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In The Garden Of Wild Stars is the first album by Twelve Thousand Days, a project of Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza) and Alan Trench (Orchis, Temple Music). The collaboration of these two gentlemen is very fortunate, because In The Garden... is full of beautiful, echanting, and original folk.
The music is open and accessible, but has a dark undercurrent on the whole CD. Despite its psychedelic touch, the folk of Twelve Thousand Days remains close to authentic folk music, represented by the use of traditional melodies for "The Moon Is Down", "The Grey Cock", and "Sally Free And Easy", the last of which features Tracy Jeffery (Orchis) on backing vocals. The fairytale-like atmosphere is also tangible in the lyrics, which are a mix of traditional stories, such as the "Reynardine"-like "Dun Fox", mysticism ("Wandering Aengus" of W.B. Yeats), and personal reflection, in "12,000 Days", for example.
The magical, mysterious tone is introduced right away by the atmospheric "Let The Evening In", where Bates is accombanied by just the hooting of an owl. The up-tempo "The Moon Is Down" is a wonderful cover of "Fleance", which Third Ear Band wrote for the soundtrack of Roman Polanski's Macbeth. The serene "Stricken Fields" is also very worthwhile, because of the great use of electric guitar, just like in "Jennet pt II", where the flute melody is also very impressive. The calm "Wandering Aengus" is also definitely one of the highlights. Another excellent track is the ritualistic, trance-like "Burning Incense". But, all the other tracks are very good as well. There is a great variation of instruments and sounds throughout the album, from traditional folk instrumentation to ambient drones, but the atmosphere is always consistent. The only downside of this album is the production, which could have been a bit more clear and bright, so that the songs would be even more expressive.
This album is a modern classic of psychedelic folk. The collaboration of Bates and Trench gives the music a wholly unique character, and this album is a must-have for anyone interested in modern folk.
D.M.K.
The music is open and accessible, but has a dark undercurrent on the whole CD. Despite its psychedelic touch, the folk of Twelve Thousand Days remains close to authentic folk music, represented by the use of traditional melodies for "The Moon Is Down", "The Grey Cock", and "Sally Free And Easy", the last of which features Tracy Jeffery (Orchis) on backing vocals. The fairytale-like atmosphere is also tangible in the lyrics, which are a mix of traditional stories, such as the "Reynardine"-like "Dun Fox", mysticism ("Wandering Aengus" of W.B. Yeats), and personal reflection, in "12,000 Days", for example.
The magical, mysterious tone is introduced right away by the atmospheric "Let The Evening In", where Bates is accombanied by just the hooting of an owl. The up-tempo "The Moon Is Down" is a wonderful cover of "Fleance", which Third Ear Band wrote for the soundtrack of Roman Polanski's Macbeth. The serene "Stricken Fields" is also very worthwhile, because of the great use of electric guitar, just like in "Jennet pt II", where the flute melody is also very impressive. The calm "Wandering Aengus" is also definitely one of the highlights. Another excellent track is the ritualistic, trance-like "Burning Incense". But, all the other tracks are very good as well. There is a great variation of instruments and sounds throughout the album, from traditional folk instrumentation to ambient drones, but the atmosphere is always consistent. The only downside of this album is the production, which could have been a bit more clear and bright, so that the songs would be even more expressive.
This album is a modern classic of psychedelic folk. The collaboration of Bates and Trench gives the music a wholly unique character, and this album is a must-have for anyone interested in modern folk.
D.M.K.