From the Highlands and written during three residencies on the Isle of Eigg, te Isle of Mull and Sanday and recorded in a boathouse on the West Coast of Scotland, Swilkie is largely contemplative affair variously involving shruti box, banjo, fiddle, bagpipes, clarinet, double bass, piano and guitar with songs about basking sharks (‘Torus’), lichen (‘Lichen’), curlews (‘Curlews’), an albatross (‘Albatross’), the resilience of nature (‘Wild Things Grow’) and the treacherous Pentland Firth tidal current of the title track which lists things washed ashore from wrecks.
Very atmospheric with detailed observations, Lane’s voice rich with subtle emotion, it’s arguably at its most accessible in the more musically upbeat numbers, ‘Washed Up’, a plastic pollution-themed tale of an old dear swallowed by a whale and, recorded live on Eigg, ‘Boat Song’ which speaks of the downside of living on an island when the weather means you can’t leave for your granny’s birthday or get the recycling collected. Swilkie is released as a double CD set, the second disc featuring live recordings of most of the songs on the first plus a three that aren’t, recorded during sessions on various islands.
Mike Davies
Artist’s website: www.ionalane.com
‘Torus’ – live:
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