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Review: The A. Lords (2011)

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:08:29 +0000

artist: The A. Lords
release: The A. Lords
format: LP
year of release: 2011
label: Rif Mountain
duration: 37:53

Recorded over then summers between 2000 and 2010, this eponymous LP is the definitive work (so far?) by The A. Lords, the duo consisting of Michael Tanner and Nicholas Palmer. A lovely five-track EP already appeared in 2006 on the now defunct Barl Fire imprint, and four tracks off that release also made it to this LP, some with new names. Six new tracks have been added to fill out the album with more wonderful pastoral folk meanderings.

My verdict from five years ago still stands: this is gorgeous music that practically breathes the outdoors, the sunshine, and the Dorset landscape in which it was recorded. A wide variety of acoustic instruments gives each track on the album a unique palette, with many opting for sweet drifting melodies accented with staccato glockenspiel or dulcimer notes, besides the more familiar guitar sound, but also gentle organ drones, bells, toy piano, and the ever-present natural background sounds.

This LP is a compact album with a clear musical vision, and a perfect companion to a day in the sun, whether it’s in summer, or a day like we’re having now: a crisp and clear October morning where the sun’s warmth is all the more welcome. Calm freefolk at its best, in other words. The lovely vinyl edition by Rif Mountain with its stunning stylised artwork only adds to the appeal. Limited to 250 copies, so off ye go!

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Freohyll (2:58)
2. Mistress Chetell (5:27)
3. Summerhouse (5:16)
4. Crimson Rambler (2:23)
5. Of Wren Or Raven (3:48)

6. Skyclad In Pendle (6:27)
7. The Seventh Child (2:07)
8. Hopkin’s Lament (3:12)
9. Things Near And Far (3:23)
10. Pyewacket’s Nest (2:52)

Cloudscape #15: June 2011

admin — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:05:56 +0000

Cloudscape #15: June 2011 by Evening Of Light on Mixcloud

time | artist | track | album | year

Review: V.A. – We Bring You a King with a Head of Gold (2010)

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:06:34 +0000

artist: Various Artists
release: We Bring You a King with a Head of Gold
format: 2x CD
year of release: 2010
label: Cold Spring
duration: 2:25:42

detailed info: discogs.com

We Bring You a King with a Head of Gold is the long-awaited sequel to the excellent John Barleycorn Reborn compilation released several years ago. Again Cold Spring does the honours of releasing a compilation of British folk, though this time without the sadly defunct Woven Wheat Whispers. Like before, the harvest is two CDs full of contemporary folk tunes from different areas of the genre, ranging from traditional and particularly revival-inspired songs to selection of more experimental works.

Compared to the compilation that went before, I must admit I find this one a little bit disappointing. The nearly two and a half hours running time contains a lot of tracks that are average or lacklustre, and I also miss a bit of the diversity that was present on John Barleycorn Reborn. Some artists on We Bring You a King… are simply of mediocre quality, and others mar their performance with a certain kind of naive atavism or limited form of traditionalism, bending folk to a sort of preachy path which doesn’t appeal to me in any way.

Thankfully, both discs contain a good number of exceptions to this general impression, of which I will highlight a few. Barron Brady starts off the album with a solid rhythmic tune, excellent male and female vocals and an original set of lyrics. We find nice rich instrumentation on “Blood and Bones” by The Roman Amber Mill, a good example of the musically experimental folk I would have liked to hear more of on this album. Tony Wakeford is usually a good call in that department as well, and “The Devil” is no exception, being an originally executed track in the style of The Triple Tree. Sproatly Smith are one of the pleasant surprises for me, who bring a very fine experimental ambient folk tune that makes me interested in the rest of their work. The rest of the first disc ranges from pretty decent to disappointing, with “Jack the Mommet” by Philip Butler and Natasha Tranter being a nice exception, a classical guitar-based folk track with excellent supplemental instrumentation that is also spot-on in terms of atmosphere.

The second disc is similarly filled with average material interspersed with some nice highlights. Autumn Grieve is one, with the beautiful mystic “Within Hollows” taken from the wonderful Stray Birds EP. Another fun track is “The Song of the Fates” by The Fates, an a capella mythological narrative with a not unpleasant sixties nostalgia feel to it. Sedayne and his wife Rachel McCarron are a couple that always deliver the goods as well, with a sound that remains absolutely unique in modern folk. We hear three tracks from different projects here, as Sedayne : Sundog, Venereum Arvum and Demdyke, all worthwhile, particularly the latter. A final mention goes to the modern singer/songwriter folk style of Ruby Throat, a female voice in the area of Marissa Nadler or Woodpecker Wooliams.

All in all, I found John Barleycorn Reborn a more interesting compilation with a wider spectrum of musicians and a higher overall level of quality. This album, too, would have benefited from input of excellent artists such as Sand Snowman, Far Black Furlong, or The Owl Service, which made that first one a success. Despite this, I feel We Bring You a King is a worthy successor with quite some good tracks on it, and it is definitely worth getting for folk lovers. However, for the next instalment, if one is planned, it would be interesting to look at the folk world outside of Britain, and aim to get the very best out of that territory. Either that, or a more critical and thorough selection of British artists to truly fill up an album with excellent material.

Reviewed by O.S.

1-01 Barron Brady – Earthen Key (3:43)
1-02 Laienda – Little Drummer Boy / Anvil (5:53)
1-03 The Rowan Amber Mill – Blood And Bones (Ciderdelica Mix) (4:50)
1-04 Tony Wakeford – The Devil (3:58)
1-05 Kate Harrison – England (3:59)
1-06 Drohne – The Hooden Horse / An-Dro (3:37)
1-07 Corncrow – The Cutty Wren (3:09)
1-08 Sproatly Smith – I Shall Leave You There (6:10)
1-09 Tinkerscuss – Black Sarah (4:48)
1-10 Cernunnos Rising – Hear It With My Heart (3:29)
1-11 Mama – The Fool Of Spring (2:11)
1-12 Magicfolk – Green Man (3:17)
1-13 Wyrdstone – Lost At Ty Canol (4:14)
1-14 Emil Brynge – Devon Dream (4:54)
1-15 Kim Thompsett – Lords And Ladies (3:40)
1-16 Dragon Spirit – Always Be Ours (3:57)
1-17 Philip Butler And Natasha Tranter – Jack The Mommet (4:48)
1-18 Touch The Earth – Ancient Landscapes (3:17)

2-01 Relig Oran – Ye Mariners All (4:37)
2-02 Autumn Grieve – Within Hollows (4:56)
2-03 Ian McKone – Searching For Lambs (3:10)
2-04 John Parker – Manningham Blues (3:55)
2-05 Rattlebag – The Tyburn Sisters (2:52)
2-06 The Fates – The Song Of The Fates (3:31)
2-07 The Hare And The Moon – The Three Ravens (2:45)
2-08 The Kittiwakes – Lynx (4:10)
2-09 Venereum Arvum – Robin Sick And Weary (6:25)
2-10 Telling The Bees – Fithfath (3:18)
2-11 Richard Masters – The Wind Knows (5:33)
2-12 Demdyke – Mother Carey’s Chicks (6:18)
2-13 Beneath The Oak – Oh Earthly Man (4:12)
2-14 Sedayne : Sundog – A Wee Brown Cow (6:24)
2-15 Ruby Throat – Swan And The Minotaur (Troubled Man) (3:14)
2-16 Jennifer Crook – Ribbons Of Green / The Dream Waltz (Live) (6:43)

Review: Autumn Grieve – Stray Birds (2009)

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:48:48 +0000

artist: Autumn Grieve
release: Stray Birds
format: CDr
year: 2009
label: Corbel Stone
duration: 24:42

detailed info: discogs.com

The world is full of gems. Some you find after a long time of frantic searching and toil, hidden away somewhere. Others you just find on your travels, through sheer luck or coincidence, or perhaps left in its place by someone. Stray Birds is, then, like a pebble found in a meadow, polished by time or some unknown source, with a simple, unique beauty.

Grieve’s songs for voice and acoustic guitar have an elegant and natural poetry that fits perfectly with the gently beautiful atmosphere created by the sound and presentation of this release. In the background, we hear subtle arrangements for strings and piano by Richard Skelton, who manages excellently to supplement these songs without becoming obtrusive, enhancing the musical whole rather than cluttering it.

Stray Birds, like its predecessor Terra Infinita, is a release that turns inward rather than to the outside, finding a beautiful expression in its own realm, without any obvious distraction of musical citations or direct influences. Quite fitting, then, that an EP like this is limited to a couple of very small, handmade editions. Like those special pebbles, you have to venture out to find them, but the rewards are plentiful for those with an open spirit.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Alight (3:45)
2. Within Hollows (4:56)
3. Shades (3:17)
4. Revenants (4:33)
5. Depart (3:46)
6. Kneel (4:25)

Retrospective: Some Recent Richard Skelton Releases

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:32:03 +0000

2009 has been a productive year for English artist and musician Richard Skelton. I’ve been following his work for over two years and am still amazed by his unique style and approach to music. It combines an open mentality towards the British countryside and history with layered, melancholic acoustic music, flowing and ambient.

In this post, I’ll give a brief overview of some of his recent releases that I found particularly inspiring.

Richard releases his music under different monikers, each corresponding to subtle differences in instrumentation and composition. Clouwbeck, for example, seems to be mostly about music written for bowed string instruments. This was clear in the project’s first release, A Moraine (2007), but again in this year’s Wolfrahm, released on the Polish label Shining Day.

Clouwbeck - Wolfrahm (CD, 2009)

Its six tracks flow gently, reaching different levels of intensity, and touching upon various emotions along the way. The minimalistic packaging is suitable and stylish, though perhaps a bit bland compared to the loving packaging of Richard’s own releases on Sustain-Release.

Another release this year was the EP Tide of Bells & The Sea by Heidika, the project that constituted the first Sustain-Release outing in June 2005. I haven’t heard that original recording, so I can’t comment on how this new one compares to it, but by itself, the EP is a fascinating piece of work.

Heidika - Tide of Bells & The Sea (CDr, 2007)

Richard described it as one of his most electronic works, but that should be interpreted in context. I assume some electronic editing and warping most have taken place, but the final result is still quite organic and exudes a mystical atmosphere. A softly pulsating acoustic drone forms the background of this one 18+ minute track, which evokes images of the twilit hours before dawn, when the day comes to life. Like many of the releases on Richard’s own label, this one was produced in small individual runs with differing artwork; the original release date was set late in 2007, but it might still be available in some version or other.

Another ‘old’ project getting a new release was Carousell, with the beautiful album Black Swallow & Other Songs. This, too, was released in a limited edition on Sustain-Release. It is more song and melody-oriented than most of Richard’s other works, though never compromising on the style or atmosphere.

Caroussell - Black Swallow & Other Songs (CDr, 2009)

It proves that the instrumentation and approach that is general to all of Richard’s works also works when the compositions are less ambient and more to the point. The use of some field recordings (church bells) and the addition of wordless female vocals by Autumn Grieve on the final track further improve on the diversity of this album.

Perhaps the most beautiful of all Richard’s recent releases is Marking Time, the first to be released under his own name. It was released on CD by the Australian Preservation Records in 2008. I missed out on that version as I believe it sold out rather quickly. This year, however, it was rereleased on vinyl by Type Records, a wonderful decision. That’s the version I eventually purchased (also sold out now, though) and have grown to love.

Richard Skelton - Marking Time (LP, 2009)

The album’s seven tracks basically showcase many of Richard’s different sides. Some tracks, like the impressive “Brook” and the heartbreaking “Fold” focus on bowed string melodies, while other tracks utilise guitar and harp pickings, piano, and other sounds. Throughout all the tracks, Richard’s unique artistic perspective is represented, the ability to instil human emotions into a natural landscape, and expressing that through sound. All of his releases feature this element to some degree, but Marking Time is arguably one of the best. Highly recommended, and definitely worth looking up, even if you have to go second-hand.

These weren’t the only new releases from Skelton recently. Mention needs to go out to the following:
the LP/CD reworking of A Broken Consort‘s Box of Birch on Tompkins Square Records (2009);
Also by A Broken Consort: the second part of Crow Autumn on Sustain-Release;
Finally, Richard contributed to the latest EP by aforementioned Autumn Grieve, Stray Birds, which has by now seen a couple of editions and comes highly recommended to lovers of ambient folk with moody female vocals. It’s been released on Corbel Stone Press, the joint label of these two artists.

Last but not least, keep your eye out for news concerning Richard’s project Landings, where he combines music, text and brilliant photography. I’ve harvested most of the material from when Landings was a blog, and taken together it’s a great gesamtkunstwerk, wonderfully documenting some of Richard’s forays into the British landscape and history. The blog’s been taken offline since, but there has been a very limited release in book form, hopefully to be continued or repressed some time soon.

Review: The Triple Tree – Ghosts (2008)

admin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:00:05 +0000

artist: The Triple Tree
release: Ghosts
format: CD
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 58:01

detailed info: discogs.com

Ghosts is one of those albums I had been waiting for for quite some time. Tony Wakeford started this project with the MP3-only album The Turning Wheel on Woven Wheat Whispers in 2006, but has since been joined by Andrew King to take on this project together. Along with an impressive array of guest artists (Kris Force, Reeve Malka, and John Murphy, to name a few), these two men have tackeled the superb and prolific ghost stories of M.R. James on this interesting and original album.

Those who think that Wakeford has been stuck in playing straight-forward neofolk with the classic Sol Invictus should look again, for the good man has shown a fine taste for musical experiments in the past years. 2007 saw the release of his collaboration with Nick Grey and Kris Force, the beautiful and subtle Grey Force Wakeford album, and this latest one by The Triple Tree is no exception. Ghosts is made up of original compositions that incorporate elements from the neofolk background, surely, but also ambient, neo-classical, Wakeford’s own funky bass, and of course traditional song as championed by Andrew King. The result as a whole is quite diverse, yet very coherent in its atmosphere.

That is, of course, the aim of a concept album like this. Just as James’ stories display different flavours, their overall tone is always one of dread and mystery: a restrained counterpart to the splatter horror of today. Ghosts are of course the real protagonists in these tales of forbidden esoteric magic, tragedy, and horrid crime. So it is with the music on this album, which is at different times epic, subtle, mystic, unnerving, catchy, but always convincing.

This album is quite different from its predecessor, which focused more on dreamy ambient repetition, and is closer to the aforementioned Grey Force Wakeford in style, though with a distinctly more horrid atmosphere, and more folk influences in the music itself. Another link is of course English Heretic, who indeed are no strangers to the world of M.R. James. Their interpretation of “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You” off the 2006 album Wyrd Tales was no less brilliant. Little surprise that The Triple Tree make grateful use of EH field recordings. Finally, Andrew King‘s collaboration with Les Sentiers Conflictuels comes to mind, which features a similar combination of spoken word and horror atmosphere.

There’s no use trying to describe this album any further. The key elements are sophisticated dark experimental music with a rewarding lyrical and narrative base in the classic ghost stories by James. It’s certainly not an accessible whole if you are expecting a certain established musical style, but I can’t do otherwise than recommend this album to anyone who feels up to the task of digesting this work of experimental musical horror.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Ghosts – Prologue (4:01)
2. Three Crowns (5:36)
3. The Stalls (3:45)
4. The Mezzotint (4:11)
5. Mrs. Mothersole (4:02)
6. The Ash Tree (4:40)
7. The Malice of Inanimate Objects (5:05)
8. There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard (1:48)
9. Lost Hearts (5:25)
10. Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You (5:10)
11. Black Crusade (4:54)
12. Casting the Runes (5:34)
13. The Ghosts of England (3:50)

Review: Agitated Radio Pilot – World Winding Down (2007)

admin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:00:12 +0000

artist: Agitated Radio Pilot
release: World Winding Down
format: 2xCD
year of release: 2007
label: DeadSlackString
duration: 1:36:27

detailed info: discogs.com.

Released in late 2007, World Winding Down is Agitated Radio Pilot‘s first album on (non-recordable) CD, and a double one at that! It also might turn out to be David Colohan‘s masterpiece, because I would surely be intimidated if the project ever manages to create something even better. Little known though it is, I believe music like this is so much better than most of what gets released nowadays in related areas like folk and singer/songwriter. On this album, Agitated Radio Pilot takes elements from those genres and really pushes them beyond into brilliant new territories.

In a way, World Winding Down is a logical follow-up to 2006′s Your Turn To Go it Alone; the main emphasis is again on melancholic songs based on guitar and vocals. However, the role of instrumentals has become bigger, making this album the, for me, perfect synthesis of great songs and beautiful acoustic soundscapes and interludes. An impressive host of guest artists provides instrumental and vocal support to all of this; it would be a bit much to list all them – they fill up an entire page on the booklet – but some of the more important are Richard Moult (Far Black Furlong) on piano, Maja Elliott on keyboards and vocals, and Alison O’Donnell (Mellow Candle) on vocals. Another important element are the many field recordings (mainly by Gavin Prior and Anders Gjerde) and bird songs that are subtly woven into both the songs and the instrumentals.

Now, for a brief impression of the structure of the album. Not only is this a double album, there is also a very strong symmetry between Numinous Blues and Luminous Blues. Both have twelve tracks, to start with, and are about 45 to 50 minutes long. But the nature of the corresponding tracks on each half is also quite similar. The first track on both sides is an instrumental intro. The one half has a warm droning soundscape, while the other has beautiful short piano composition by Richard Moult with guest vocals by Larissa Pychlau (Cele) and added effects. The second and third tracks are all excellent examples of Colohan’s typical type of songwriting. Especially “All That Fall” and “Around Closing Time” display his undeniable talent for both song and lyric writing. The fourth tracks take this even further though; “Caroline Sings” and “Take Heed of Your Hurt” are both stunningly beautiful songs, each with backing vocals by O’Donnell and keyboards by Elliott. Tracks five are both interludes, and the sixes and sevens contain (what else) central tracks. The title track and “Another Day” (a Roy Harper cover) are both great, but the sevens must be some of my absolute favourites. On this pair, Richard Moult and David Colohan form the perfect duo, bringing two extraordinarily beautiful piano songs. I hope to hear these two together more often in the future! The symmetry is a bit less from this point on, but mention goes anyway to “Earthfasts”, another one of my favourite tracks. It’s the longest one, and a great exercise in freefolk experimentation. It starts off with some great bluesy guitar and strings work by Richard Skelton, and then moves into great modern folk piece, where most of the female guest vocalists join in as a choir, also featuring Sharron Kraus this time. The two by two times final tracks are again similar. The elevens are final pieces of regular song, while the two closing tracks take a laid-back ambient approach, ending both sides of the album on a moody, melancholic note.

Though the album is not without a few flaws (mostly to do with performance of some of the guest vocalists and some of the noisy guitar solos), if there’s any album that has enough merit to cover up tiny blemishes ten times over, it’s this one. The way already excellent songs are combined with the musical detail and depth of sound that we hear on all of these songs here is the mark of a true classic. In this way, World Winding Down transcends genre limitations and unites the best elements from different areas of music. Of course it still is, mainly, a ‘folk’ album, but you’ll soon discover that is also much more. Just as the basic melodies of the folk song become something more through the combination with soundscapes and experimentation, so do the lyrics, and a song which in other contexts would be ‘just’ about love and loss, becomes even more profound.

If it’s not clear by now that I’m enthusiastic about this album, you haven’t been reading very well. This is easily my favourite album of 2007, and one of those rare albums that makes me doubt whether I should break my rule of not giving higher grades than 9 when an album is just released. Enough talk – go out and give this one a listen, and spread the word. If Colohan doesn’t get any recognition for this, the world is a poor place…

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

I. Numinous Blues:
1. A Darkness Made of Beating Wings (4:16)
2. All That Fall (3:39)
3. Everybody Lives (Just This Once) (3:24)
4. Caroline Sings (5:33)
5. For Medb (2:32)
6. World Winding Down (5:43)
7. The Gathering Dark (2:28)
8. You Were Always in My Arms Forever (6:57)
9. The Life You’ll Leave Behind (4:05)
10. Mt Argus to Mt Jerome (1:57)
11. People Start Over (3:05)
12. Leave the City on Foot (7:01)

II. Luminous Blues:
1. On Cape Clear (2:07)
2. Around Closing Time (4:00)
3. An Ear to the River (4:14)
4. Take Heed of Your Hurt (3:06)
5. The Lamplit Wood (1:55)
6. Another Day (4:24)
7. Along the Trails of Midnight Deer (2:40)
8. Botanic Avenue (4:04)
9. The Awakening Clay (2:47)
10. Earthfasts (10:31)
11. Shorelines Clad in Snow (3:57)
12. Everything Ends (2:02)