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B'eirth, the man behind In Gowan Ring, started Birch Book in 2005 as a vessel for releasing simpler, more singer/songwriter-like songs than those that are normally found on the more experimental In Gowan Ring albums. The self-titled debut was released in late 2005, and the second album, Fortune & Folly will be out in November 2006.
Tangles Of The Vine, then, is a sort of go-between. Recorded live in 2005 for the Dutch VPRO radio (well known from other alternative artists), the album contains a mixture of older and new songs. B'eirth is supported on some songs by the soft, though expressionless voice of Annelies Monseré, but besides that, it's all solo voice and guitar, with a dash of harmonica. Some tracks are old, such as "Train To Rome" and "Warm Wind And Rain" from the first Birch Book album, and the beautiful "Aurora", which appeared on the very limited Full Flower Moon 3" CD-R by In Gowan Ring. The uplifting "The Wandering Boy" and "Young Souls" also appeared on the In Gowan Ring live release Webs Among The Din. On the whole, Tangles Of The Vine sounds a bit more melancholic than the easygoing Birch Book debut album, especially because of "Song Of The Nightingale", a very promising track.
For those who already have the first Birch Book album and are planning on buying the second one as well, this little release might prove to be a bit redundant. Nevertheless, it has enough merits as well. The sound, as always with these VPRO recordings, is excellent and very intimate, and this is a very pleasant introduction to B'eirth's more recent work. This is also the easiest way of getting your hands on a recording of "Aurora", even though the original is slightly better. In any case, this is an excellent piece of songwriting that might be interesting to folks who are new to B'eirth's work. Die hard fans of his won't be disappointed either.
You can listen to the VPRO radio show with Birch Book online. It contains several tracks from this session and an interview with B'eirth: VPRO Website.
O.S.
Tangles Of The Vine, then, is a sort of go-between. Recorded live in 2005 for the Dutch VPRO radio (well known from other alternative artists), the album contains a mixture of older and new songs. B'eirth is supported on some songs by the soft, though expressionless voice of Annelies Monseré, but besides that, it's all solo voice and guitar, with a dash of harmonica. Some tracks are old, such as "Train To Rome" and "Warm Wind And Rain" from the first Birch Book album, and the beautiful "Aurora", which appeared on the very limited Full Flower Moon 3" CD-R by In Gowan Ring. The uplifting "The Wandering Boy" and "Young Souls" also appeared on the In Gowan Ring live release Webs Among The Din. On the whole, Tangles Of The Vine sounds a bit more melancholic than the easygoing Birch Book debut album, especially because of "Song Of The Nightingale", a very promising track.
For those who already have the first Birch Book album and are planning on buying the second one as well, this little release might prove to be a bit redundant. Nevertheless, it has enough merits as well. The sound, as always with these VPRO recordings, is excellent and very intimate, and this is a very pleasant introduction to B'eirth's more recent work. This is also the easiest way of getting your hands on a recording of "Aurora", even though the original is slightly better. In any case, this is an excellent piece of songwriting that might be interesting to folks who are new to B'eirth's work. Die hard fans of his won't be disappointed either.
You can listen to the VPRO radio show with Birch Book online. It contains several tracks from this session and an interview with B'eirth: VPRO Website.
O.S.