Tag: Saintmaking

Guitarist MIGUEL GIRÃO follows The Northern Isles Suite with The Northern Isles Suite – Part II, releasing this digital EP to complete the eight-track work. It opens with ‘Da Foula Shaalds/Unst Bridal March’ which, at over seven minutes, makes an impressive statement. Fellow Scottish musicians heap praise on Miguel for his skill and that is clear from the start but the feeling he brings to the music is something else as he blends other styles with the traditional elements. The second track is ‘Steven’s’, a delicate piece in contrast to ‘Da Hömin’, a much more assertive composition which incorporates jazz motifs into a traditional fiddle tune from Shetland. Finally comes ‘Aa Dressed in Yallo’’ a meandering, rather contemplative composition which actually feels too short as it begins to carry the listener away.
https://miguelgirao.com/

SALTAIRE are three very distinct musical talents and are releasing their debut EP, Only Moonlight, even as you read these words. Ian Kinsella wrote the opening track, ‘Aldborough Parade’, a love song that starts gently and develops into a real production number. The lead vocal part is taken by Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz who also plays cello. Kaitlin also takes the leading role on ‘Matty Groves’ which uses the most familiar text but gets the story told in half the time that Fairport take, including an instrumental coda.

The instrumental set ‘Slipjigs & Jennys’ is based around Kaitlin’s cello and features strong contributions from guests Ryan McAuley, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Catherine McHugh, Laoise FitzGerald and Alex Borwick. Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Lungs’ is something of a departure for the trio but it suits them perfectly. Finally, Saltaire’s early single, ‘The Axe’, wraps up a very impressive set.
https://www.facebook.com/saltaire.dublin

Abbey Thomas and Rory Francis release their eponymous debut EP as GREEN TREE featuring their original take on bluegrass and Americana. Rory plays guitar and Abbey plays mandolin and the set is an absolute delight.

The opener, ‘White As Snow’, begins with mandolin and Rory’s vocals. It’s a powerful song, not about winter as you might suppose, but the devasting effect of wildfires on the landscape. Green Tree spend a great deal of their time in Cornwall and have a strong connection with the land which is evident throughout. The first instrumental, ‘Where The Gnomes Live’ sees the duo trading lead parts and is a lot of fun and that’s followed by ‘Mister Robin’ with Abbey’s vocals over Rory’s fingerpicked acoustic guitar. It’s a charming observation of the place where they live.

The second instrumental is ‘To The Brisons’ which is an islet off the Cornish coast. It sounds relatively modern but with the almost traditional feel of other descriptive compositions. Finally, ‘Take Me To The Sea’ remains with the maritime theme – a fast-paced song with lead vocals by Abbey and finger-breaking mandolin.
https://greentreebluegrass.bandcamp.com/album/green-tree

HERORANGECOAT is from West Yorkshire but otherwise she keeps her identity well guarded – some of us know but we’re not telling. Her EP, The Woodland Sessions, is quite remarkable in a couple of ways. Firstly, the five tracks were written and recorded in various woodlands complete with the ambient sounds of the locations which are listed. Secondly, each track was written and recorded in a single day with just voice and ukulele. Some meanings are obvious, others less so. The opener, ‘The Algae And Hope Grow’, remains something of a puzzle even after repeated listening, feeling like a stream of consciousness.

‘I’ve Seen A Deer’ is, by contrast, a simple observation made in Knaresborough Forest Park but it takes a special writer to turn that observation into a song and the same is true of the closing ‘Adder Stone’. ‘Down Where The Stories Grow’ has HerOrangeCoat in narrative mode and it’s easy to see how a location can inspire the imagination. ‘Under The Yew Tree’ is another story that springs from the landscape. We are told that a studio version of The Woodland Sessions will be available in a few months. Please don’t lose the magic.
www.herorangecoat.com

As well as their own work Suthering are responsible for two choirs, both of which release their debut EPs. THE WHEELHOUSE FOLK CHOIR make their debut with Little Gifts Of Light with proceeds going to the refugee charity Freedom From Torture. Opening with ‘The Pirates’ Gospel’, the title track from a 2004 album by Alela Diane which sounds rather like a cross between Gilbert & Sullivan and a barbershop quartet. It’s a powerful and accomplished performance.

O’Hooley & Tidow wrote ‘The Tallest Tree’ and once again, the choir have added a new layer of complexity to the song. Dougie Maclean’s ‘Caledonia’ is probably the best known song in the set, a perfect fit for massed voices. Finally, ‘The Lost Words Blessing’ comes from Spell Songs and again could have been made for such a choir as this.
www.wheelhousefolkchoir.co.uk

First off we must apologise to EZRA BRIGGS for the delay in bringing this review of his latest EP, Industry, to fruition. Not his fault. The title seems to be at odds with the opening track, ‘Giant Tree’, in which Ezra fantasises about living on a huge oak tree “with acorns the size of monuments” and “branches you can cycle on”.  Is it an allegory for an ideal world? You can make up your own mind.

‘re: Poznan’ is a love song with a Baltic setting but things go from bad to worse with paramedics and flashing blue lights. Ezra alternates between feeling sorry for himself and wondering what he did to bring things crashing down. ‘Three Good Years’ adds synthesizer to the acoustic guitar and is probably the only song to include the word “geodesic”. Once again Ezra seems to be taking all the blame on himself. Finally comes the title track in which Ezra professes his happiness with industrial sites. Industry is a fascinating record full of stories that we are invited to interpret for ourselves. There are lots of clues, some contradictory, and extremely clever songwriting.
https://ezrabriggs.co.uk/

The first from the new line-up which, following Mark Radcliffe and Zoe Blythe’s departure, sees drummer Emily Bailey and Oregon guitarist-vocalist Helen Walford-Insley joining David Boardman, fiddler Emily Doggett, bassist Jim Broughton and keyboard player Gary O’Brien, Cheshire’s FINE LINES digitally release ‘Seven Wonders’, a simple folk-tinged Americana love song with Walford-Insley on lead that gathers in power as fiddle and electric guitar build it to a close, An album follows later this year.
https://wearefinelines.com

Our old friend SUNJAY will release his tenth studio album, Split The Sheets, in September and as a precursor he releases a first single, a reworking of Jimmy Reed’s ‘Take Out Some Insurance’. It is built on pounding bass notes, decorated with Hammond organ and fifties style guitar. Not a copy, more a homage. The song has a fascinating history – after Reed’s original it was recorded by Tony Sheridan using The Beatles as his backing band. Sunjay’s version stands proudly alongside them.
https://www.sunjay.tv/

Taken from the upcoming album, FORTY ELEPHANT GANG are having ‘Fever Dream’ (Self-released), a gently drifting Americana number with lyrics about dream fragments such as of  “Elvis playing guitar with the Gods” and “Marlon Brando eating Cookie Dough ice cream“, though it’s basically about drinking and regret over a lost relationship (“dreamed I saw you dancing in the rain”), summed up in the blurb as “a song that refuses to wake up properly, slouched and unbothered”.
www.fortyelephantgang.com

Australian singer/songwriter SHANNON SMITH wrote his new single, ‘I Do’, on the evening before his wedding and performed it at the reception. It’s tender without any hint of soppiness (he is Australian, after all) and rich with country fiddles and just a hint of steel guitar. Inevitably, the orchestration takes over a bit but you can’t have everything.
https://shannonsmithmusic.com.au

The second taster from her upcoming Tennessee Williams-inspired third album, LITTLE LORE self-releases the desert-country styled ‘Evil Eye’ wherein the album’s core character, Serafina, believes her neighbour is a witch or strega, advising  her daughter Rosa to avoid looking at her, wash her face in salt water and throw it quickly away to prevent the curse of the evil eye. Rosa, blessed with more common sense, points out that the evil eye is actually a cataract and the crooked hands are caused by rheumatism.   The message is fairly easy to follow.
www.littlelore.co.uk

‘St Helens’, the new single by ODETTE MICHELL, is scheduled for release on St Patrick’s Day as a tribute to her mother’s great-grandmother, Mary Quinn, who left Ireland in 1850 to voyage to England. This St Helens is near Rosslaire and has nothing to do with Lancashire … except that Mary ended up in the cotton mills. Michael McGoldrick gets a special credit for his whistle solo and further support is provided by Stu Hanna and Lukas Drinkwater.
www.odettemichell.com

From their upcoming album, Love In The Time Of The State, Irish duo BASCIVILLE release a single, ‘Saintmaking’. They say it’s about the tendency to romanticise what can’t be achieved instead of concentrating on the here and now. It begins with a mellow vibe but builds in intensity into a powerful song.
https://www.facebook.com/basciville/?locale=en_GB

‘Icarus’ is a popular metaphor in folk music and EUGENE McGUINNESS uses it in his own way as he describes a relationship that really isn’t working. It’s a fine song but please ignore the video in which Eugene looks suitably embarrassed as he does nothing while seemingly random words appear on the screen.
https://mellowtonerecords.com/artists/eugene-mcguinness