaying like a treasured swing it is a song of commitment and love, possibly a love letter to her husband; it certainly seems likely. Though it might feel that “Bloodlines” has fewer tracks of this type then Merry Hell might ordinarily go for (I do slightly lament the omission of tracks more like “The Baker’s Daughter”) it makes sense that they do not want to dilute their message too much. The album makes up for this with it’s consistent, considered, poetic lyrics such as, “the days empty and wide, we can watch all the seasons unfold, when we are old.” Deeply personal, carefully written and with some nice backing strings it does what it sets out to do. In result it becomes a possible wedding number for a folk fan (not for me, though I’d like to I suspect my other half would prefer the Human League).

“Over the Wall” is a very good song indeed. Full of fun it doesn’t just tell a story, it practically acts it out with props and stage notes. It starts as a serious, pondering reflection (how you might imagine a musical “Man in the Iron Mask”) surrounded by snippets of goth and new romantic influences as it describes the “festering darkness” of the prison cell. It then gleefully sprints as the rhythm changes and McCartney’s fiddle begins to dance like the eight legs of Sleipnir. Andrew Kettle goes for range with his voice (and succeeds as he has demonstrated many times), the drums rattle and all the elements come together including Virginia Kettle’s urgent dissent in vocal harmony. Like a novel it turns, gathers speed and slows in sadness a dizzying number of times. It is an example of fearless delivery, brave timing choices and a wonderful historical setting making this the stand out track on the album without dispute.

Some other tracks to listen to intently include “Sailing too close to the wind” (whose intro brings salty memory of “The Tide is High”), “Stand Down” (a slight bouzouki blizzard), and the wide-reaching title track of “Bloodlines”, which like much of the band’s music is affecting and dulcet. The track I did not feel much for was “Chasing the Bluebird.” Though nice in arrangement, and fragile in delivery it struggles to hold my attention with it’s lyrics. A minor niggle on an album that largely delivers with fun and heart (especially on the last track, “Sweet Oblivion”).

In a Few Words..

Quite political it is a human album that will speak to fans and newcomers alike being well produced and as full of anthems as ever.
Generous in spirit Merry Hell deliver an energetic set of tracks with an optimistic view on people and collective power.
If you love politics, a good melody and a thoughtful lyric or two, this album is for you.

If you would like to purchase the album, please go here in the first instance (£12 including postage).

Tags album, bloodlines, folk, merry hell, protest, Review

British Folk Music Gigs Political

Show of Hands w/Megan Henwood Live @ Royal Northern College, Manchester

Post author By blueestai
Post date 19th November 2016
No Comments on Show of Hands w/Megan Henwood Live @ Royal Northern College, Manchester

I am happy on this Wednesday in November…. I am in Manchester.
Christmas stalls are up, but it is not that seasonal treat that interests me. It is instead the chance to catch a music group, a well-established roots band that is characterised by many years of playing and writing. I am talking of course about Show of Hands, who on this cold night are taking the stage at the Royal Northern College of Music. They aren’t alone though.

Joining them is Megan Henwood. Megan is a singer-songwriter with her second album “Heart, Head, Hands” (in 2015) under her belt but she is also well known for her collaboration with the cherished Jackie Oates on the EP “Wings” that came out in July 2016. She has also won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award with her brother, performed at the Cambridge Folk Festival, and Glastonbury Festival in 2010, and on this night she opens for Show of Hands with a 30 minute set.

Megan Henwood

With the energy of an auburn pioneer and with hints of self-deprecation thrown into her set, she is a true joy to watch.

She also plays some great folk with an added idiosyncrasy that she brings to a few songs with some unusual themes, “Painkiller” for example. Not the name of your migraine protection or some Scandinavian metal group, but rather a song about an Uncle who worked as a physiotherapist. Lightly paced and thoughtful with words she sings a mindful track. It is relatively simple words and arrangement, but it is understated and shows an obvious affection and respect for a person working in a field that is rarely covered by music at all. This positive observation on the good work and hearts of people gives it kudos alone, but she has a great voice too.

“Puppet and the songbird” is a more of a jumping, intense and cryptic number in comparison. With more baroque-style lyrics, “look what I have done, I have been directed by the moon and the sun” combined with a modern beat, and lightly rapping delivery it creates a great lyrical exploratory space. She is a more of a folky and jazzy Alanis Morrissette here with lyrics that lead you on stories with a personal but pretty oblique meaning. Winding a path and knowing the way, her music has an effect that like a muse, you want to get lost with it. Henwood then plays some other folk-rock and roots such as “The Dolly” and the mildly heart-stopping”Chemicals”, an apology for a breakup with someone due to molecular makeup.

Despite my ambivalence towards songs about breakups (they are hugely popular at the moment), there is something more substantial and special in “Chemicals”. It is something to do with the lyrics and her emotional delivery. Cracked and affected, it hits all the right notes and makes jolts your memories of awkward breakups.

In the time she was opening for Show of Hands she got a great reception and no end of people queuing for her merchandise (including as she put it, “a tote bag with my face on it”). Like a mahogany supernova she is colourful and swirling; she crossed genres by touching on aspects of folk (and in some tracks a strong Americana influence), acoustic numbers and blues influences not unlike many other singer-songwriters. There is something different in her delivery, and the songs themselves don’t feel like commercial shells, there is something else there and she is willing to share it. I strongly recommend you to listen to her, a growing talent to watch out for. Then there is the interval and then Show of Hands, who are Show of Hands?

Show of Hands

Show of Hands are a well known trio on the folk and root circuit, their current (and fairly established) line up are Steve Knightley, Phil Beer, and Miranda Sykes. They play a heavily rock and roots influenced sound; their musical experience together goes back to the 80’s with studio albums from the 90’s and 00’s so they have performed and written for quite a while. They have performed at the Royal Albert Hall numerous times, and all have been a part of some influential and recognisable folk bands (Phil Beer being in The Albion Band for example). Be it Phil Beer’s musical hand that turns to any number of music of instruments, Steve Knightly’s earthy, scholarly mind as vocalist and instrumentalist, or Miranda Sykes’ captivating voice and bass; there are many elements that bring richness to Show of Hands. The sound can only really be described as a musical broth that has had time for it’s natural flavours to harmonise. Steve and Phil’s brand of elevated and accomplished roots with a hard rock halo is truly enhanced by the addition of Miranda’s natural, confident and (relatively) recent addition as double bass player and harmony vocals. The set then begins.

Appearing a bit like a monkish choir with dark silhouettes (a kind of medieval Dartmoor Bohemian Rhapsody) the trio bring a solemn sound to the beginning of the set. Unlike the Queen mega hit, it is a track celebrating and remembering the historical funeral processions of England past. “The Old Lych Way” (written by Chris Hoban) is one of my favourites of the night despite it’s earlier play and difference in tone to some later tracks. The subject of death is jokingly referred to by the band as a “cheerful” start to proceedings, but it captures the attention and is a good bridge from the support to main act. It’s inclusion in the setlist highlights a key part of Show of Hands’ sound, the concept of remembrance that flows through their body of work like a delta on the floodplain. Whatever influences they turn to in their material (and they do cove a few bases) it is undoubtedly there, and their performance brings out a passion and commitment to these ideals that we can see in the gig.

They also preview some of their newer tracks and some covers (that are both timely in nature and about time itself) such as a warming tribute to the recently passed Leonard Cohen with their version of “Suzanne”. Also in the mix is their version of “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper with some incredibly enthralling vocal harmonies, marching strings and a resolute lead voice from Knightley. I am glad they perform this cover, their performance ranks as one of the best 80’s ballad covers that I have heard, one that adds something through their trio of voices. One of Knightley’s new songs that is introduced is “Have no secrets” that is being showcased by Show of Hands on their YouTube channel. A frank piece of advice written from Steve Knightley to another man who is just getting married for what you should do including, “..no place to hide away, no treasure in a far away cave” seeks to impart worldly experience to a guy stepping into a transition. I prefer this to the other track previewed, it speaks a little more to me and it’s words cover the uncertainty, the joy and the caution in the young man. The crowd give it a good reception too.

Not that the group needs it, but another boost to proceedings is the venue. The Royal Northern College at this point in my writing is probably the best venue I have been to to hear folk music of this type. The instruments sound sharp and powerful, the lyrics are distinct and crystal clear, and the sound mixing is nothing short of breathtaking, I suppose the University involvement and dedicated space to music make this a necessity. There is certainly a marriage of sorts going on and unlike two hippos flapping in a mud-pot, there is no murky sound to be heard anywhere. It lends especially well to their more bombastic, anthem numbers that the crowd are undoubtedly waiting for such as “Roots”, the well-known call for the preservation of English music, the working class uniting “Country Life”, and powerful anthem “Cousin Jack”. In this last track in particular there are powerful anthems from the band.

Knightley’s peppery sawdust voice, Beer’s rum and golden syrup vocals, and Sykes’ splashes of lemon, high notes come together amazingly. There is a rich, thumping baseline and exquisite mandolin in “Cousin Jack” too, the stand-out anthem from a gallery of likely contenders. The crowd join in, there is singing back, the chorus erupts, a guy in front of me practically squeals in happiness, it is all going very well.

Conclusions

Would I recommend? Definitely, it is a show that entertains, which is melodic and friendly all round (something all the family can enjoy).

They are a band that is clearly influenced by history and their songs also talk about class and identity, the same stuff people of the 60’s, 80’s and today can relate to in their everyday lives. An earthy, accessible and well practised band they bring the joy in during these cold months. Megan Henwood likewise has a great acoustic presence and with her fascinating take on subjects in her songs she is a lively addition to the show. On stage they are all full of character and charm and their personalities are such that they can close the distance between the audience and stage to make the show and intimate one.
Check out your local venue they are playing at on their website and grab yourself a ticket, it is a great night.

Show of Hands are on tour. They are touring from “peak to fen” through to December including Portsmouth, Oxford and many others.
Check out their website here for details.

If you are unfamiliar with Show of Hands, check the videos below!Check out Show of Hands if you do not know their work below!

Tags 2016, gig, Manchester, Megan Henwood, Review, Show of Hands

Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Nature Folk Poem Review Political

Lady Maisery – Cycle – (Album Review in Poem Form)

Post author By blueestai
Post date 8th November 2016
No Comments on Lady Maisery – Cycle – (Album Review in Poem Form)

LADY MAISERY- CYCLE (poetic review)

A dawn chorus whose stalwart shanties wash an ignorance of history past they

approach the day careening in Physis’ circuit, putting a breathy foot to a metal horse.

As an earthy watchmaker sets out her table, she is brought an old face.

Burrowing into these metal shells and eyeing her tested tools, she works it’s body.

A chrome infant meets an ancient quartz, no splinter in the ingot. No fault in the join.

A story begins, a story never ends.

Thoughtful, the trio acknowledge a family’s love; itself a supporting stage.

Then onward in the quiet of night they deliver “A Father’s Lullaby”, a deep loss within a

lavish labyrinth. This rustling fern echoes, it’s court expands

splitting any stone wall, it creates a sculpture of armouring ice. In spirit

it is rather a brooding temper that swells, dances upon a fulcrum

and begets a mournful embrace.

Elsewhere. Be it the Brotherhood or the dissenting diggers;

no grey day, nor loss of sight has moved

the gravel of union or changed the call of the common man.

As the picket lines are emptied and the rain comes,

three birds honour a call from the halls, the canteens, the mills.

And their struggles are not forgotten.

These worked hands turn anew; a heated heart of stories told are spun.

Within it there is one part renewal, then a struggle ensues, and finally action turns to thought.

Lay these words all down. A mysticism teases as a chesnut woman brings unimaginable gifts.

In your mind you see her, dancing on a velvet sheet. Her enigma stays creased but her care of step is truly stellar.

Together they move, together they waltz. In order, a sweet continuum of three fine artists.

Truly an epic of the annum.

It is a great album in every sense of the word.

Released recently on 28 October, you can buy it at Rootbeat Records here. Lady Maisery are also on tour (check here), so I would recommend seeing them live too.

If you are still not sure, check out a Youtube video of track number 11, “Order and Chaos”, just one example of a singular tune from the album.

Tags cycle, English folk, folk, lady maisery, new album, Review

Album/EP Reviews Scots Traditional

EP Post Autumn 2016 #2 Iona Fyfe Band-“East”-” a particular flair and vigour that shows more than a nod to the time and land of the past”

Iona Fyfe Band – East

Publisher: Birnam CD

ionafyfemusic.com

Iona Fyfe (and band’s) “East” EP has been out for a while; since July 1st in actuality.

Four months have passed, the leaves now fall and the darkening has already beckoned. When the cold weather truly starts I know several people who will be looking back and lamenting the loss of the sun. The only lament I have is that I did not share my experiences of this disc by Iona Fyfe sooner. As an individual with an incredibly thorough interest in the new and developing folk sub-genres, I am surprisingly growing an appreciation for the traditional as well (yes, I will admit it is not my first folk of choice). It is certainly encouraging to see these forms being reproduced and continued with younger artists, and it is done with an honest passion here. Iona’s tour has now ended and the whirlwind of heather breeze has settled, so I would like to look back at this release and let you know what I thought, but first who is Iona Fyfe and her band?

Iona Fyfe is a musician, a young musician who is blessed more than her namesake (which means “blessed”). Through Scotlands’ youth art programme “Time to Shine” she has made an impact on the folk circuit from Prestonpans to Dalbeattie on tour, was a semi-finalist for the BBC2 Young Folk Award in 2015 through interpretations of traditional songs (in particular ballads), and a BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2017 Finalist. It is a growing profile and clearly must be a source of pride for the traditional scene in Scotland and the UK as a whole. The band consists of Iona (vocals, piano, Shruti box), Charlie Grey (fiddle, tenor, guitar), Chris Ferrie (guitar, bodhran), Callum Cronin (double bass), and Ross Miller (border pipes). A folk-rich variety of instruments (particularly the Shruti box, love the sound of this) there are some interesting opportunities within this Gaelic assembly; the tour for the most part is over, but there are some dates coming up early next year (see here) so with all that being said how is the EP?

The first track “Sleepytoon” (Roud 3775) is an Aberdeenshire “bothy ballad” often sung by farm servants of their wages and lives that helped during tasks they performed through the day. There are a few striking things in this track which draws me to it alongside the possibly satirical content of the “hard-working farmer” such as Iona Fyfe’s voice and the great interplay between double bass, bodhran, and fiddle. It is said that much of the magic in folk is in the arrangement, particularly as there are so many good singers out there and it becomes a legendary quest to categorise and describe these competing talents. Iona’s voice is like a graphene butterfly, delicate in form but strong in flexibility and character. She draws a lot from the track and an undisguised reverence for the material in her intonation, a fluttering, melodic Summer shawl of colour. The fiddle finds a characters in few dark corners to get dancing too, the bodhran lays down the cobbles for a wonderful mountainous trek too.

More contemporary sounding but sharing in the “bothy” status, “pride of Aberdeen” follows the story of a girl orphaned at 11, engaged at 17 and unfortunate to pass away in the same year. Not an uncommon story, one that in a similar vein resonates even into the pop world with “The Trees They do Grow High” it has a consistent undercurrent of energy and is peppered with an almost modern sounding Country accompaniment. Track three’s “Queen Amang the Heather” broods quite a bit more. Under the established fiddle we have a love ballad that is bolstered by Iona’s piano. It paints the picture of seduction well, Iona’s interpretation feels fast-paced and at certain points in the track seems to veer in another, exciting direction as like when malting barley, it turns and catches your senses. “Cairn o’ Mount” is an Aberdeen song covered fairly extensively by tradition bearers. The instrumentation falls away here, Iona’s voice is the vehicle for a fine blend, a budding surge of a number that displays her voice as a fresh, charismatic call to history. “Bonny Udny”, the final track is a different kind of tradition, namely one making reference to Udny (the village in Aberdeenshire) and the love of the character’s life. Slightly epic in terms of ballads it starts out as a quiet piano reflection but later is a marriage of the pipes, present guitar and a fiddle chaperone. The solo instrumental at the end is something to particularly look forward to here.

https://youtu.be/0oEvAS8NSxA

Alongside “Sleepytoon”, “Earl Richard” is a favourite on the album. A song covering part of an epic story about a woman killing her ex-lover who previously jilted her and is in keeping with the remainder of the tracks with it’s myth and history but extent of the song’s movement to England and across the water explains the scope of the material has traditionally had. The pipes are strong with this one, it is performed with character almost like how you might imagine it told over a campfire, gestures and all. Also, what is not to like about talking birds? A sustained number which benefits from keeping up the pace.

The Iona Fyfe Band in performance here have convinced me further of the intrigue lurking in Aberdeenshire, of the annuls of history and the dark secrets of lovers, farmers and the land. The land seems so far up and away from me, but a piece of it has now come to me. It is traditional folk indeed, but with a particular flair and vigour that shows more than a nod to the time and land of the past.
Their music seems inseparable from the place, and hark my words this is no bad thing at all.

Fans of folk music that is rooted in the Scotland Highlands need to see what the fuss is about with Iona Fyfe, and look at the hands and hearts that many of these historical artifacts will be carried by in years to come.

There is a lot to like on this disc, it is in all senses a successful, flavoursome EP that thoroughly breathes Aberdeenshire in both reverence and quality.
If you like traditional folk, this EP is a no-brainer, if there are any left you should go and get one right now.

Iona Fyfe Band’s EP is still available for £6 through her website here, give the above videos a look on You Tube too!

Tags East, ep, Iona Fyfe, Review, trad

Album/EP Reviews Americana Folk Music

EP Post Autumn 2016 #1: Steve Grozier (Take My Leave)

Post author By blueestai
Post date 2nd November 2016
No Comments on EP Post Autumn 2016 #1: Steve Grozier (Take My Leave)

Hi all, I have had some interesting things coming through the mailbox in recent weeks (several in some cases).

I have finally had a chance to listen to it all and wanted to share the musical endeavours these artists are striving for early on their road to fame.

It is always exciting to find something new, so check out the first of my EP posts to get a lowdown on what I have been hearing.

First of all it’s Steve Grozier.

Steve Grozier (EP) Take my Leave 2016 – Released September 16 (BatCat Records)

Website: http://stevegroziermusic.com/

Track List:

(1) Drink Before Dawn

(2) Porcelain Hearts

(3) Take My Leave

(4) Ringing of the Bells

Just as the Autumn has taking full hold, the leaves are changing to a more varied, vibrant mass the sun draws back and our days are not as long now.

“Take me Leave” feels like an album for this time of the year. There is sun and heat here, but it feels more like the heat of smoldering bbq embers: the food is cooked, now the bonfire and whisky spirits beckon. As a vampire tries to remember the day, the writer here is looking somewhere from memory for his inspiration. Steve wrote the songs on this EP whilst living in Canada and admits there is some pain in their reworking and re-recording with a new band as it unearths a relationship which I am presuming did not end well. Away from Scotland and in the USA, on return this EP has been crafted. It is tinged with a little melachony as it has been recalled; the coal has been prodded and the heat is spreading about the same way memory can ignite. Produced by Andrew Graham and with supporting musicians Roscoe Wilson (guitar, lap steel), John Dunlop (bass) and Dillone Hall (drums and percussion) we are brought a series of songs based around these memories with the predominant emotive element in the work being regret and nostalgia,which is channelled throughout.

The first track “Drink Before Dawn” does sound somewhat wistful in it’s way with words and music. A bouncy track which you can imagine being performed during a sunset, it gives you a snapshot into that silent time at night when thoughts are racing. The smell of Bourbon is all around, the song projects a feeling of the US, one wonders if Steve is sat on a porch somewhere with the spirit soaked into it’s wooden frame. The track has a gentle warmth and is tinged with optimistic sadness. There are no doubts that it very closely resembles a personal memory, “it’ll creep up on you like an old Summer rain, and you won’t even notice til it’s gone.” Steve develops a convincing rapport with you in this track. It is a grounded number with minor flickers of arrangement that hint at the fallibility of memory. Overall a good number which touches on this dream-like quality of thought.

“Porcelain Hearts” is a similar affecting tune. Grozier has regrets as in the first song but he does bring some nuance as it does sound quite different, perhaps less efflorescent than “Drink Before Dawn.” It is more like the clear thinking, head-shaking worry that someone in later life might have in the morning when they are giving their arms and legs a shake to get them moving, “I’m old, oh lord I’m old.” Purposeful and regretful it is a rainy afternoon in a bar, a feeling of being sad and still in a place of movement. The third track “Take My Leave” is quite memorable for it’s swell guitar accompaniment and a bass that warbles in rapt reminiscence. The songwriting is quite introspective, the lyrics are pretty good in themselves and communicate some shared themes, though probably not as many as when I listen to particular folk tracks. I suppose what we have is a humbler, perspective of love one which the sound mix here allows Steves lyrics and voice to take centre-stage. The final track “Ringing of the Bells” reminds me of the Dire Straits for some reason. Alongside “Drink Before Dawn” it is one of my favourite of the tracks here and one which I feel conveys what Steve is trying to say in the best way. The guitar has a few snappy layers of Americana, the lap steel guitar adds a great deal too, and Grozier’s voice spirals all around with it being at it’s most emotive and accomplished in those two renditions.

The package you get is a melodic set of tracks with some considered lyrics. The EP feels like it is in orbit of this other place and time in Grozier’s life; there is no denying it closely reflects the act of looking back and it quietly broods like the sun setting. Grozier’s words and voice do sound older than his years, are heartfelt, and he gets some decent mileage in these four songs from these experiences. It has a feel of Americana whilst not swimming in it, it is part this and part of an introspective sound somewhat like a less USA Steve Pledger.

Check it out, particularly if you are an acoustic fan. The theme is quite specific which some will like, others maybe less so but there are things to take from this release either way. I often prefer tracks with a deeper folk relationship, but pleasantly I don’t get a feeling of fatigue from this showcase of tracks here which for me is a positive sign about what Grozier has done.

Steve has a couple of dates left on his tour in Glasgow, check them out here, if you are interested in the EP you can buy that here for £4.

Tags 2016, Acoustic, Americana, ep, Review, steve grozier, take my leave

Album/EP Reviews British Modern Arrangement Sea Folk

Kate Rusby – Life in a Paper Boat (album review)

Post author By blueestai
Post date 26th October 2016
No Comments on Kate Rusby – Life in a Paper Boat (album review)

Artist: Kate Rusby

Pure Records

http://www.katerusby.com/

An album of precise and selective instrumentation that concisely builds atmosphere and quality. Kate Rusby continues her good works through effectively combining traditional words and material with modern arrangements with a final product that impresses across the board.

Kate Rusby as we know is pretty much a folk music staple now. She has won practically all of the BBC2 Radio Folk Awards in a number of categories (Best Live Act, Best Album, Best Original Song, Folk Singer of the Year) to the point where she might have to create a new identity so she can have a stab at the Horizon Award too. It is well-deserved though, she started long before the recent notable boom in folk-pop and is very much a celebrity in these Yorkshire parts alongside Fay Hield and Nancy Kerr (and several others of course) in what could probably be considered the real “Northern Powerhouse”. On her 14th Studio Album (getting over unlucky 13 for some, but not really her) and nearly 25 years in music she brings “Life in a Paper Boat” with a continued humility and charm.

To begin it has to be mentioned that the album artwork is a pleasure to behold. Dark yet colourful on the outside and adorned with paper cut-outs and folds inside there is a playful element to the work that sits alongside the more serious matter of it’s high quality production and photography. The album itself is bright and on listening is quite sensory, it feels like a series of images are springing up all around and the artist herself to some extent is revelling in her inner child of curiosity. History, myth and wonder are very much a part of what is happening here and can be felt in the skeleton of this endeavour. It does not fully let itself loose though, several of the tracks are grounded in good folk providence and the disc never feels like it strays far from classical influences. For example, the recognisable figures such as “The Ardent Shepherdess”, “The Mermaid”, and “The Witch of Westmorland” as more fantastical elements are all very present within this musical tapestry.
Producer Damien O’Kane steps with confidence in his job here as the subjects of the songs vary quite considerably between universal tales of love and more traditional and local content (Pace Egging Song). Much of the album is gentle in nature and aims to persuade by leading the listener through a scented garden rather than shouting down suggestions from a political soapbox.
The album has incredible wide appeal, it is not chic folk or folk music which longs to the gloom and misery it has a strong melody and comes at you with it’s arms wide open. It is accessible but also appeals to history and despite some of the heavier topic within, Kate’s trademark storytelling goes for the heart strings and manages this with a great deal of success.

On listening, “Benjamin Bowmaneer” is my favourite opening track of an album this year, no questions asked. The modern drum and golden percussion coupled with Kate’s sirenesque voice brings a character and life to the tailor in the song who goes to war with a horse made of board. An Autumn feeling track it benefits from the artist having one hand creating a fun, believable legend and having one foot where she treads the battlegrounds of old England in the Hundred Years War. It also showcases the album to come with it’s purposeful choices of creating programmed electric drumming (Josh Clark), electric guitar and accompanying strings throughout which gives it a luscious, rolling quality. When you get on to the disc you get a delightful opportunity to hear an artist deep in her stride with music which is warm-heartedness that is traditional in subject but with a modern and attention provoking musical composition. For example, the use of electric guitar and banjo in “The Mermaid” is slight in form in that despite the expected lyrical love for the sea, the ambience created from the instrument feels more like the sun-bleached backing from some late 90’s dance-pop I’ve experienced. Saying this does not to discredit the tune or it’s folk origins, for me the memories of the sun and carefree love of life was triggered by the unexpected use of these strings here and it certainly brings images of the coast which is certainly part of the sensory intention of the work. Rusby’s voice is particularly seeking in this track and combined with the more tightly wove backing sound sound it constructs the simplicity of an image of the sea, the waves and the joy all together in one place.

“The Ardent Shepardess” is quite a complex piece with a rich, leathery string soundscape that deepens all involved. Rusby’s voice is empathic and open, the double bass (Duncan Lyall) is earthy, the banjo (Ron Block) is positively electrifying in execution. The old words combine with Rusby’s tune and it all melds together, fiddles and all in a warming number that spins and impresses. “I’ll be Wise” is likewise a sweet number with continued great strings. The double bass is almost like a heart beat as it plays a counterpoint to Rusby’s defiance of cooler reasoning (of head over heart) within the song, “There I see him, I swore I’d walk on by him, but I cannot resist and stop to eye him.” The other fiddles (Donald Grant and Magnus Johnston), viola (Triona Milne) and cello (Laura Anstee) shine as well. Like “The Mermaid”, it is as an example of the disc with a large number of instruments but with a trimmed output sound, or at least a producer (Damien O’Kane) who has recognised that less is sometimes more (it certainly is here). It is sharp and distinct. The sound of “Life in a Paper Boat” does not wash up and roll muddy on the shore, it feels instead like a fine wooden vessel skirting the briny sea on a fresh September morning.

The song at the heart of the album (of the same name) “Life in a Paper Boat” is affecting and timely; managing to convey the fragility, sadness and desperation in the refugee situation with just a few words. The synth in this track casts a slightly spectral, somber feel which sets a scene for the subject who is praying for a ray of inner hope during his predicament. He has lost his wife and the “ancient land I’ve left behind in ruins”, the track focuses on the positivity and light in the situation for that person. It makes you think, but it is not a song that guilt-trips or attempts to point fingers outwards, it just looks inwards to the refugee’s mindset and seeks to create a connection with the listening audience. Penetrating, on-point and as direct to the issues and feelings as possible, it is a song that soothes like a balm on the burning marked skin of society’s conscience. Stirring and mindful it is what is needed for an individual’s quiet reflection of the issue.

The last track I will talk about is of course the excellent “Big Brave Bill”. When I described Kate Rusby as invoking the inner child, she certainly does here and takes it to the highest level with this song. The song started out as a bedtime story for her children and grew into Bill, a superhero from Barnsley who likes Yorkshire Tea (I can’t stand the stuff but I’m not originally from Yorkshire, so what do I know). He saves people from many notable places in the area such as Cannon Hall Park and further afield in Mallorca (when there is a bad brew was on it’s way) and is unashamedly Yorkshire while he does it. It must certainly have been a guilty pleasure for Kate to write and sing but it is really good, a lovely bit of fanciful myth-making. The whole track is charming and accomplished and as she says it is “truly” a celebration of Yorkshire identity in a lighthearted, highly spirited way. It’s energy and humour does leave me asking if it ever helped her children sleep at night or if it made them jump up and down on the bed a lot instead!

Throughout the album Kate Rusby’s voice is a sweet undertaking of the finest kind. Some through recent folk history might compare her tones to the light touch of honey or cream or some other swirling, tasty molasses; I actually see the overall sensory analogy as being rather like lemon meringue. As sacchariferous as some could claim her songs are, the key to Kate Rusby’s attraction is her shifting centre, Lemon meringue is sweet but also a touch sharp and the creator of such a thing decides on the balance of two. The title track itself “Life in a paper boat” is serious, is harsh and very real in that it depicts the refugee experience. Rusby doesn’t hand out a lemon and make the situation sour, there is more to it and I think she has a singular skill for eliciting empathy from the audience. The album’s mixing compliments her voice too, it never overpowers or really comes close to drowning out the voice track. There are never any doubts about where Rusby can be heard and this is a great indicator of talent all-round as Rusby favours clarity over volume, and if this album is anything to go off, there is still quite a lot to hear yet from Yorkshire’s heartlands from this artist. Check this album out, it a a nice addition to this year’s releases.

TRACK LIST

Benjamin Bowmaneer
Hunter Moon
The Ardent Shepherdess
Life In a Paper Boat
Only Desire What you Have
Hundred Hearts
The Mermaid
Pace Egging Song
The Witch of Westmorland
I’ll Be Wise
Night Lament
(BONUS) Big Brave Bill

Life In a Paper Boat was released on 7 October, 2016. She is on tour! Check out the image below and her website here, for more details

Tags album review, folk, folk pop, gentle, kate rusby, paper boat, Review

Folk Music Music Video

Ani DiFranco – Play God (Video/Track Review)

Post author By blueestai
Post date 19th October 2016
No Comments on Ani DiFranco – Play God (Video/Track Review)

America’s presidential elections are big news.

Whether you adore the red, white or blue in the form of stars and stripes or if you are more a rectangles kind of person; the outcome of the election will undoubtedly have some bearing on your life, and not just if you are a US citizen.

Up until last week the competition seemed fairly close between Clinton and Trump. I truly do not want to say what will happen in the end, but the recent news coverage and found footage of Donald Trump boasting about his attempts to have sex with a married woman at best upset harmonious living between the sexes and Donald Trump’s image, and at it’s worse damage society and reinforce the horrendous attitudes that prevail in some people’s minds (it depends on your interpretation). He might not win now because of it. Whatever the final outcome brings to the world there are alongside it people with things to say, songs to sing and politics to dance, tap and speak out about and Ani DiFranco is one of these people.

With a career that has grown into a success over 27 years, Ani has put the hours through the release of over 20 albums and fairly recently a recipient of the Woodie Guthrie award confirming that she is in every sense a being of politics. Since her early work in the 90s to now,she has clearly seen a lot, feels a lot and represents a certain moral fiber as a juggernaut of unflinching, self-aware musicianship. She has portrayed folk and the rest of the melting pot of her musical influences to the world as an agent of change and is a deeply grounded individual who continues to stand for social justice and her latest video “Play God” (released 7 October) doesn’t show any signs of cashing in anytime soon.

As part of her current tour “VOTE DAMMIT” she burns with a flame of fortitude that crackles with blue gusto in her attempts to sway the minds of the disillusioned and apolitical to get them to practice the rights that were hard fought for in times past. Ani’s own production company Righteous Babe in collaboration with Aveline Records steps out to add to these voices, broadening the message in an ever narrowing political debate through society. She whips up her crowd into a psychedelic, retro funk which entertains and informs at the same time.

This funky mastery “Play God” comes at us with gnarling lyrics and a slightly scratchy, purposeful video that is both the swinging spirit of political marches for pro choice as well as a more personal melody in some scenes (where she is alone in the church). Her lyrics reflect the political but also highlight the fully personal nature of these decisions, “I pay my taxes like any workin’ man and I feel I’ve earned my right to choose”. It grooves and sports a thick layer of defiant blues protest that in it’s feminism has shades of Aretha Franklin’s “Think”, Hendrix’s guitar-play, and aspects of modern singer-songwriters (e.g. Ruth Theodore) spliced with Woody Guthrie’s indomitable purpose. In vibe it undeniably succeeds at the difficult task of not sounding as a pastiche of earlier works and rather than building on older rock founders sounds like it’s equal or perhaps the glimpse of an alternative if time and space had dropped Ani at the feet or Rock and Roll originator, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. It’s mixing (Tchad Blak) and mastering (Brian Lucey) also gives it the feeling of shifting sands with a general sound combining many elements with it’s hotbed of older rock baselines that chew through political resistance in a persuasive, essential way.

just one thing that a man needs
to be truly free
this is the modern world
and that one thing is money
but there are two things
that a woman needs
control over her own body

A great song that argues for a necessary link between a woman’s freedom, and her freedom over her choice to carry life. Throughout it has a hypnotic guitar line and a shrewd, clever, political singing voice that brings clarity during a time of confusion and flux over civil liberties. Check this song out, it will make you think. It might not make you decide, but it will give you the everyman/everywoman/everyperson’s experiences of diminished rights and ask you to make your placard and let your voice be heard.

“Play God” is a sample of what is to come in Ani DiFranco’s upcoming studio album, see her website here and checkout the video for yourself below.

Tags Ani Difranco, civil liberties, music, music video, politics, pro-choice, reproductive rights, responsibility, Review

Album/EP Reviews British Folk Music Traditional

Ange Hardy and Lukas Drinkwater- Findings – Review

Post author By blueestai
Post date 12th October 2016
1 Comment on Ange Hardy and Lukas Drinkwater- Findings – Review

A culmination of learning the disc boasts high-class collaborations, vocals like fireweed and a smooth, rewarding experience that builds on earlier work and honours the traditional

Ange Hardy and Lukas Drinkwater – http://www.angehardy.com/

Label: Story Records Limited

Executive Producer: Rob Swann

Released 14th September 2016, Live on BBC Radio 2.

In association and support from the EFDSS.

In the field of engineering and business collaboration it is important to get what you are doing right. As Henry Ford said,

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

If Ange Hardy and Lukas Drinkwater are anything to go by then in virtue of their shared love of bad jokes (so bad they are good) and self-deprecation on their extensive tour (see here), they are indeed making a success from their relatively new “duo” status and discovering a strength in each other’s talents. Part of the fruits of their twosome toiling is a new album simply called “Findings” with Ange Hardy taking the lead vocals, some harp, whistle and strings, and Lukas with vocals, guitar and double bass. Described as something that couldn’t have been accomplished by the artists alone, “Findings” has attracted some collaborations from other artists too based in the North such as Barnsley Light Kathryn Roberts along for some vocals, and Sheffield-dwelling celebrity Nancy Kerr who bring a little extra prestige to the mix. The attention and inclusion of these artists regularly attached to the BBC2 Folk Awards does tell of the quick ascent Ange Hardy has made in the last three years and of a growing musical influence she is having in the community at large. The album has featured highly on Amazon and sales are looking healthy but what is the album like itself?

A nice touch is the pervasiveness of how the theme of these connections is explored. It is “finding” in concept, sound and word but also surprisingly in action as a rather special added bonus of the CD. Each disc comes with a unique name and code imprinted on the album case with a game that you and other purchasers can become involved in. Each name is one half of a group or duo who have performed together; finding the person who has the matching name and code gives both individuals the chance to unlock some bonus material next year (my code is King Billy, please help me out). I have not come across such such a social event in a folk music release before, it is an interesting attempt to innovate and bringing an abstract concept and idea to life in a real way. Ange Hardy et al are becoming fully confident and immersed in the business of making music, it is thankful to know that such a thing is reinforced to an optimistic idea that builds on the central concept and adds interest in the work. It is like a more ethical version of viral marketing used in branding and film media except here they are creating new meanings in the work they do. The album case design itself is quite simple, yet clean with Ange’s historically influenced icon of a tree and roots in shining silver on a matte black background, it is clearly going for the pure approach instead of clutter and confusion.

The album musically expands on this purity of vision as it feels this time like the album is giving something back to history. Ange has done much original work previously and here with “Findings”, much like Confucianism’s honouring of the ancestors, the two writers are performing and writing to satisfy more traditional elements of the folk scene. It is this way that it is most surprising. After listening for a while I was rather amused to see reading the notes that many of the tracks were originally written work and are not from folk history, I could swear there was more traditional material here, but it plumps for influence rather than imitation. It amounts to an album that sounds deeply embedded in folk consciousness but does not come exclusively from history but also modern events which is a testament to the writing and sound that is contained within. It is not the literary-heavy reworking of Ange’s previous Esteesee, but the skills of textual adaptation can be clearly seen running through the album. If it close to any of Ange’s catalogue it is probably in sound nearest to the Lament of the Black Sheep with elements of her other work within but with a slicker sound depth that aims for a wider target audience alongside the rising production.

“True are the mothers” is an epic ode to motherhood that encompasses the aspects of protection “Many are welcome to Shelter all by my cloak”, family “none are forgotten for good is the home”, and provision “all of the little ones call on my care to feed from the fruits of the earth” in the form of trees throughout the song. It has a delicate yet strong arrangement, a spider’s silk of sanctuary spreading outwards. The sacred sense of the song is added to by some magical turns by Nancy Kerr and Kathryn Roberts as added vocals, and it all hangs together with some light harp, whistle, and treading double bass that form a soundscape of bright forest mornings, slender breezes, and venerable medieval folk. Despite previous consternation from myself that this album was unlike her previous, this track is quite stripped back in presentation, and infused with nature’s power much like some of the tracks on her “Bare Foot Folk” album, which is no bad thing at all. Another song on the album that mentions trees, though in a more metaphorical way is the duo’s version of “The Trees They do Grow”, a traditional song in every which way referencing medieval child marriage, and the shortness and brightness of the spark of life in those days. There is a nice contrast between voices here. Ange’s voice is searching, emotive, and expressive whereas Lukas in backing sounds like the voice of inevitability; like if gravel had legs and walked amongst us. It amounts to a searing and honest re-telling of a very famous folk song indeed, it fits right into place here and is a firm favourite.

Another great track, “By the Tides” is an introspective look at the conscience of the nation as it explores the loss of human life in the Mediterranean Sea by people crossing to seek safety. It does not blast out it’s judgement but worries, wonders and asks. Like many tracks on the disc it is an acoustic marvel which dwells in the open away from an overwhelming or stuffed ensemble of instruments and takes the sharp tool of acoustic guitar, some double bass, vocals and does what it will with these. It is a song raising beacon on in exploration of the issue and has the subdtlety of lighting a candle amongst hope rather than a lighter at the fuel of anger around migration, asylum and fear. True with lyrics such as “will you still be waiting when the ignorance has gone?” it could be being forceful with it’s message but in it’s questioning lyrics and rhymes it seems to be pointing towards a welcoming answer rather than prescribing it too heavily. Beautiful in execution with a warming character it deserves more than a few listens. “Invisible Child” also tackles a societal issue, but one not so highly publicised. Written about young carers and the things they do for family member that are often unseen by greater society it considers the mind of the child and the simple day to day routines done without question in the heart of adult responsibility seen experienced in the life . There is little instrumentation like “By the Tides” and here it is tenderly sad, eliciting some heartfelt sorrow as you hear the voice and the joy the child has at doing these simple, essential things. A smile is raised at the end of the song when the whistle comes into play weaving the child’s imagination, fun and energy almost into a dancing jester, a remarkable remembrance of who they are despite the need to “be” an adult. It is a skilled use of candor as it defines and gently engages around a society-wide issue, and is a great track in it’s right. Even more disrobed of musical instruments, “The Pleading Sister” is a song that expands on the nursery rhyme “Little Boy Blue”. It is seamless how it is done, on listening one could imagine the story of woe from the perspective of the sister of the noise-making sibling who fatally falls victim to cattle being the actual missing verses. In sound it is simply told through Ange Hardy’s style of minor harmony with herself, and the mixing of voice is quite good. Much like an older family member held in wonder for repairing clothes, the song like the stitching repair with skilled hands is faultless, invisible; the writers’ hands move and the only uncertain thing is where the story starts and where it ends and working with old material such as this takes a very deft hand indeed.

Also on the album are some more heavily layered tracks drawing on more instrumentation. This serves to not only balance out the construction of the songs within but also showcase the learning that has taken place following Ange Hardy’s earlier albums and the influences she has developed over the years. She describes “The Widow” as her favourite instrumental arrangement on the album and it is hard to see how it couldn’t be. The role of memories and their changing nature both lightens and weighs burdensome amongst Evan Carson’s sparkling percussion, the dream-like accordion (Archie Churchill-Moss) and tragi-myth stylings of the fiddle (Ciaran Algar). An accomplished, mature work that burns the senses like spicy, mock turtle soup it has a classic refinement you find on the best folk tracks on the best albums being played in the best pubs. Another track, “Far Away from Land” also brings together some more instruments, this time in a very lightly nautical sounding song around a heavily nautical topic (the passing of Manfred Fritz Bajorat who moved away from land and his family to live the rest of his life at sea). The song based on the gentleman shows Ange at her most animated on the album, the song is cyclical and sounds much like the isolation and circling feelings of the sailor. It brings all the elements together in a pacier number that is 5 parts a story of legend, 2 parts a sad tale, and 3 parts of going out the way you say you will. The differing voices all come together well here. There is a tinge of madness in the loop, and the delivery seems to see the last days of the sailor as perhaps being more tormented than he might have imagined or wanted them to be. This is the artists’ imagining anyway for it is another mystery of the world for what those last days must have been like. The male backing vocals work particularly well in this song being stepped with the addition of Steve Pledger in backing being the coffee to Drinkwater’s black molasses.

Clean, professional and rewarding on re-listen, it has taken a while to see the different parts within this “Findings” album.

If her albums were professions this one would as literally described previously, the jeweller attaching a charm on to a loved and old charm bracelet: there are different parts which together jangle and bring memories of different people, times, and places.

Like some of the finest single malts, there are several touches and flavours to be borne from the finish; if I was to pair this album with a whisky it would have to be an Aberfeldy Single Cask balanced in spice and honey for the album is quite distinguished in it’s depth and harmony. The subject material is wider than previous albums, it’s appeal is probably wider too in terms of who will get the most from “Findings” and this can only be a good thing. One cannot fail to be impressed by what is done here and the intentions behind it, it’s concept is not overly laboured in the songs per se but done carefully and thoughtfully in the spirit and sun of the music inside. The execution of the “Findings” Game also show a clever mind at work and a lovely attempt to bring people together in the mood of the work at hand. There is a craft here that leaves a mark in the book of music that will hopefully run across the whole parchment of folk for years to come.

The Findings Album can be found everywhere including on Amazon, and the official website here.

TRACK LIST

1. The Call/Daughter’s of Watchet/ Caturn’s Night

2. The Pleading Sister

3. The Trees They Do Grow High

4. Far Away Land

5. By the Tides

6. My Grandfathers/Bearded Ted of Raddington

7. True are the Mothers

8. The Berkshire Tragedy

9. The Widow

10. Bonny Lighter-Boy

11. Invisible Child

12. Daughter Dear Daughter

13. The Parting Lullaby

If you are still not sure check out the video below and head over for their album or tour, you will not be disappointed, here is my post from seeing them at Derby Folk Festival this year.

Tags album, Ange Hardy, Findings, Lukas Drinkwater, myth-making, Review, traditional

Folk Music Protest Folk Uncategorised

Support Merrymaker’s charity single “Nobody here wants a war”

Post author By blueestai
Post date 28th September 2016
No Comments on Support Merrymaker’s charity single “Nobody here wants a war”

Nobody Here Wants A War- Charity Single Launch – 26/09/16

Pushing their best foot forward with all the sensibilities of protest folk, the band Merrymaker come at us with a new single “Nobody here wants a war”.

Merrymaker is happily made out of Dan Sealey (from Merrymouth), Adam Barry (The Misers) and Nikki Petherick (singer songwriter), a trio of artists come together in a melodic, thumping protest package; first in the studio earlier in the year to record this number, and soon to be touring with a bagful of new material that for now has been kept under wraps. Their experiences as support for John McCusker, their own projects, and attendance at a large number of folk festivals within the music scene over the years promises to bring a well-tuned, politically sharp live experience to the stage for all. Like all the best folk it feels like they are setting out on a journey of articulating people’s fears of the times they are living in and it does this by going to the populace and crafting a protest out of their collective voice.
As mentioned, all proceeds from this song go to the charity, Action Aid.

“Nobody here wants a war” is a single that sees the burning fire of our Government’s involvement with Syria and blows away the smoke that lingers. Syria is pretty far from the minds of a lot of people in our country despite it having been a catastrophic war-zone for quite a long time. This could be due to the recent referendum of EU membership and other political debacles, but Merrymaker rightly brings our attention to this House of Commons decision where the country joined a coalition of other countries bombing Syria. By bringing back a memory of this decision they are wanting to give a voice to a nation of discontentment, and explore this pivotal decision that quite possibly opened a floodgate for many undemocratic actions that followed by individuals seated in power. Do they succeed?

They do, and make quite a confident stride at raising their profile. Merrymaker have done this through listening to the people through social media and working the concepts into song in a meaningful way. The collective heave of discontentment and unhappiness is expressed within their music video where several of the responses are quoted and worked into the feeling:

“I don’t think that we can actually accept that we live in a democracy at the moment, you have to question everything you hear”

“I feel saddened, frustrated, angry, and scared of the decision of the British Government”

“A country has no right to complain about refugees when they are the ones causing the refugees to flee”

The sentiments connect deeply and the latent hypocrisy of some attitudes is challenged, as the lyrics sing, “”it’s a cycle of madness.. and it’s done in our name”. Uplifting and rousing with some lovely harmonies, a likeable pace and a stirring piano it shows a passion to challenge oppression. The layers of aerophone and free-moving fiddle also catch the ear quite nicely and the main singer’s voice is sad yet hopeful. All together a good listen and a worthwhile cause indeed. Living in times of a challenging political identity and growing right-wing ideologies, it is welcome to hear a band focusing on this year and communicating not just a differing viewpoint, but a highly maintained one from society itself. As they say themselves:

“the idea of writing songs about subjects that matter to us as a band, came from a sheer frustration from modern bands and songwriters not wanting
to air their views through music anymore.”

With people’s unwillingness to openly challenge power in society, Merrymaker are lending a hand and at the same time creating a commentary on the times we are living in.

I look forward to hearing them at Derby Folk Festival this very weekend (30th September so get your tickets now), and their future music releases each month that are to culminate in their EP launch in early 2017. If you are in Derby and have a ticket, they are playing at the Guildhall Clubrooms at 5.30pm on Saturday 1st), website here.

Check out the video below, and then go to their website here. The single is available for £0.99 there, with proceeds going to ActionAid who support women and children through a number of initiatives, click on their image below for a link!

actionaidstrapcolour_o1 — All proceeds from this song go to the charity, Action Aid.

Tags Acoustic, charity, folk, Merrymaker, protest folk, Review, single

Album/EP Reviews Dark Folk Folk Music Nature Folk

Jenny Sturgeon’s “From the Skein” Album Review

Post author By blueestai
Post date 5th September 2016
No Comments on Jenny Sturgeon’s “From the Skein” Album Review

A good debut album that effectively conveys Sturgeon’s love of history. A balance exists as wide myth collides with shared Scots history; brilliance flickers in some of the darker tracks which hint at even better things to come.

I have been taking some time to have a listen to Jenny Sturgeon’s debut album, “From the skein”, it is indeed an interesting beast.

Produced by Simon Gall who Jenny worked with on a disc nominated in 2015 for the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Award/Folk Radio Album of the year (Clype’s album “Clype”), the album design recognises Jenny’s voice and creates some interesting space in which she works within. It dabbles in some surprising but not heavy-handed different world influences which like the salt and lime with tequila make something else out of something that could be much more standard fare. Co-arrangers and multi-intrumentalists Davy Cattanach (from Catford), Jonny Hardie (from Old Blind Dogs), Grant Anderson (from Brothers Reid) and special guests Brian McApline (accordian), Aongus Mac Amhlaigh (cello), Fraser Fifield (whistle and sax), Ana Maia MacLellan (gaelic singer), and Rahul K Ravindran (Indian Carnatic singer) add texture across the album in a great blend of traditions and choices.

The first thing that both strikes you from it’s looks is the hints at the contents from within the album cover artwork by Jenny (and Will Miles). It is aiming for both a historical and natural feel with the front reference to wild geese in formation with it’s slightly faded wash and appearance of being a “discovered” illustration from antiquity. It seems to work when viewed through this lens as you can imagine the scene in something like Cadfael where a camera pans from a clergy man to a side manuscript with the eponymous geese being sketched and studied no end. The artwork is lovely and shows the attachment of the artist to her Aberdeen dwellings, the choice of geese is more an implicit connection of the themes in the album. Rather than it feeling like an album about travel, migration or nature, it is more concerned with human history, religion, and political events; nature and the world spins around these here. What of the feel of the album?

Jenny Sturgeon is an artist who brings the sensibilities of traditional tracks which are punctuated with a conglomerate of instrumental artists. The folk music here is liberally sprinkled with myth but not exclusively so. Some tracks are like the roots of myth and take direct story influence (e.g. Maiden Stone) where others are like the shoots and seem more contemporary (e.g. Running Free) and both are quite welcoming and engaging in different ways. Sturgeon’s work tackles some darker elements but chooses not to constrain itself solely to a particular sound. Rightly (or wrongly I suppose based on viewpoint) “From the Skein” is a broader showcase of talent than a set of music which is concerned with furrowing a deep trail of one type, I somewhat prefer the darker stuff and when it gets fairly heavy it is very much like a brewing, nebulous demitasse but it would not have been a wise move to stick to this alone. I then had a think about some of the tracks within.

“Maiden Stone” at the beginning has a powerful hum which emanates from the central core of the song like a space monolith among a red-dune planet. Of course the track itself is more down to earth as a direct reference to the Maiden Stone near Inverurie in Scotland. The song is based on the myth of a wager that the main character makes with a man when she tries to get out of a marriage following an unfortunate discovery, “was then she spied the fork in his tail, she was to be Beezlebub’s bride.” It is one of those stories veenered in history. The urgent and sharp guitars progress the song on and the woodwind wraps across the track like a mysterious shawl, there is a hint of jazz as it blusters with mild chaos and the inevitability draws near. The story sets a relatively grim, but darkly comforting track at the beginning of the album which probably plays on the safer side, but is executed well with a recognisable traditional voice as it navigates lyrical content deep into the witching hour.

“Raven” is a gutsy shanty which I don’t want to do it a disservice, but it is almost like a folk rap. Probably the best track on the album, Sturgeon’s voice rises and falls not unlike the waves of the sea. The whole arrangement is shiveringly fleshed out with powerful rasping drums and percussion in accompaniment, pickling vinegar strings and the repetition of “the voice of wind through broken stone, “the wind seeps in, the wind seeps in.” It does indeed, and you feel like the track could be your swansong as the ill-natured sea reclaims the land which you cling to. While wordily traditional and briny, the drumming is more 90s pop rock or ballad-like. Stunningly despairing in tone, yet uptempo in pace it surprises and leaves you wanting more. Like a boat, there are points where the track lurches as the drums and cymbals change, you are not sure where it is going but that is part of the excitement.

Sturgeon’s “Selkie” returns to the subject matter of legends and historical superstitions set up early on the album, except taking the broad concept of the “selkie” (a sea seal that sheds it’s skin on land and becomes a beautiful human male or female) and telling a story around this Shetland/Nordic creature of old. Starting as a lo-fi number like a creature alone in the sea it then like a briny Talisker malt opens up; the still waters splash on the shores and it takes a number of world influences and adds a more Eastern sound. Minor harmonies arise, the male singing accompaniment brings a timeless, hidden aspect to the song while Sturgeon herself adopts a clear, distinctive and longing voice through the course of proceedings. The transition of the arrangement is well executed, the track truly speaks, it all plays together well and holds nicely. It becomes an epic world tune in no time before your ears and an engulfing number the expanse of Rahul L Ravindran’s voice and the instruments hint at a horizon and ageless plain of sound.

“Harbour Masters” unlike the other tracks mentioned so far is a lighter number but an incredibly sensory one that goes some way to building on a picture of contentment yet active energy at the edge of land and sea. It leaps into your mind as the purposeful bustle of your surroundings combine with a spirit of freedom and fun. The harbour master is a philosophical woman looking out to see the space between imagination and sees the wonder rolling out through the shoreline, “for miles it seems that I can see in the dimming of the night.” An accessible track that appeals like warmer lapping brooks in contrast to the cold wall of history and dark mysticism. As it appears, it brings more balance to the album and shows a mid-set track which reminds that we are away from the everyday and where nature meets people there can be simple pleasures to be had in it’s observation. It pairs quite well with the other evocative night track on the album that focuses on the moment, “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“The Honours” is another historical story. This one is led quite strongly with whistle and fiddle describing the hiding of the Scottish crown jewels by Rev. James Grainger after they were moved from Edinburgh Castle, and then Dunnottar Castle to a church in Kinneff to save them from a fate of anti-establishment destruction by Oliver Cromwell. A traditional, drum heavy number it is a rhythmic reminder of the past that tells a simple yet significant story of Scottish history. Alongside some of the tracks already mentioned it does show quite a good eye for songwriting from historical sources, Sturgeon clearly has a warm spot for the whole part of this land; be it the more popular, widely-held myths from the mainland, the more obscure village yarns or the quiet murmors of apprehensive sailors there are ties to history and theme which moves the work away from an overly emotive piece concerned with feeling alone.

Overall, a good debut. It intrigues a little, it celebrates Scotland a lot, and it tries hard to immerse you into the world it is painting and for the vast majority it succeeds very well at this. It appeals in part to fans of traditional folk though balances this with more modern timings on certain tracks. The world influence is strong here and a crossover between world and folk, it gets the balance right in my opinion and the braver choices of arrangement and instrumentation pay off well. If you have a space on your folk shelf, I certainly recommend “From the Skein.”

If you wish to purchase the album, the best place to go is Jenny’s bandcamp page, https://jennysturgeon.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-skein where you can hear samples of the tracks before purchasing!

Track list

Maiden Stone
Raven
Running Free
Selkie
Nowhere Else I’d Rather Be
Honest Man
Cùlan
Linton
Harbour Masters
Judgement
The Honours
Fair Drawin’ In

If you are still uncertain, check out a clip of “Selkie” from the Isle of May Foghorn Sessions.

Tags album, dark folk, folk music, From the Skein, Jenny Sturgeon, Review