ALIO DIE & MARTINA GALVAGNI Eleusian Lullaby CD (Projekt)
Three elongated tracks making up a full length album of arty, filmic experimental soundscaping. Delicate and subtle, yet slightly discordant, melodies from archaic stringed instruments interweave with ambient drones, tinkling bells, and wordless vocals with Middle Eastern, medieval and folk touches, as well as sophisticated and evocative neoclassical vocals that are used as more of a focus of the track rather than the other styles that put in briefer appearances. Less song-oriented than many Projekt releases, but its ethereal nature, coupled with the slightly dark take on folk/world/classical music, fits right in with much of the label's other output. Combining elements familiar from the ambient/drone/experimental genre with creative, intellectual ideas of their own, the album is relaxing yet slightly unsettling at times, and goes beyond music and into the realms of aural art. More info at www.projekt.com

VARIOUS The Projekt 2008 Sampler CD (Projekt)
Budget priced sampler of current Projekt artists, featuring the ethereal dreampop of Tearwave and Autumn's Grey Solace; neoclassical music with flute, piano and sophisticated operatic-tinged vocals from Mirabilis; a superb Dead Can Dance inspired piece from Arcana; a track from Lux Interna who make impressive neofolk with some similarities to Backworld; Revue Noir who are perfectly named with their sleazy but sophisticated dark cabaret music; the inimitable tongue-in-cheek folk/mariachi/ska/theatrical music with its sick and twisted lyrics from who else but Voltaire; otherworldly guitar and vocal soundscaping from Alio Die and Martina Galvagni; electronic ambient music from Steve Roach; an innovative mix of dreampop and experimental electronica from Chandeen; an impressive track from All My Faith Lost... which straddles the boundaries between neoclassical, neofolk and dreampop; and Attrition team up with Emilie Autumn for a dramatic and experimental take on the Christian hymn Rock of Ages. A fine compilation that shows dark music encompasses far more than just standard gothic fare and actually manifests itself in many forms. More info at www.projekt.com

ARCANA Raspail CD (Kalinkaland)
Latest album from this well-established Swedish dark medieval/folk band. They are often compared to Dead Can Dance, and not without reason, with their dark take on medieval music, their use of hammered dulcimer and Middle Eastern style drumming, and a similar deep male vocal style, but here their music is at times rather more doom-laden than DCD, for instance the ominous-sounding orchestral parts in Abrakt, Autumnal and Circumspection. They also introduce some neoclassical piano into various tracks, which is quite unlike anything I've ever heard from DCD. Like DCD their tracks interchange between the deep male vocals as mentioned above and female vocals, on this album from two different singers, but both of these have a style very unlike that of Lisa Gerrard. Arcana are rather more overtly gothic than DCD and with less emphasis on medieval and world music, although those influences are certainly still detectable here, especially in Parisal, a very impressive medieval style instrumental sure to delight DCD fans. Lost in Time is a very strong song-oriented track combining the sophisticated vocal style of Peter Bjärgö with impressive medieval instrumental touches.
There are clear differences between Arcana and Dead Can Dance, but also clear similarities, and anyone who misses the work of DCD could do a lot worse than investigate what Arcana have to offer. More info at www.kalinkaland.de

CHANDEEN Teenage Poetry CD (Kalinkaland)
Starting with a dreamlike and slightly unsettling ambient/experimental piece, the following tracks then reveal the main sound of this band which is a kind of sophisticated pop music with nods towards dreampop and electronica. Shoegazerish washes of atmospheric noise form a tapestry of sound with piano, acoustic guitar, drums, electronic effects, speech samples and classy, strong vocals from Julia Beyer. Often bands coming out of the dreampop scene don't really add anything new to the style - their stuff is great for fans of dreampop who miss the original 90s bands, but they're not really adding anything much of their own. However Chandeen retain the atmospheric elements of dreampop whilst adding a strong sense of creativity and a willingness to diversify their sound with influences from outside of the dreampop genre, as variant as dance music and neoclassical. There is a 'secret' hidden track here which is totally unlike the usual throwaway stuff bands hide away as secret tracks, being a very well crafted piano-based song with experimental soundscaping and guest vocals from the very talented singer Anji Bee. More info at www.kalinkaland.de

VARIOUS John Barleycorn Reborn: Dark Britannica double CD (Cold Spring)
Cold Spring, a label more often associated with extreme noise, dark experimental music and so forth, has teamed up with the (sadly now defunct) folk music download website Woven Wheat Whispers to release this fantastic collection of traditional and traditional-inspired folk, as well as some more experimental takes on the genre. The sleeve notes explain that they are using 'dark' to mean hidden and unacknowledged rather than relating to a dark style of music, so if you're expecting a sort of folk/goth crossover, you won't find much of that here (except for a handful of isolated examples).
As a huge fan of modern interpretations of traditional folk, as well as a long-time supporter of underground music, I find it very encouraging that there is so much intriguing and engaging folk music emerging from the underground. At a massive 33 tracks, there are too many songs here to discuss every one in depth, but a few highlights include The Horses of the Gods' percussion-heavy rendition of the old traditional song John Barleycorn; The Owl Service doing a very moving version of the traditional North Country Maid; Damh the Bard's very catchy pagan folk song Spirit of Albion; Mary Jane, a 70s-style electric folk band in the vein of Steeleye Span, Trees, Flibbertigibbet or prime-period Fairport, doing the well-known traditional number Twa Corbies; Andrew King's brooding and mournful version of Dives and Lazarus; Sieben's innovative track Ogham on the Hill, best described as experimental folk; Sharron Kraus' Horn Dance, a superb medieval-inspired number that wouldn't sound out of place on Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band's Hang Up Sorrow & Care album; Charlotte Greig and Johan Ashterton's sparse acoustic rendition of Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom; Pumajaw's astonishing atmospheric take on The Burning of Auchindoun, that combines spacey indierock with folk; Peter Ulrich (ex-Dead Can Dance) with his brilliant medieval-style track The Scryer and the Shewstone; Alphane Moon's Where the Hazel Grows, which combines sparse acoustic folk with spacey drones.
English Heretic's Hippomania treads the fine line between genius and insanity with a warped mix of folk, noise and stream of consciousness ranting; Tinkerscuss appear here with a beautiful rendition of Lal Waterson's To Make You Stay; The Purple Minds of Lazeron's Dragonfly is a great psych-folk instrumental; Sand Snowman do beautiful psych-folk with vocal harmonies; long running underground psych-folk and folk-pop band The Kitchen Cynics appear here with The Guidman's Ground, from the darker and psychier side of their output; Clive Powell's Reed Sodger is a creative mix of traditional folk and electronic experimentation; Drohne's Nottamun Town combines folk with spacerock/psych instrumentation and deep, dramatic gothic vocals; Stormcrow's Gargoyle is an acoustic track that melodically and lyrically encapsulates the description 'dark folk'; While Angels Watch's Obsidian Blade is more dark than folk, a sort of doom-laden gothic rock with acoustic elements.
An absolutely essential compilation, highly recommended for anyone even remotely curious about the various manifestations of underground folk music. Available from www.coldspring.co.uk

FIT & LIMO Astralis CD (September Gurls)
Well-established German psychedelic folk duo Fit & Limo present 18 tracks, mostly their own compositions, plus a handful of traditional songs and an Alex Campbell cover. Using an extensive array of instruments including mandolin, banjo, sitar, bouzouki, dulcimer, violin, autoharp, harmonium, mellotron, recorder, kazoo, melodica, clarinet, glockenspiel and others, the album incorporates mystical sitar music, strange folky songs in the vein of the Incredible String Band, laid back psychey folky pop, and medieval tinged traditional music. Wind Whispers is an excellent intelligent combination of late 60s folk-pop, bluegrass, spacey sound effects and Middle Eastern style percussion. The Moon Shines Bright, The Snow It Melts The Soonest and Down In Yon Forest are superb renditions of traditional songs, combined with psychedelic instrumentation. Lucky Boat is quirky psych-pop with piano and Jew's harp. Astralis feeds a tinkling music box through an effects machine for maximum psychedelic effect. A truly beautiful and creative album, available from www.septembergurlsrecords.com

THE SMELL OF INCENSE Of Ullages and Dottles CD (September Gurls)
This latest album from Norwegian psych band The Smell of Incense comes packaged within brilliant artwork by Gunhilde Langerud, featuring fox, squirrel and badger druids! Here the band set poems by various poets, mostly from the 19th and early 20th century, to music. Bumbles & Dragons by Cicely Mary Barker is a multifaceted piece, incorporating psych-rock, folk and baroque. William Blake's Laughing Song is set to a mix of laid-back psych-folk, Sgt Pepper-era Beatles borrowings and spacey background burblings. Where Forlorn Sunsets Flare and Fade by William Ernest Henley is interpreted as astonishing psych-folk with Spanish guitar, military drumming, sitar, retro-futuristic synth and woodwind. Song by Richard Watson Dixon is a delicate psych-folk song with hints of 60s soft pop as performed by bands like The Free Design. Gentle countryside sounds of birdsong and babbling brook are combined with flute and light jazzy guitar.
The Golden Knot by George MacDonald features harpsichord, cello, more nods towards Sgt Pepper, meandering psych guitar soloing, a filmic orchestral section, even some surf guitar. The Haunted Chamber by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is presented as classy 60s-ish folk-pop. Well In It is based around a quirky and surreal poem from the 1970s by Lady June, which is set to multifaceted instrumentation that jumps around at all sorts of unexpected tangents. Mervyn Peake's Of Pygmies, Palms & Pirates is where the album's bizarre title comes from. The piece is a creative juxtaposition of folky psychpop and hard-edged spacerock sections, which then diverts into an instrumental piece from the more experimental/ambient side of spacerock. A brilliant album that is eclectic yet cohesive, and full of creative ideas. Available from September Gurls as above.

PHILIP BUTLER Trapped at Sea CD (Sawmill/Steelmill)
I've noticed an interesting development over the last few years, in that a lot of artists and labels formerly associated with indie/noisepop have been moving towards folk music. With some it could just be a case of bandwagon jumping, as it seems like the fashion police no longer think folk is uncool - but in many cases it appears these people have gravitated towards folk completely independently of each other and not because they want to be part of a scene. This phenomenon is particularly interesting for me as my own taste in music started shifting away from indiepop, noisepop and related styles towards folk music a few years ago, so I find it interesting that a lot of others have been heading in a similar direction.
I mention this because Philip Butler is one such artist. Previously involved with noisepop, indierock and post-punk outfits including Toyskin and A Series of Wheels, he has now gone solo (with some guest performances from other artists for backing vocals and additional instrumental overdubs), opting for a more acoustic sound that successfully and seamlessly blends the less noisy side of indie music with influences from traditional British and occasionally American folk.
Painfully Slow combines the more adventurous side of indie music with folk and angular prog touches. To Fly A Plane is mainly old-school indiepop, but the addition of lap steel and some of the guitar style used in this track gives it an American folk touch. Rising River, a song about flooding and its accompanying chaos, is a mandolin and guitar-led piece with a strong influence from British trad folk. It's Been Long Enough is dark, melancholic and slightly off-centre indiepop with some unusual use of mandolin and folky backing vocals.
Trapped at Sea is a traditional song, very impressively performed with mandolin and organ. Save Us deals with the grim reality of coastal erosion, set to a creative musical blend of folk, blues, and something much more off-kilter. Raise a Flag is an inventive mix of angry post-punk, drawn-out spacey guitar effects, Spanish-tinged acoustic guitar, and other pretty much uncategorisable bits; I don't know of anyone else making music quite like this.
Philip Butler hasn't completely left behind his indie roots, so this is not an album for folk purists, but for those who appreciate both forms of music, there is a lot to like here. Philip's own compositions show a great deal of originality, and his superb rendition of the traditional song Trapped at Sea makes me curious as to what a complete album of traditional music from this artist would sound like. More info at www.philipbutler.co.uk

STORMCROW Celtic Twilight CDR (self released)
Stormcrow are a predominantly acoustic pagan folk trio, comprising vocalist and instrumentalist Mark Hadlett, and two singers, Amanda Hadlett and Sarah Jay, one of whom has a softer singing voice while the other's voice is more dramatic, gothic and at times quite harsh and punky. Lyrically, the songs vary from those that are celebratory in tone, exploring Celtic paganism, nature and the changing seasons, whilst others are darker, in a 'gothic novel' sort of way. Then there are those that explore issues such as the watering down of paganism by those who get involved for superficial reasons and court publicity (Media Witch) and the idea of war promising glory but giving the soldier a squalid life in a muddy trench and being forgotten after his death (The Misspelt Memorial). The mood is lightened for the happy-go-lucky song Black Cat and her Witch - anyone with any experience of cats will see why it's the cat that owns the witch and not the other way around! Additional electric guitar is introduced for the forceful folk-rock track Cuckoo in the Nest, while the core trio are joined by a full band on the final track Monks of Satan, which combines 70s-ish folk-tinged rock with supernatural horror lyrics. Raw and unpolished, just as true folk music almost always is, this album is well worth checking out by anyone seeking an often dark folk music with pagan sentiments. Further info at www.stormcrow-online.co.uk

AUTUMN'S GREY SOLACE Ablaze CD (Projekt)
Fifth album from this prolific dreampop duo. In Endlessly, the song itself is the sort of upbeat pop that would sound at home in the repertoire of any 60s or mid 80s janglepop band, but Autumn's Grey Solace add atmospheric shoegazer instrumentation that prevents the track from sounding too sugary. Into the Stream combines laid-back floaty dreampop with jazz. Eternal Light is quite simply majestic - a really beautiful and moving atmospheric pop song. A Rhythm that Writhes is much darker in tone than the rest of the album, introducing heavy rock and gothic elements alongside the band's usual shoegazer sound. Imaginary Grey combines sombre lyrics with a light and playful melody and jangly pop arrangement. Angelspeak is a wonderfully evocative piece with echoey choral-style vocals. A very fine dreampop album, recommended to all who appreciate this genre. More info at www.projekt.com

KATZENJAMMER KABARETT Grand Guignol & Variétés CD (Projekt)
Very far from the ethereal and/or medieval-influenced bands more often associated with Projekt; Katzenjammer Kabarett are purveyors of quirky experimental pop juxtaposing all manner of previously unrelated genres from 80s electropop to sombre neoclassical. Macabre lyrics coexist with an upbeat arrangement bringing together elements of punk, lo-tech keyboards and glockenspiel in 10 Years, whilst Percy Has Returned features sultry crooning over the top of a warped mix of atonal, angular experimentation and janglepop. Sunlight Sanatorium is a dark, weird, theatrical number that flies off at all sorts of strange tangents. Once Eliot Turned Ugly In His Lover's Bed tells a tale both grim and absurd over a backdrop of glitchy homemade techno and ominous keyboard effects. A mass of contradictions, being simultaneously poppy and avant-garde and harking back to the 80s whilst sounding completely new. Info at www.projekt.com

CLEAR BLUE SKY Gateway to the Seventh Dimension CD (Stargaze International)
Lavishly presented album in card gatefold sleeve with thick booklet of lyrics and artwork, out on Stargaze International, an offshoot of Stone Island Records. Clear Blue Sky make 70s-inspired rock with prog, blues, spacerock and psych elements, and mystical lyrics delivered by powerful vocalists Maxine Marten and Kraznet Montpelier. Occasionally the band venture into more freeform territory with spacey ambient pieces. An album refreshingly free from fad and fashion - only clear signs that the band are firmly devoted to, and completely immersed in, their chosen style of music. More info at www.stoneislandrecords.com

THE KITTIWAKES Lofoten Calling CD (Midwich)
A while ago I enthused about Kate Waterfield's astonishing Runa Megin album, a true masterpiece exploring the Nordic runes. Since then, Kate (now known as Kate Denny) has formed The Kittiwakes, whose debut album Lofoten Calling continues to demonstrate Kate's passion for Scandinavian culture. Firmly immersed in the traditional music of Britain and Norway, the material here sounds authentically traditional in terms of the music and lyrics, and the arrangements which are based around instruments such as violin, mandolin and accordion. The music is superbly crafted and easily in the same league as any of the big name folk artists.
Weaver is a reflective, introspective song set in the Viking age, told from the perspective of a weaver of ship sails, holding on to all hope that her beloved will return safely from sea. Hurtigruten is an ode to the Norwegian passenger liner, part sea shanty and part Regency-era country dance. Lofoten Calling is an a cappella piece in which beautiful vocal harmonies are provided by all the band members. The plaintive love song Sailor Song is followed by the carefree tale of legendary shepherd Ole Petter, set to a lively waltz rhythm. Rowan, Birch and Cloudberry is a very fine instrumental that merges a 19th century style country dance tune with touches of baroque and mournful folk. Fisherman is a beautiful ballad that sounds in every way like an authentic traditional piece. The Arethusa is inspired by the ship Kate's grandfather served on during World War II, which was involved in action at the Lofoten Islands. The upbeat waltz rhythm masks bleak lyrical sentiments of icy cold weather conditions and a longing to return home from war.
As I share The Kittiwakes' fascination with old-school folk music and Scandinavian history and folklore, I can really identify with the music here. This is by far the most exciting album I've heard in a while and I will certainly be keeping a look out for any future offerings from this band. More info at www.thekittiwakes.com and www.midwich-cuckoos.co.uk

PETER BJÄRGÖ A Wave of Bitterness CD (Kalinkaland)
Solo album from Peter Bjärgö of Arcana. In some ways this album is a departure from the music I would usually associate with Arcana, focusing on dark, filmic, neoclassical instrumental music and occasional nods towards the ethereal/shoegaze style. The more song-oriented tracks have more in common with Arcana, and Arcana's primary influence Dead Can Dance, with world music style percussion and the deep, dramatic vocals of Peter Bjärgö, whose voice is very reminiscent of that of Brendan Perry. In Useless Retrospective is an atmospheric and quite experimental piece with vocal murmurings; A Choice of Silence is a song-based gothic track; Insomnia is a very beautiful instrumental best described as 'shoegaze-folk'; VI brings together a tribal rhythmic structure and doom laden gothic synth; Imprisonment of Mind is an excellent medieval-tinged track reminiscent of Dead Can Dance. As the above shows, there is quite a lot of variety on this album and a refusal to stick to one formula, but it comes together in a coherent whole, the thread of commonality being the dark atmosphere and fatalistic, pessimistic and melancholic lyrics. More info at www.kalinkaland.de

JO GABRIEL Fools and Orphans CD (Kalinkaland)
I have here the limited edition self released version, but the CD has since been issued on a wider scale by Kalinkaland. Jo Gabriel is often compared with Kate Bush, and not completely without reason as her voice has some similarities, and both artists share the same kind of individualistic spirit. The songs on Fools and Orphans are sophisticated and intelligent, with instruments more often associated with classical music, such as piano, cello, tympani and trumpet, and lyrics that are true works of poetry. The music has an off-kilter quality that may be too challenging for some listeners, but for anyone who appreciates music with a strong sense of intellect and creativity, existing outside the confines of fashion trends, Jo Gabriel is a recommended artist. More info at www.kalinkaland.de and www.jogabriel.com

SAINT JOAN The Wrecker's Lantern CD (Camera Obscura)
Collective of musicians from England, Hungary and France, led by songwriter Ellen Mary McGee. The music is decidedly unfrivolous, drawing lyrical inspiration from assorted highbrow novelists, with violin and piano adding to the sophisticated atmosphere. The press release draws comparison to artists like Nick Cave, the Tindersticks and Tom Waits, but what I'm hearing (particularly on the first part of the album) is more of a blend of British and American folk, 80s jangly indiepop, and a touch of 60s psych-pop. I'm even reminded at times of The Sea Urchins by some of the guitar work on this album. The second part of the album is perhaps more diverse, with less emphasis on folk or straightforward janglepop. Fire At Sea incorporates some rockier musical touches and a rather more dark and brooding atmosphere; Gone is a drawn-out and atmospheric number; Every Street Light is a slice of classy balladry that sounds believably close to being a cover version of some mainstream track from the 60s or 70s; and December intersperses spoken vocals with a soul/pop song that again sounds rather commercial but without being shallow. The final track, Untitled, fits squarely within the country genre. The album is therefore very diverse, but all the songs hold together coherently, avoiding falling into the 'unfocused mishmash' trap. As someone who got seriously involved in music via the old-school indiepop scene and has over the years become more engrossed in folk music, there is a lot for me to like here. Since this album came out, Ellen Mary McGee has gone solo; her album The Crescent Sun will be reviewed here shortly. In the meantime, visit the Camera Obscura site for more info on The Wrecker's Lantern: www.cameraobscura.com.au

ELLEN MARY McGEE The Crescent Sun CD (Midwich)
Solo album from Ellen Mary McGee, formerly of Saint Joan. The music combines sophistication and an off-kilter sensibility, juxtaposing fragile minimal instrumentation with a strong, assertive vocal style. It's essentially folk, in the modern and usually American influenced sense. There are psychedelic undercurrents (A Watch of Nightingales) and excursions into country territory (Upon Death and Dying, Theseus). He Is No Earthly Man is a dark, brooding banjo/violin led piece with shades of Sixteen Horsepower. Teeth of the Hydra is impassioned, melancholic and intelligent, bringing some off-centre synth sounds together with the raw banjo. The Fatal Flower Garden is an update of the traditional Scottish ballad Little Sir Hugh (also known as Hugh of Lincoln) in terms of its subject matter, but as with most of the rest of the album, the music itself draws from more recent American folk. Minimal banjo again forms the backdrop for a grim tale of suicide in The Wintering. In many ways a raw, dark and unsettling album, but also with a refined, elegant feel and a sense of intellect and education as seen in the often literary-style lyrics and references to Greek mythology. More info from Midwich at www.midwich-cuckoos.co.uk

LISA HAMMER Dakini CD (Projekt)
Solo album from vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lisa Hammer, also known for her work with Mors Syphilitica and Requiem in White. Inspired by the Tantric concept of the Dakini, it was Lisa's intention for this album to create music for ritual, meditation and sex. The music is a meeting of ancient and modern, with 12th century hymns set to stark ambient soundscaping, and sitar-laden Eastern mystical chants combined with electronic and experimental music. The Valley of Unrest sets Edgar Allen Poe's words to a superb ethereal melody and arrangement with angelic choral backing vocals. Yaksha combines frenetic tribal drumming with that slightly atonal modern classical music and otherworldly wordless vocals. Sometimes with dark, unsettling undercurrents, but always deeply atmospheric and imaginative. Further info at www.projekt.com

SORIAH WITH ASHKELON SAIN Atlan CD (Projekt)
Soriah, aka Enrique Ugalde, is of Mexican descent on his father's side, and is trained in Tuvan throat singing, winning competitions in this vocal style held in Tuva. On this collaboration with Ashkelon Sain of Trance to the Sun, Soriah combines Mexican and Tuvan/Central Asian influences by performing Tuvan style throat singing in the Aztec language Nahuatl. The music itself is a moving, absorbing blend of world music and atmospheric soundscaping, combining a whole host of exotic instruments such as igil, byzaanchy, doshpulur, shruti box and clay flute (all played by Soriah) with Ashkelon Sain's contributions of modern instrumentation such as synth, drums, guitar and sampling. The chanting and drumming have a shamanistic feel, the consciousness-altering quality of the music also being found in the ambient electronic additions.
Anyone already familiar with Tuvan throat singing will recognise the 'overtone' style heard here in Xopancuicatl, Borbak, and briefly in a few other tracks, in which one voice splits into two, with one of the vocal sounds having more in common with a musical instrument such as a flute rather than anything most people would imagine the human voice to be capable of. As well as the Nahuatl lyrics, Soriah also sings two pieces in Tuvan, namely Borbak and the truly excellent Morguul, which whilst having an electronic drone in the background sounds on the whole like authentic world music and includes some effective use of percussion and a bowed stringed instrument.
Impressive stuff - would like to hear more from Soriah. Further info at www.projekt.com

GLORYTELLERS Atone CD (Southern)
Latest project of Geoff Farina, formerly of Karate and The Secret Stars. The Lost Half Mile is brilliant cheery old-school indiepop that reminds me just how much I still have a soft spot for this kind of music. Fours is from the more laid-back, subdued side of old-style indiepop. Concaves is an indiepop-meets-Americana number where the drums clatter along like a train and a bluesy harmonica wails away. Just What I Was Thinking adds some sophisticated, almost jazzy guitar work to the usual upbeat indiepop style. Softly As She Sings has strong blues and country influences but there's no hiding its janglepop heart. Omni Stars is classy pop with an engagingly off-kilter, almost proggy, guitar solo. A superb album that adds a uniquely American twist to the classic mid 80s to early 90s British jangly indiepop sound, and does so in a way that works really well. I will have to keep an eye out for more from this band. More info at www.southern.com

VARIOUS Arctic Paradise 2010 CD and book (FIMIC)
Superbly presented package promoting the full spectrum of contemporary Finnish folk music, comprising a CD and small square hardback book with information on the artists and historical background info on Finnish folk music in general.
Tsuumi Sound System combine a traditional style fiddle/accordion dance tune with jazzy touches. Sväng are a harmonica quartet who have come up with the ingenious idea of playing Finnish/Balkan folk entirely on harmonica. Sanna Kurki-Suonio is best known for her work with Hedningarna, and also her solo album Musta. She has also collaborated with a wide range of other folk artists from across the Nordic countries. Her track here Mun Muistuu Mieleheni is taken from a more recent album, Huria. The song is a beautiful ballad set to kantele and minimal electronic arrangement. Trepaanit are a band with an inventive approach, using such instruments as a newly developed stringed instrument given the name 'vantele', and a two and a half (!) row accordion, along with Tuvan stringed instrument the igil, and the ancient Finnish bowed lyre known as jouhikko. Their track here is an engaging instrumental piece with occasional wordless vocals, the vocal pieces reminding me a little of Georgian choral music (that's Georgian as in the country, not the era).
The book's section on Henriksson-Kleemola-Prauda mentions the surprising parallels between baroque and folk music. Indeed - I too believe that there is actually only a very fine line between Early Music and folk, and baroque is simply an outgrowth of Early Music. Henriksson-Kleemola-Prauda explore these parallels with great success. Their music draws mainly from the work of 19th century fiddler Samuel Rinta-Nikkola, but played on harpsichord, cittern, and baroque violin, along with Finnish bagpipes. The music has a stately, sophisticated sound whilst still being undeniably folk music.
Markku Lepistö and Pekka Lehti are known for their work with Värttinä as well as solo albums. Their collaborative track here is an accordion/double bass instrumental with a sophisticated, jazz-tinged feel. The Vilma Timonen Quartet are essentially a world-fusion band, combining the Finnish kantele with other musical styles from around the globe. This track brings together the electric kantele with African style drumming, Indian-inspired vocals and jazzy double bass, and contains elements of the traditional and the improvisational. Alamaailman Vasarat ('Hammers of the Underworld') play a wild, eccentric mix of rock, klezmer, jazz, ska and more quirky, uncategorisable bits, primarily on brass and woodwind - a band that has to be heard to be believed.
The musical tradition of the Sámi, the indigenous people of the far north of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia, is represented here by Ulla Pirttijärvi, formerly of Angelit aka Girls of Angeli. The Sámi singing style is known as yoik or joik, from the North Sámi term juoigan. This is a form of improvised singing that has much in common with Arctic Siberian vocal music. Ulla Pirttijärvi combines the yoik with synth-based pop and occasional jazz touches.
Frigg are a Finnish/Norwegian ensemble, fiddle-led but also featuring mandolin, guitar, bass and bagpipes, based around core members from the Järvelä and Larsen families. The Järvelä family contain amongst them a number of important folk fiddlers, other family members being involved in the long running fiddler band JPP. Frigg make impressive uptempo instrumental music which adds touches of American folk (particularly bluegrass) to the overall Nordic sound. I've noticed that some previous reviewers have commented on their 'unfortunate' name, but this opinion just serves to demonstrate how little these reviewers actually know. Although the name sounds rude in English, it's actually the name of a Norse goddess.
Spontaani Vire play predominantly Balkan influenced folk. Jouhiorkesteri are a quartet based on the jouhikko, whose track here is a strongly melodic piece with hypnotic accompaniment. Paratiisin Pojat are a banjo/accordion duo combining Finnish folk with blues and hillbilly music. KTU (pronounced K2) is a highly innovative project led by Kimmo Pohjonen, and also including King Crimson members Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto. Here the usually traditional instrument the accordion is presented in an avant garde fashion along with influences from techno and prog rock, and is quite possibly the most inventive accordion music I've ever heard. Senni Eskilinen and Stringpurée Band have an instrumental piece that is like slick, laid-back and slightly jazzy 70s rock, but with the unusual addition of the Finnish stringed instrument the kantele, which provides a sound that is both folky and classical.
An impressive collection that demonstrates how folk music can be modern and innovative without leaving behind its traditional roots. I believe this album is only available for promotional purposes rather than being for sale to the general public, but anyone interested in finding out more about Finnish music can get further information from the Finnish Music Information Centre (FIMIC) website - www.fimic.fi

HENRIKSSON-KLEEMOLA-PRAUDA RindaNickola CD (Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department Recordings)
I was blown away by this band's contribution to the Arctic Paradise 2010 compilation, so was really pleased to get hold of a copy of the album that their track was taken from. Henriksson-Kleemola-Prauda use harpsichord, violin, cittern and Finnish bagpipe to combine folk music and baroque, which are in my view just two sides of the same coin. I have always maintained that Early Music and folk have much in common, and baroque is simply an outgrowth of Early Music. Baroque and its predecessors could be seen as a more 'refined', 'educated' or 'gentrified' adaptation of the folk tradition. This trio comprises Marianna Henriksson (a member of various orchestras and choirs as well as the ensemble Harmonic Whims), Piia Kleemola (a multi-instrumentalist trained in violin and viola and the Finnish folk instruments kantele and jouhikko. As well as being a solo musician, she also performs with Hyperborea, Kyläpellimanit-trio, and Jouko Kyhälä & Saalas), and Petri Prauda (another multi-instrumentalist known for his work with the bands Frigg and Plektronite). This, their debut album, is based largely on the repertoire of early 19th century folk musician Samuel Rinta-Nikkola, the title of the album being a variant spelling of his name.
The harpsichord and baroque violin stylings add a sophisticated touch to pieces that are still recognisably folk, whilst more minimal violin pieces such as F-duuripolska and Björkö-polska show how baroque and folk coexist naturally without the addition of specifically baroque instrumentation. "Mitä Silloin Taita Puuttuu?" is an atmospheric and very modern sounding piece, with hints of modern classical music and jazz. Anyone discouraged by that description due to the atonal and incoherent nature of certain examples of those genres will be pleased to learn that in this case there is absolutely no atonality or incoherence to be heard here at all. A truly superb album, with Hauho-polskan and Kahman Anti being particularly beautiful. Anyone unmoved by this stuff simply can't have a heart.
More info at www.myspace.com/henrikssonkleemolaprauda and www.siba.fi/kansanmusiikki

THE POCKET GODS The Green Man CDR (self released)
This one has been around a while and was sent to me during a time when I was too busy to devote as much attention to the zine as would have been ideal. I'm now starting to catch up with reviews and figured this CD was worth a mention. It has four tracks, but is actually the length of an album, so I'm reviewing it as an album. The title, artwork, and John Barleycorn lyrics quoted on the cover suggest folk, but that would be a very inaccurate conclusion to reach, at least in terms of the music itself. The music is a heavy, doomy brand of psych-rock with touches of post-rock and perhaps even some gothic tendencies. The Green Man is 16 minutes plus of noisy intensity with impassioned vocals, but also with a drawn-out, atmospheric quality and some unusual (for this genre) use of early 80s-ish synth. There's more intense, riotous psych-rock next in the shape of Living on a Leyline, a 17.5 minute track that brings together such traditionally opposing elements as a chiming, almost sitar-like guitar with a punkish snarly vocal and lashings of chaotic guitar noise. Mountains of Madness reveals a very different side to The Pocket Gods, at least to start with - a sombre, introspective number with acoustic guitar and piano, but then the wailing psychedelic guitar comes in so you know it's the same band. On The Trail Of Monsters shows a return to their noisier side and is best described as post-punk meets post-rock, plus a sizeable proportion of wild psychedelia. Despite the band's unorthodox, even subversive musical approach, there is a constant lyrical undercurrent of traditional folkloric, mythological and pagan themes. I don't know what The Pocket Gods are up to these days, whether they've put out anything else since this, or even if they still exist, but this CD is worth a listen if you can still get it. Contact thejacula@hotmail.com
EDITED TO ADD: I've since heard from the band, who are indeed still in existence and have released various other CDs since this one. More info on them at www.myspace.com/thepocketgods

PHILIP BUTLER & NATASHA TRANTER Stories for Emily CDR (Sawmill/Steelmill)
Hot on the heels of Philip Butler's Trapped at Sea album, reviewed earlier this issue, comes this latest collaboration between Philip Butler and Natasha Tranter (along with a few other guest musicians). I'm reviewing a promotional version with less extravagant packaging, but the actual release available to buy is packaged within a handmade fabric covered book - sounds fantastic! This handmade version is extremely limited, but a download is also available for those that prefer that format.
The music is contemporary acoustic songwriting that introduces a strong influence from traditional folk with its use of accordion and fiddle. Trapped at Sea still showed signs of Philip's background in indie music and post-punk, but that is not the case with Stories for Emily, which shows a more consistent folk emphasis. The songs are presented in a way that is very beautiful and moving. There is a strong sense of romance in some of the lyrics, and you get the feeling that Philip is baring his heart for all to see. There is also a recurring theme of English rural scenery throughout the album, which is conjured up vividly by Philip's lyrics. Another theme frequently explored is that of supernatural horror, which as any folk music aficionado will tell you, is not actually anything new in this genre. Real traditional folk is not just the fa-la-las and hey-nonny-no's of the stereotype; it is often extremely gory in its lyrical content.
Jack the Mommet is an eerie tale in the old supernatural murder ballad tradition, set to suitably otherworldly psych-folk instrumentation. Goodwin Sands tells of an 18th century shipwreck and subsequent haunting, and includes some very authentically traditional-sounding accompaniment. You would never guess this album came from an artist who was perfectly at home making indie-rock and noisepop a few years ago. Philip Butler is shaping up to be a seriously impressive folk artist with music to easily rival that of musicians with a much longer history in the folk scene. With the current popularity of folk music, I would not be surprised if Philip, Natasha and band go on to bigger things. Further info from www.sawmillsteelmill.co.uk and www.philipbutler.co.uk

STONE PREMONITIONS 2010 The Clowning Achievement CDR (Stone Premonitions)
The Stone Premonitions collective have been doing their own thing outside of the mainstream since the early 90s (although the roots of the collective actually go back to 1974), bringing together a diverse collection of music from straightforward pop to far out experimental music, via psych, prog and spacerock. The label is representative of the true underground spirit and exists out of a genuine commitment to music rather than being motivated by short lived media driven fads like so much else that's out there.
As Stone Premonitions enters the second decade of the 2000s, the current members of the collective have released this new album under the band name Stone Premonitions 2010. Tim Jones, Terri-B and Paddi will be familiar names to anyone who's been following Stone Prem since the early days, but their collective now also includes Dave Hendry of prog/spacerock band OHead, who adds a spacey electronic component to Tim, Terri and Paddi's songwriting. Other artists who appear on selected tracks here include Mark Dunn (Body Full of Stars) and Don Campau (a name that will be familiar to anyone who's been following the underground scene for any length of time, due to his own music and his tireless promotion of other DIY artists). A couple of tracks include lyrics by Tony Morland, who provided lyrics for some of the earlier Rabbit's Hat material.
Combining strong, catchy songwriting with the musical adventurousness of styles such as spacerock, prog rock and experimental sound sculpture, Stone Premonitions 2010 are able to mix the accessible with the bizarre with great success. They even incorporate influences from techno/dance music in Give Us Back Our Heaven. Tim Jones, Paddi and Mark Dunn have a long history in music, for instance their involvement in 70s band Neon, and Tim was also a member of one of the lineups of Punishment of Luxury. Many people involved in music for this length of time run out of ideas and/or reinvent themselves as something bland and middle of the road. Not so the Stone Prem collective, who still have the capacity for creating music that is inventive, fresh and unrestricted by genre boundaries.
This album is an ideal place to start for anyone new to Stone Premonitions, and an absolute must for anyone who has enjoyed the works of previous Stone Prem bands such as The Rabbit's Hat, Census of Hallucinations, Body Full of Stars, and Mr Quimby's Beard. Further info from www.aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions
EDITED TO ADD: Stone Premonitions also produce the Alchemical Radio show, which is now broadcast via Radio Six International ( www.radiosix.com). Full details on the show can be found at www.aural-innovations.com/radio/alchemy.html. Bands interested in being featured on the show are invited to send them their music on vinyl or CD.

STAN Into the Sun CD (Big Bright Beautiful)
Stan's music is primarily soft rock, with gravelly vocals. Some of their songs seem infuenced by various mainstream guitar-oriented acts from the 80s; bands that sound like 80s mainstream stuff regularly fail to impress me, but Stan have a talent and catchiness that makes them rise above the norm of this type of music. Their use of the sort of jangly guitar sound more often associated with indiepop also makes them stand out from the crowd, as does their willingness to mix in bits of other genres with the predominant soft rock sound. Turn Out the Light adds a country-ish touch; the latter part of You Don't Even Know has rather a shoegazerish feel; Make You Cry is laid-back rock balladry that harks back more to the early 70s than the 80s. It's In Your Eyes is one of my favourite tracks here - very well crafted upbeat melodic rock, again with 70s-ish hints. Glittering is Gold is rather an innovative track and another of my favourites; alongside its uptempo melodic rock components, it adds guiro, jangling bells and spoken word ranting. If You Really Want To is another upbeat number combining 70s rock with powerpop. In many ways, Stan's style is way outside my usual listening material, but they do their kind of 80s-inspired rock well, and throughout the years I've been aware of them, I have always thought them superior to a lot of other bands of this type. More info from Rob Tickell - rob@tickell.me.uk

ENSEMBLE AL-ASDEKA s/t CD (self released)
Ensemble Al-Asdeka are a world-fusion band from Michigan, inspired primarily by Middle Eastern and North African traditional music. Their founder member, tabla player Kathy Roberts, absorbed the music of North Africa whilst having lived in this location for some years. Flute, violin, guitar and sax appear here alongside sumbati and djembe, adding elements of rock, classical, jazz, and various European folk musics (eg Spanish, Eastern European, British, Greek), to create a truly eclectic, cosmopolitan mix. Very impressive stuff! More info at www.al-asdeka.com and www.www.myspace.com/ensemblealasdeka

VARIOUS The Moon Orion Project CDR (Stone Premonitions)
Compilation released to celebrate 10 years of Stone Premonitions, which features cover versions of, and new material inspired by, the classic Rabbit's Hat tracks The Moon and Orion. Those are amongst my very favourite songs by The Rabbit's Hat, so I was naturally very keen to hear these new interpretations by other artists. Clear Blue Sky contribute two versions of The Moon in a heavy rock style that straddles the boundary between psych and prog. Cousin Silas' Orion's First Moon is spacey, ambient, and at times dark and harsh sound manipulation. Dave Dill provides a psych/folk/rock interpretation of The Moon, which is excellent. I'd not previously heard Dave Dill, but if his own material is anything like this, it sounds like he is an artist worth listening out for. Pandemonium Seesaw's Orion One is heavy spacerock in the tradition of Hawkwind. Lord Litter's version of Orion is quirky DIY psych-pop. Brainstorm provide a version of The Moon that starts off as a floaty, atmospheric instrumental with some effective use of flute. The song then transforms into a kind of psych-tinged, laid-back folk-rock that is excellent and makes me curious to hear more from this band. Rapoon's Moon Orion is ambient soundscaping combining atmospheric drones, spacey sound effects and electronic percussion. Tim Mungenast's version of The Moon is minimal psych featuring just vocals and two guitars. Root Deco's O'Ryan in the Underworld is raw, riotous, bluesy garage rock with wailing harmonica. The covers of Orion and The Moon all add something of the artists' own style, whilst still being very much in the spirit of the originals. A very highly recommended compilation that is a must for Rabbit's Hat fans, as well as anyone curious about what the underground psych/prog/spacerock movement has to offer. More info at www.aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions

THE OWL SERVICE The Burn Comes Down CD (Rif Mountain)
The Owl Service are one of the current crop of bands inspired by traditional British folk music, and are one of the bands who come the closest to capturing the spirit of the folk revivalist movement of the 70s. Having been very impressed by previous offerings from The Owl Service, I was very excited to learn about their latest project, a series of releases collectively titled The Pattern Under The Plough (named, I would think, after George Ewart Evans' study of folklore and country customs). This 9-track mini-album, The Burn Comes Down, is the first in the series. The songs here are connected by a common theme of winter, beginning with January Snows (fragment), a brief snippet of unaccompanied song from former Mellow Candle vocalist Alison O'Donnell. Unaccompanied singing is a staple of ultra-traditional folk, but in many cases these sort of recordings seem more like something you'd listen to for historical educational purposes rather than entertainment. Here however, Alison's clear, pure voice makes instruments unnecessary, and the song itself stands up perfectly well on its own without musical accompaniment.
Drive the Cold Winter Away is superb 70s-style electric folk which even introduces a touch of sitar. When A Man's In Love features guest vocals and piano from Roshi Nasehi, whose voice is simply beautiful and works perfectly with this moving, melancholic song. This track also features Joolie Wood of Current 93 on strings. Fire & Wine (fragment) features male vocals set to a loud, forceful electric guitar. The Bitter Withy is a song I know from Maddy Prior's album Flesh and Blood. Its lyrics are what you could call 'folk Christianity', and present a most unorthodox image of Jesus as a child who is fallible to say the least and punished accordingly by his mother. The Owl Service's version features a lone male vocal with no musical accompaniment, but again the song is strong enough to stand up on its own. They owe a definite debt to the anonymous author of Betsy Bell and Mary Gray (as performed by Martin Carthy and Maddy Prior) for part of the melody of Cold and Raw. And whilst not being exactly identical, the rest of the tune puts me in mind of The Prodigal's Resolution (from Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band's Hang Up Sorrow and Care). The song is superb 70s style electric folk that ends with some untamed rock guitar soloing.
January Snows is a fuller version of the first track, presented in several parts comprising atmospheric droning and sitar-based psych-folk. Guest vocalist Alison O'Donnell returns for The Snow It Melts The Soonest (fragment), another brief track with minimal one-note drone accompaniment. Winter (A Dirge) is a Robert Burns poem set to a medieval-sounding folk melody. The song is combined with a psych-folk instrumental with sitar, glockenspiel and tinkling bells, that wouldn't sound out of place on those Erewhon/Kissing Spell compilation albums of the 70s folk-rock underground.
A superb collection of songs that harks back to the classic folk revival material of the 70s, whilst also adding bits of other styles like Indian music and experimental sound manipulation to great effect. Truly astonishing stuff. Available from www.rifmountain.com

THE OWL SERVICE The View From A Hill CD (Rif Mountain)
This 15-track album is the second installment in The Owl Service's Pattern Under The Plough series. The booklet features extensive notes on the songs, almost all of which are traditional material from England, Scotland and occasionally Ireland, and many of which I'm familiar with from the work of other folk musicians. Familiar yes, but for me, in the case of traditional folk music, familiarity does not breed contempt. These are songs that are very old and have stood the test of time in a way that most more modern genres do not.
The notes mention which artists The Owl Service have based their versions on, and I was very pleased to see repeated mention of Steeleye Span, Martin Carthy, and Tim Hart & Maddy Prior. I was having an interesting conversation with someone about folk music recently and one of the things that came up was how it's considered fashionable to like, or be influenced by, Fairport Convention, but people tend to sneer at Steeleye Span due to them having had more commercial success. This is purely a snob-factor thing, and I doubt most of the people who scoff at Steeleye have even heard any of their best material. If these people took the time to scratch the surface and look past their most famous song, which is hardly representative of their usual sound anyway, they would find some of the most beautiful and moving examples of folk-rock ever made. Unlike these others we were complaining about, The Owl Service absolutely do not have a superficial approach. They have explored the 70s folk revival, and trad folk in general, in serious depth.
The View From The Hill continues in the vein of previous releases from The Owl Service, being very much in the spirit of the 70s folk revival whilst adding their own influences from elsewhere. Polly on the Shore is a stark cello-based instrumental version of this classic song, with touches of concertina, jingling bells, and scratchy old vinyl sounds. The Banks of the Nile is excellent 70s style electric folk with psych-rock elements. Ladies, Don't Go A-Thieving has an unusual train-like chugalong rhythm. I Was A Young Man easily rivals Martin Carthy's version, but its arrangement is much fuller and sounds pretty much like how Steeleye would sound if they had a flute player. They opt for an unaccompanied version of Sorry the Day I Was Married. In Thorneymoor Woods pt 1 is also unaccompanied, save for the birdsong in the background. Willie O'Winsbury, The Bold Poachers and The Loyal Lover are prime examples of band-based folk, that are easily in the same league as any of the 70s folk greats.
The Lover's Ghost is an eerie ballad sung by Alison O'Donnell and accompanied by a minimal atmospheric drone. The Ladies Go Dancing At Whitsun features brass, woodwind and harpsichord for an effective blend of folk, Renaissance music and psychedelia. Willie O'Winsbury (reprise) reinvents the song as a brass-based funeral march. Within Sound is a very brief excerpt of Gower Wassail, very much influenced by Steeleye Span's version, but with the addition of recorder. Cruel Mother is a gruesome murder ballad, lavishly arranged with woodwind and even a spacey synth, and beginning and ending with sparse ambient drones.
There aren't enough words to express quite how astonishing this album is. The Owl Service are rapidly becoming one of my favourite bands currently in existence, and I eagerly await the release of the subsequent volumes of The Pattern Under The Plough.

JASON STEEL Fire Begot Ash CD (Rif Mountain)
Jason Steel is also of The Owl Service, but his solo music is very different, being much more American influenced. This album takes in elements of ragtime, blues, and the earlier, rawer, less commercialised forms of country music, as well as more recent alt-country. The songs are minimally arranged, with instrumentation varying between acoustic guitar, ukulele and banjo. Some tracks combine American and British folk music in a similar way to Bert Jansch; indeed, Jason's guitar style often resembles that of Bert Jansch, especially in the instrumental tracks. Whilst it's clear what styles have influenced Jason Steel's music, the songwriting itself often transcends genre and does not conform to any stereotypical interpretations of those styles. For example, The False Bride is lyrically a traditional English song, but Jason's arrangement breaks the mould by opting for a sort of Americana meets old-school minimalist indiepop approach, with no melodic similarity to traditional English folk music whatsoever.
The sleeve notes show a similar sense of inventiveness, playing around with strange stream of consciousness statements such as "A librarian stole me a book, and the strings started yielding, so they did". A recurrent theme of Tarot and other divination systems is also in evidence, in the track title Ace of Pentacles, the reference to a seaside fortune telling machine giving surprisingly detailed divination, and the dedication of The False Bride to the Empress from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. The cover, with its fine monochrome pen drawings, is striking. The music is both old-style and innovative, and as much care has been put into the artwork and booklet, making this album a complete package. Available from www.rifmountain.com

KILL IT KID s/t CD (One Little Indian)
Kill It Kid are a young 5-piece with some interesting and unusual ideas. The heavier side of their sound is a particularly riotous form of blues-rock, which adds barn dance fiddle and honkytonk piano, along with male and female vocals from singers whose voices complement each other perfectly as both are husky and somewhat deep. There are also some more laid-back moments introducing elements of intelligent and emotional indie music, folk, soul, torch song, classical and jazz - but even their slower numbers are shot through with an urgency and intensity that characterises their overall sound. A surprisingly advanced sounding debut considering the young age of this band, and they have an effective combination of genres going on, resulting in an unmistakeable style that is miles outside of the bland norm. More info at www.myspace.com/killitkid and www.indian.co.uk

TERRI-B Big Dictionary CDR (Pet Hippy/Stone Premonitions)
A massive 23 tracks of musical diversity, out on the Pet Hippy arm of Stone Prem. Terri-B is a talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, joined here by a whole crowd of guest musicians. Styles range from accessible pop to bizarre experimentalism; stand-out tracks for me include Dolly, an ominous look at the negative health effects of mobile phones, as well as an attack on social conformity, set to inventive and effective bleepy backing music; Golden Wings, a 70s-ish prog rock track; Losing Contact, best described as experimental rock; Big Dictionary, double entendre lyrics set to electronic bleepage; Mooncats, a gory supernatural horror tale with speeded up vocals, heavy rock guitar and experimental sound effects; Astral Dreams and Our Room, swirly, floaty psychedelic songs; and Lucky, laid-back folky psych-rock. There are also tracks here to appeal to those into more straightforward pop, rock and soul, as well as really weird experimental material. More info at www.aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions

SOMEBODY FAMOUS Somebody Famous on Vinyl/The Ship of Grandad's Day Remastered double CDR (Stone Premonitions)
Somebody Famous was Stone Prem founder Tim Jones' band from the 80s and early 90s, which also included a few other names familiar from various Stone Premonitions projects, eg Martin Holder, Paul Ellis, Mark Dunn, Paddi, and Steve Sekrit, aka Stephen Robson, formerly of Punishment of Luxury and now in Stone Prem band Shay Tal. This double CD compiles all the tracks from their vinyl releases from the late 80s on one CD, and a remastered version of their 1991 CD The Ship of Grandad's Day on the other. Starting with the first CD, Somebody Famous on Vinyl: I Like to Travel is really catchy, quirky rock. Dancing Feet is very much a product of its time, and the dance remix that follows even more so. This is late 80s synth based pop with lyrics about moving to the beat, shaking your body and so on. Both versions are however a little more off-centre than the mainstream equivalents of this sort of music.
The tracks from their self titled LP are a mix of pop and rock with some quintessentially 80s elements like synths and sax. Although it sounds in some ways like the sort of music that was mainstream at the time, the band also take on board forms of rock that are more timeless, as well as some quirkier, undergroundy elements that prevent the music from sounding too dated or too commercial. The last two tracks on this CD, Love Will Stay and New Day Tripper, come from a 7" single and are very fine janglepop that's well worth checking out.
The second CD, The Ship of Grandad's Day, is full of sophisticated, well crafted music that combines guitar-based pop with rock and prog elements. Carousel is an evocative mix of janglepop, atmospheric synth and prog rock. This description may sound strange, but in fact it works fantastically well, and the song is amazingly catchy. There's a Heaven has shades of Tim's subsequent band The Rabbit's Hat, and is one of the tracks that best illustrates bassist Friz' distinctive style, which is far more melodic than that favoured by many other bass players. Black Beauty (On Cowboy Hill) is a punchy and catchy acoustic song, whilst Half Mantra is reminiscent of the proggier/spacier material that was soon to come from The Rabbit's Hat. Greg Orion is a very brief snippet of medieval style chanting (note the pun on 'Gregorian'!), that leads on to Hieronymus, a song that subsequently became one of The Rabbit's Hat's classics and one of my very favourite songs of theirs. Ship (Pilot's Mix) is a remix of the title track, mostly instrumental but with a few snippets of quirky speeded up and slowed down vocals.
The Ship of Grandad's Day has stood the test of time rather more than Somebody Famous' earlier material that was very obviously from the 80s. The album has a much more timeless sound and introduces a lot of talented and original ideas. This really is a superb album, and one well worth investigating by anyone curious about the roots of The Rabbit's Hat. Contact Stone Premonitions as above.

CHEAP WINE Spirits CD (Cheap Wine)
Cheap Wine are an Italian band making melodic rock with blues and country influences. A Pig on a Lead is folk-rock of the American variety, with some effective use of fiddle. Instead of the summery atmosphere this sort of music often has, Cheap Wine opt for something rather more dark, smoky and sleazy. Leave Me A Drain is heavy blues-rock; the riffage here seems familiar and has almost certainly been lifted from some famous rock song from the 70s, but the song has enough vim and vigour that they can get away with a few rather predictable moments. Circus of Fools is a little different from Cheap Wine's usual stuff, more laid-back, the minimal guitar/piano bits even sound kind of like indiepop, although I doubt that was their intention. The song gets a little rockier later and also brings in an instrumental part at the end with clear echoes of circus music. La Buveuse is dark sleazy jazz/blues/rock influenced by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's painting The Absinthe Drinker. The lyrics show a twisted wit: "Buy me a drink if you wanna paint my own private hell/I raise my glass to the good old days when my liver was well". Dried Leaves is another laid-back track, American style folk-rock meets janglepop, that begins with the sound of dried leaves being swept in a percussive fashion. Lay Down is a jangly pop song that sounds just like late 80s/early 90s indiepop, and makes me think perhaps that genre really is an influence on this band after all. The Sea Is Down returns to Cheap Wine's more usual sound of uptempo blues-rock.
Cheap Wine aren't the sort of band who are all about creating their own genre, and anyone looking for avant-garde music would probably do well to look elsewhere. They wear their influences proudly on their sleeves, drawing from familiar styles and advertising their influences further by choosing to perform cover versions (Man in the Long Black Coat by Bob Dylan, and Pancho and Lefty by Townes van Zandt). But the sort of styles Cheap Wine are working with just aren't supposed to be genre-hopping anyway. Blues, for instance, is supposed to sound a certain way. Whilst there is a certain familiarity to Cheap Wine's sound, I'm not left thinking "how dull, I've heard all this before", simply because they have a talent for creating gutsy tunes and thought-provoking lyrics. Contact the band via www.myspace.com/cheapwinenet

TELLING THE BEES Untie the Wind CD (Black Thrustle)
Telling The Bees are a classical-inspired folk band with some very interesting and engaging musical and philosophical ideas. Their lyrics are firmly rooted in such topics as nature, environmental awareness and ecological activism, and British folklore and mythology.
The members of this band come from diverse musical backgrounds. Andy Letcher has been a member of various eco-protest/tribedelic bands, including Space Goats, Jabberwocky and Celtarabia. He is actively involved in the eco-protest movement and campaigned alongside Swampy against the Newbury bypass. He is also the author of a book on the history of magic mushrooms. More recently he appeared as a guest musician with Bellowhead at the 2008 BBC Proms in the Park. Josie Webber has a background in funk-rock and trip-hop. Colin Fletcher started off as an experimental artist with The Sonic Catering Band, and has since collaborated with a wide range of well known folk artists such as Abbie Lathe, Sharron Kraus, Kerr Fagan Harbron and the Tim Van Eyken Band. He and his wife Jane Griffiths, also a member of Telling The Bees and musician with Abbie Lathe and Sharron Kraus, live on a canal boat.
This debut album, and its follow-up An English Arcanum (of which more in a moment) are both packaged within superb intricate pencil artwork by Rima Staines, an artist of extraordinary talent. In an interview with Heathen Harvest, Telling The Bees' Andy Letcher made mention of 'the vexed question of Englishness', asking "Is there a way of celebrating Englishness in a way that is inclusive and relevant to our urban lifestyle, and which cannot be appropriated by the narrow bigotry of the far right?" The answer to this question can be found within the music of Untie the Wind, and the answer is a resounding 'Yes!' The album incorporates elements of traditional English folk music, but in a way that is very much contemporary, and looks to the future just as much as the past. Rock, classical, jazz and modern protest-folk are all combined with the more traditional feeling got from such instruments as mandolin, English border bagpipes, fiddle and concertina.
Fithfath is a sophisticated classical/folk combination with Eastern European tinges. Wood is a wonderfully evocative exploration of the process of a tree being transformed into a mandolin, with very fine mandolin/viola/concertina/double bass instrumentation. Lyra is a spine-tingling mix of bagpipe music and classical string arrangement. The Worship of Trees begins with the sound of birdsong and solemn church bell ringing, giving way to an impressive blend of ecstatic folk fiddling and cinematic orchestration, providing the backdrop to lyrics that deal with the burning need to immerse oneself in primeval, wild nature. Barrow Song is an eerie yet celebratory depiction of death, that belongs to a time that is wholly pre-modern. Beautiful is contemporary folk-rock with a funk-tinged bassline. Frost is a subdued acoustic piece, of great beauty.
A truly superb album - for more information visit www.tellingthebees.co.uk

TELLING THE BEES An English Arcanum CD (Black Thrustle)
This latest album from Telling The Bees is again a very creative interpretation of folk music that is inspired by musical, spiritual and folkloric tradition, whilst being completely relevant for the modern age. The concept of understanding the language of birds is one that crops up in the mythologies of various cultures. Telling The Bees have explored this theme in their song The Language of Birds, a sophisticated, intelligent and artistic mix of traditional and contemporary folk and classical music. Gallina is an instrumental based on bagpipes, guitar, fiddle and viola; it has rather a stately feel, like a 19th century dance tune, and its atmosphere is at once solemn and celebratory. Otmoor Forever tells the story of an anti-enclosure uprising in the 19th century. The jazzy double bass adds a more modern touch to the historical theme and authentically traditional sounding lyrics and melody. Sweet Dream is an engaging instrumental composed of equal parts classical and folk, with a particularly inventive section at the end in which the instruments are played in a creaking/whirring fashion. Pilgrim's Progress is a contemporary folk song of great sophistication and depth. Uncle Tom and Aunt Sally is a traditional influenced folk dance tune based mainly around bagpipes. The melody of Apple is downtempo and sombre, with the seriousness of a 19th century hymn, whilst its words are a lighthearted celebration of a musical character whose songs are vividly depicted as 'pressed cider from the heart'. Right at the end you can hear the contented purring of a cat! Telling The Bees are a highly creative band, inspired by the past but also adding much that is new. Their albums certainly deserve a place in the collections of all who enjoy contemporary folk music.

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