There may be some who think reviewing is a great way to be sent music free of charge and yes it is, but what isn’t seen are the hours spent listening, the additional research, and most importantly the time management as there must be a balance between music and home life, and sadly I have gone too far into the void at times. But I have been reviewing for nearly 40 years now, so there must be something which keeps dragging me back to the addiction, and that is when I come across albums like this where my life has been enriched by hearing it, and there is no way that would have happened if it was not for the fact that I am a writer.
This is an original collection of original songs and instrumentals inspired by, and for, the trees of the Ogham (Druidic poetic language from ancient Ireland and Scotland). The concept behind it came from Xanthe Gresham-Knight asking Kate to sing a folk song about a tree every month at The Guesthouse Storyteller nights in Newhaven. The idea was to base the monthly meetings around the Ogham (Druidic) tree calendar, but when Kate started investigating the theme she realised that although there were folk songs about trees, they were generally just used as a construct for a different idea as opposed to being held up in their own right, so she started writing her own. Assisting her on this album is multi-instrumentalist Nick Pyne, who has performed and recorded with the likes of Steve Harley, (Crazy World of) Arthur Brown, Beverley Martyn, Billy Bragg, Jane Bom-Bane, David Thomas (Pere Ubu), although surely the highlight must have been being hoisted up in a cage with 90’s girl band B*Witched.
When Nick plays with Kate, he provides live loops of sound created on 5 string fiddle, banjos, bass pedals, wine glasses, theremin, dulcimer, saw and more, mostly self-made instruments, and that has been brought through to the studio where we often have a wall of sound against which Kate provides her delicate vocals. This is pure folk, where the storyteller becomes one with the story, living the part, for us to fully understand the import of what is being shared. This is not music for vast and soulless arenas but is for the folk clubs where it is personal and the performers and audience become as one. In some ways this is reminiscent of Talis Kimberly, and others Maryne Cairns, and I was surprised to also find myself of the early releases by Incubbus Succubus as there are also touches of Candia here and there.
Listening to this at home demands peace and solitude, headphones, and an instruction not to be disturbed as this music invokes a world and time where we want not only to visit but to stay as long as possible. This album is magical, and I can only hope I hear more from this duo in the future as while delicate it is incredibly strong and powerful.
Rating: 10/10
Track list:
1. Oh Silverskin (For the Birch) 1:31
2. Fearn (Alder Song) 3:47
3. Mother Elder 1:55
4. Od’s Song (For the Ash Tree) 3:43
5. The Yew Tree on the Downs 4:15
6. The Rowan Tree 4:17
7. The Shadow on the Lowlands (Willow Song) 5:12
8. Queen of May (For the Hawthorn) 3:34
9. Keening Song (For the Hazel) 4:02
10. Oh Joy, Wassail (For the Apple) 4:41
11. Bring us Back to Life (For the Oak) 3:31
12. Holly 1:48
13. Pine Song (Where Do I Go From Here?) 6:46