I was on the Mac one night and started wondering what had happened to Greenrose Faire, a band I really admired, and it didn’t take much searching to discover they went on hiatus a few years back. I dropped a line to Niilo Sirola (Irish bouzouki, guitar, bass, bodhran, backing vocals) to ask what was going on, and he told me he had now formed a new band with singer Salla Rimmi which was in a more acoustic direction than what they had been doing with Greenrose Faire, and that they had released this four-track EP just before Christmas with an album coming later this year.
Recorded with guests Raphaël Pinel (accordion, tin whistle), Ilkka Niemi (violin) and Markus Asunta (Irish flute) this is an absolute delight from beginning to end. I must confess I have never heard such a heartfelt tribute to a cup of tea as in “The Drinking Song”, and there is no point within this set that one thinks this is coming to us from Finland as it is sounds like an Anglo/Irish folk cross with clear unaccented vocals, some wonderful accordion, layered acoustic bouzouki and bass, yet always with a high melodic content which brings us from the tradition into the modern day. “The Fire of Life” demands the listener to get up and dance, and if ever a new band deserve to be hitting the European Folk circuit, then it is this one, as I know they would go down an absolute storm at Cropredy. The only issue I have with this set is that it is only four songs and now I find myself quite impatient to hear the album! If you enjoy folk or acoustic music which sounds both old and modern, then this is for you – check them out on Bandcamp.
Rating: 10/10