Beautiful Freak - Eels

Track list:

1. Novocaine for the Soul
2. Susan's House
3. Rags to Rags
4. Beautiful Freak
5. Not Ready Yet
6. My Beloved Monster
7. Flower
8. Guest List
9. Mental
10. Spunky
11. Your Lucky Day in Hell
12. Manchild

Running time: 43 minutes
Released: 1996

Going back a bit now... hard to imagine that this is almost 20 years old and harks back to when I first started to buy music in any volume. I had two of the singles from this album after hearing them on the radio and then got the album eventually. I did not, however, buy any more from Eels so they were never really a favourite. I have fond memories for some of these songs, but no clue about many more.

We start with Novocaine for the Soul, which was a single here but not one of the two I picked up. For me this song was a bit of a grower, not one that I was taken with from the off. I like the mix of the dark and the ornamental - a contrast of style and substance that characterises a few of my favourite songs, as well as ones like this that I just rather like. Its the expansiveness of the arrangement that gives the open effect, but the darkness of the lyrics and tight confines of the verses that set you up for the majesty. That is a theme that carries on with Susan's House - which was the first single I bought. Verse tense, spoken, dark. Chorus plinky - and very dated - but much more melodic and relatable.

The conversational tone of the narrative is engaging in a voyeuristic kind of way. It's a little like watching something like The Wire and getting a view into a world that is nothing like the one I know. I listen to these now, two decades on, and I wonder why I never picked up more Eels records... and even as I do, and enjoy this one, I do not feel compelled to get more.

Interesting; the songs overlap here. The start point of Rags to Rags is before the backing of Susan's House has completely faded. I know that was more common back then, but I had not noticed it before. I cannot say I really recognise this tune but it definitely carries on the common theme. The chorus and bridge are still more expansive, the verses confined and tight. There is less melody here, just more darkness - but in a decent way, not gratuitous or unwelcome. I am at the end of a week off, just Sunday to go. I have achieved less than I would have liked but have at least managed to get the shelves battened and caused a lot of little red casualty symbols to appear in Blood Bowl. Yeah, the latter is not an achievement really but it speaks to how I have wanted to be spending my time - mindlessly punching digital opponents into oblivion. I do not really feel any better for it, but I suspect I am in a slightly better place for the switching off. Still have a bit to do tomorrow, not least finding time to watch England (hopefully) play well in Dublin. The Six Nations is a dream for getting through these late winter weekends.

Not Ready Yet is more familiar by sound than by name but once it starts is very recognisible; this and the title track that preceded it are more in the same vein: dark and slightly grubby with moments of tenderness or light occasionally chucked in - whether in the form of a lighter lyric, or a particularly sweet chord/hook/backing that is there then gone. So far this album stands up pretty well. The songs are less familiar in this mid-scection; does that mean weaker as they haven't sunk into my subconscious over the years? My Beloved Monster is certainly the oddest and poorest effort yet - it feels more like an interlude, and is certainly for the chop. It's almost like the commentator's curse with sports: say something nice about someone then they disappoint immediately!

The balance appears to have shifted - I want more darkness back as the brighter sound is less engaging. I think it is temporary though as Mental and Your Lucky Day in Hell certainly bring the grubbiness back in later. The other thing I did this week is restart playing World of Tanks. Hopefully not to the level I did before and hopefully in a more laissez-faire fashion. Yesterday evening ended on a hilarious note when my (empty) artillery piece successfully completed a yakety-sax escape from a heavy 1 tier higher than me to complete a capture and win as last man standing. Epic. Why do I digress? Flower and Guest List are filler, that's why.

I have fond aural memories of Mental, despite the name, and when the song kicks in they come flooding back.... this is a little like the reverse of earlier. The lightness is in the verse - a sparse staccato touch - and the grime appears in the chorus with a much harder rockier edge bringing angst and emotion to bear. It loses the plot a little in the bridge but then falls back into its pattern which is a really strong basis... only to disappoint by going a full minute with the only lyrics being a repeated utterance of "not at all" - the edge is still in the composition though, and whilst it wanders a little in the outro the first 2 minutes of the song are really impactful. Spunky comes and goes in the way of dross and then we hit the second of the two singles I bought back in the day.

I love the spooky theme of Your Lucky Day in Hell. Mumbled lyrics over a darkly persistent tune, and that light touch that comes in for the chorus again. Contrast, it's a good idea people. Also, it's a videogame I really should get around to playing - I have it sat in my Steam list but never got around to it yet. This track is, weirdly a bit of a relaxing one, despite the haunting base - the light orchestral touch on the chorus really lifts it and reminds me of downtempo artists like Zero 7 and the like with the relaxing tunes they created some 5 years later (oh jeez, Simple Things being 15 years old makes me feel much older than this being 20...).

We are coming to the end now. Overall the album starts strong, thematic and interesting but that dwindles over time. There are good points to the later tracks, but they are not so consistently good as the front five and my attention has certainly wandered more as the tracks have gone on. Part of that may be finishing up the dregs of yesterday's wine but I do think that the quality of output has dipped since the end of Not Ready Yet - meaning that I was probably right with my comment on the lack of subconscious familiarity, and right not to run out and buy any more Eels music. Still, some cracking songs here too so I cannot really complain.

The Beast - Nathan Michel

Track list:

1. Dust

Running time: 3 minutes
Released: 2005

Singletons are in vogue, don't you know? One follows another here. Again I am not certain where this came from, but I think I know why I have this one at least. Michel popped up in some of the free music efforts earlier in the piece and I think appeared on a sampler somewhere too. That said, I have no clue what these 3 minutes will bring.

I am pretty certain from the opening notes that it will be a one-off listen though. Brassy electronic sounds that make me think Soap Opera titles with slightly odd repeat patterns. The vocal sections are pretty neat but the instrumental parts are not, and frankly it grates a bit after a while - so bright and loud are the sounds. A "not for me" then, so whilst singletons might be in vogue (hah! As if) I am no follower of fashion.

Beacons of Ancestorship - Tortoise

Track list:

2. Prepare Your Coffin

Running time: 3 minutes
Released: 2009

An odd singleton now. I have no idea where this came from, how I came across it or what to expect from it.

The start is rocky but despite a death-threatening name, the tone seems to be more cheesy movie or TV  show theme tune than anything else. Quite reminiscent of the early days of synth in some respect, or bad side-scrolling videogames. I am not finding anything much here worthy of note. Like a lot of stuff, it is not bad but it offers nothing to suggest I should keep it, so that's an entry I can scrub.

Beachcomber's Windowsill - Stornoway

Track list:

1. Zorbing
2. I Saw You Blink
3. Fuel Up
4. The Coldharbour Road
5. Boats and Trains
6. We Are the Battery Human
7. Here Comes the Blackout...!
8. Watching Birds
9. On the Rocks
10. The End of the Movie
11. Long Distance Lullaby

Running time: 43 minutes
Released: 2010

A local band. Stornoway formed in Oxford. I remember there being a buzz about them at the time. I remember picking the album up on a punt a short while later. I remember not liking it much. How much of that is true and how much is dodgy recollection is now to be tested.

What I can say before it kicks off is that I really like the album title - it conjures up pictures of recovered flotsam, curiosities from another life. It would be a shame if that is the best thing about it. The first track - Zorbing, after the hobby with the giant hamster balls - starts very non-committally. It reminds me a lot of something else - I think it may be Standard Fare, even though their vocalist is female. It has generic indie-pop all over it; fun but not too fun, light but not too light, easy to listen to, hard to like in any active perception. This sense persists as we move forward... there is none of the instant charm of Allo Darlin' here, just some very repetitive bases and lazy head-nodding structures.

It really isn't that bad, but it isn't good either. The only thing standing out is the fact it does not stand out.

There is a slight change in tone for Fuel Up - more morose, less twee - but still equally uninteresting. It is notable that there is a distance in the recording; everything seems quite soft as if it were drifting across a field rather than being experienced up close. It is not just the volume, but there is a muffled edge to some of the sounds that increases that. I think this is deliberate, it would tie in with the choice of a faraway coastal town on a windswept coast as a band name. If so, then this is the second thing to like after the album title. The Coldharbour Road makes me think back to my university years in Bristol despite being a part of town I never spent any time in - it is the best song yet and a probable keeper but I am afraid that does not say much.

It really is the vocal that gives me the indie-pop vibe more than anything else. The composition infringes on that patch now and again but the cadence of the singing is the stamp of genre in a way that I cannot quite explain. The album does seem to be getting better though even if there is still that propensity for uninteresting repeated rhythms and hooks. I find it interesting that the first two tracks - which really were utterly bland - were the singles and that I am more engaged with the disc as we leave them behind. I say that, but I have just disengaged with a Mumford moment. Unfortunately I do have Mumford & Sons to come, but I cannot stand them (another buy based on popularity which is clearly a bad thing!) and there is something about the song that just started which brings them to mind and there is nothing positive about that. The timing fits for them to have been a significant influence too, so I hope it does not go beyond this one track.

I seem to be leaving flaky skin all over my keyboard. Ew. I have noticed that my skin and lips have really suffered this winter and I hope that they recover as warmth returns to the country. Warmth may just have flashed back in the music too - bit more of a driving pace, same distance on the recording... Watching Birds is a decent start and feels like it is building - if it can continue without falling back into the same hook that it started with it might be another keeper. Alas, it drops back into the same form which worked for about 30 seconds before it got dull. There is some interest over the top of it but it has lost the urgency that it started with and the way it is presented feels like something that has been cobbled together from random bits and bobs rather than crafted with any plan and cohesion. It is nice to be listening to a shorter work though - even if I am not entirely enjoying it.

Into the run in, and there is no energy in the playing. I am listening in procrastination; I should be sorting out car insurance, credit card bills and battening for some shelves but the cold windy day is not inspiring me. That and I woke up knackered which never sets the day off on a good foot. I think a bowl of soup and Game of Thrones (Tyrion's second trial by combat) are next up and maybe this afternoon I will be better placed for productivity. This post is good for a clear-out though - the retention rate is low. I do not know how much difference it will make to get rid of this stuff - for all the chaff that I am cutting my library will still be huge and I will still end up skipping stuff freely if I shuffle it all. I suspect after I am done I will have achieved very little but having this as an outlet is a positive in itself. I have been going 6 months already at a rate of slightly below 1 album/2 days and at that rate it could be a decade's endeavour. How much new material will I buy in that time frame to invalidate my clearout?! The pile of 2015 purchases is in front of me, and it amounts to approximately one a week. That is a lot of additions but I am just about listening faster than I am buying and to be fair I have just found a couple of really good artists that prompted specific action.

Meanwhile Stornoway are concluding their effort whilst I waffle on. The run in has been nondescript and unremarkable. Nice enough, not objectionable but not anything that I feel I need to listen to ever again either. I do not feel any loyalty to local bands really, certainly not enough to overcome indifference of output. The last tune has receded and my finger hovers over delete as I plunge 9 of the 11 tracks here into the Room 101 of my recycle bin.

BBC Folk Awards 2014 - Various Artists

Track list:

1. Willie of Winsbury - Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer
2. Hi Ho Ro Tha Mi Duilich - Breabach
3. A Cut Above / The Hesleyside Reel - Will Pound
4. Whiskey You're The Devil - Bella Hardy
5. Delta Dreams - Martin Simpson
6. Anyone But Me - Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker
7. Mary Macdonald's - Rant
8. Love's For Babies and Fools - Linda Thompson
9. Man In The Moon - The Full English
10. Les Bras de Mer - Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita
11. Fifty Verses - Melrose Quartet
12. Throwing Pennies - Lau
13. Marching Through The Green Grass - Lucy Ward
14. None the Wiser - Chris Wood
15. The Battered Hake Polka / Jack's Maggot - Hannah James & Sam Sweeney
16. Codi Angor - Georgia Ruth
17. The Nailmakers' Strike Part II - Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin
18. Hotline - Aidan O'Rourke
19. Swimming In The Longest River - Olivia Chaney
20. The Queen's Lover - Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar
21. Two Ravens - Lisa Knapp
22. Full Moon - Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson
23. The Weaver's Daughter - Fay Hield
24. This Is Getting Old - Gentlemen of Few
25. Leanabh An Oir - Mischa MacPherson Trio
26. All For Me Grog - Granny's Attic
27. Tilly's Song - Hattie Briggs

Running time: 118 minutes
Released: 2014

Dear lord, 118 minutes in one go? Well, it is the last of these to go through and there are a few gems on here, I am sure, even if I turn out to have them elsewhere already.

More of a mission was getting the image and track listing together. I had to save and resize the image because no suitable ones showed up, whilst I had to manually compile the track list in 2 respects: 1 because everywhere online has this as two separate discs yet what I have clearly isn't - it is numbered consecutively - and 2 because the lists available were all borked somehow. Nervermind, eh? And, 3 - I have just dug out my physical disc to find I, too, have 2 discs, and that there are indeed 4 bonus tracks that are not in my library from Young Folk Award nominees. What a palava; they are added to the end of it.

I should really split this up because there's no way in the world I am going to manage a 2-hour stint at this but... I can always split it out into 2 sessions but maintain it as one post. I think what must have happened is that I bought this online and got the digital copy that way rather than by ripping the discs but never mind. Lets get underway.

We start with a song that has featured before (on At Llangennith), by an artist who I only discovered on the 2013 collection, but have since bought lots of, including the album of Child Ballads that this comes from. A nice modern and unique take on traditional folk songs, I have immediately fallen for it, and put several onto my playlist for the Albion game (actual play logs for as long as I maintain them here). I have to say that I prefer Charlotte Greig's version but that is probably 99% familiarity and expectation rather than based on comparison of the relative merits. Anaïs Mitchell has been a very welcome find - something about the way she sculpts very simple arrangements yet plays them in a compelling way really strikes a tone with me. Anyway, this is now a duplicate so will get dumped in favour of the album version but it is a nice start to this epic. It is replaced, after a rather sudden end, by a Gaelic song. I recognise Breabach as a name from a previous year's awards but despite it being obvious from the name that this would be Gaelic, I had in my head it was more likely to be tunes than a song - probably horribly conflating memories of the last Breabach tune I listened to with some other group. This distraction means that I do not fully appreciate the song as it plays, and when I do stop to appreciate it the song disappoints lacking sparkle and shine. Perfectly functional, not much more.

It is replaced by a whimsical tune that for some reason reminds me of the theme to the old BBC sitcom Allo Allo for no particular reason (there really is not a lot of similarity there), but it is enough for me not to take it seriously and not want to retain it. Whimsy and Sunday early evening sitcom associations place it too much in the stereotyped view of folk music for me to enjoy and so I cast my eyes ahead and see that Bella Hardy is up next. This could be interesting. I have her debut album and have written before how I preferred Jim Moray's cover of Three Black Feathers to her original, but if she has grown as a performer in the intervening years then her music could potentially interest me again... and I do like a drop of whiskey. The singing is stronger than I recall of her, definitely sounding older and wiser, but the music that accompanies the song is uninteresting bordering on actively annoying and actually the song is just too much repetition to hold the attention. I won't be following up any new interest at this point, then. Another familiar name pops up next, another expected disappointment. I rambled about noodling with a guitar last time out, and whilst Simpson has been doing it for a long long time with a degree of distinction, his style and his songs fall flat for me and I cannot help but feel that there is something slightly off with Britons singing about the US in the way he does here. I do not mean that they shouldn't or can't, but... OK. Mitchell was singing traditional British songs, but whilst they are rooted here, they are not about here - the songs in many of those Ballads could describe stories anywhere. Simpson's song could only be about its place and it throws me some. Cognitive dissonance, perhaps. I dunno. In any case, I did not like it much and now I am listening to someone I do not know of singing a song that means nothing to me. Ah, discovery.

It is a simple melody but nicely put together; the song leaves a little to be desired but the playing and the ampitheatre created for the vocal performance are pretty swell, dramatic and enjoyable. A keeper, then.

I find the idea of a band called Rant amusing and would expect them to play angry music (and channeled fury is a good creative spark). Alas that does not appear to be the case. There is a nice fiddle melody here instead, but the tune suffers from the feeling that it never really gets going. Several times it threatens to jump into a much more vibrant life but each time it pulls back from that threat, limping home meekly instead. When it finally gets an injection of pace it improves for me... still not as urgent or demanding as it could be, and the life it gets is soon diverted elsewhere giving the impression of a catalogue of smaller tunes stitched together as if to build a reel but yet all composed under one banner. It is ultimately disappointing. Linda Thompson is found elsewhere in my library but to be honest I have listened to her 32 times in 7 years so I suspect most of it is for the chop. This song is a little too slow, low and sleepy for me; whilst the tune is pleasant enough it is never more than that.

Is it time for breakfast? No? Got my hopes up for a Full English but alas there is nothing about this one that appeals, proof that Sam Sweeney cannot save everything (though I don't know if he actually played on this piece). Its a little too oldy-worldy in style for me, and the same could perhaps be said of the harping that follows it. The percussion here is very faint leaving the harp to stand out well but it all feels a little ecclesiastical, clerical, hymnal. Like it should be playing in a church before a service that no-one will attend, or at least in some kind of small exhibit somewhere. Its perfectly nice, but nice is not enough at this stage and for the love of Dog it goes on for 8 minutes. If I was ranting before about guitar noodling, this is definitely the harpists' equivalent. When it finally ends a promising guitar hook steps in, a nice fiddle joins it; if this builds then it could be good. However it holds its form instead; the singing that joins in is not bad, but the accordion adds nothing and musically it feels like a meander rather than a rushing flow. Pretty, yes, but not exciting; the harmonies a high point that save it.

Lau crop up again next - I think this was the last song on the two disc split. I feel like I recognise this song and looking it up it looks as though it comes from the one Lau album I have (Race the Loser). I cannot say this one appeals much, slow and sad without any magic to lift it into the mournful masterpiece category. It feels like a long trudge home after a bad day at work, which is not exactly a positive experience.

Pace! Stridency! Bit more rhythm, bit more life. We're marching on and whilst musically the interest is pretty thin, the extra energy and the harder edge to Lucy Ward's voice here make it noticeably more compelling than anything on this album to date and might actually be enough to have me look her up. Young energetic folk, that's what we want. Chris Wood next, an odd little song that sounds like it is decrying much of modern life - specifically the economics of the 2010s to date - and whilst I have a lot of sympathy with that point of view the song itself is no more than so-so. Its wry sideswipe is not enough to overcome the surprisingly bland delivery and composition.

Sam Sweeney pops up again, this time carrying a fiddle tune that is much more typical of his fare, a bit more lively yet still tuneful and crafty. What confuses me, though, is that this song is on the same album as The Farmer's Cursed Wife which appears on the 2013 folk awards album (disc 1). Actually I think that applies to the Lau track too. Really BBC Folk Awards - there wasn't enough good stuff for you to pick out from 2014 without repeat visits? For shame!

Next up another non-English song; Welsh this time, a song of the sea I think (a translation of the title gives "Raising Anchor"). Not enough to keep me interested. There follows a weird bluesy number - is that a mouth organ? - that had its plus points but frankly is a little lacking in power and venom for a protest song. Quite a nice change up from what has been before, yes, but a little odd in the process. Hotline starts with a radio broadcast that pertains to atomic something... certainly not something I would expect in a folk song but an intriguing opening to a piece. The tune that comes in as the radio is faded out is a bit sparse and not really in keeping with the tone of the words it replaced and frankly after 3 minutes has not gone anywhere. The same central theme repeated again and again with slight variations. It can work, but there is not enough to it here to make that an interesting pattern. Of course, as I start to type that the tune gets a bit more depth, and then a sax cuts in to make the whole thing feel a little more like a jazz improv piece. I am not at all anti-jazz but this is incongruous in the extreme and in all honesty it just strikes me as a mess and not very good.

At this point I realise how far through I am, and resolve to go to the end; I am on holiday this week after all and the late night will not be that detrimental. There is one gem to come, but are there more?

Track 19 is a song with piano backing, and the singer is alright but nothing special whilst the tune is functional but not outstanding. Too bland for me. The same may well go for the following number actually, only here the singing is less than alright for my tastes, a bit of an edge in his voice that puts me off even before the dreary song and tune are taken into account. At least now I get the gem. Lisa Knapp enchants me - there is difference here. Her ethereal tones and non-standard song construction make this a compelling tale even without it really ever taking off like the birds it describes.

Another eight minute epic to slog through now - and whilst I have just committed myself to doing the whole lot in one go tonight it suddenly feels like a slog in truth. Pipes and guitars, twee tunes, generic highlands image montage mode engaged. That is a little unfair, perhaps but it is what goes through my mind - I feel like it could be a tune from an episode of Hamish Macbeth or Monarch of the Glen and there are a couple of points where this really shines out, recesses in the music which feel almost designed to be filled in by a visual. About 4 minutes in it starts going full on pipe reel but it all feels distant, impersonal somehow, and it fails to engage me. I am looking down the track list and of the tracks so far I am retaining 10%, just two. I would also have kept Lucy Ward's but I have just ordered the album it came from so...

Fay Hield may be married to one of my favourite musicians but her material leaves me cold. I say that based on two tracks - this one and the the one on disc 2 of 2013. I find her voice flat and the arrangement cold here and it is enough for me not to want to explore any more.

Finally we are into the Young Musician nominees, get through these and I can leave the folk awards behind forever as if nothing else the last couple of weeks have taught me that whilst I probably do want to scan through the nominees because I have stumbled on undiscovered gold, buying the discs is not a good investment overall. The first of 4 tracks from the young'uns is a raucous number calling to mind images of hill-billies whilst being boring. Energy is good, but it is not sufficient for interest on its own. The contrast with the second track is significant, another Gaelic number with very sparse support. The singer's voice sounds fragile, unsure, but at the same time that frailty gives it a human warmth that makes me smile wistfully. The song does feel too long because there really isn't much there to support the singer and the phrasing is drawn out, but other than that it is a nice number. Granny's Attic as a name and a drinking song are not necessarily what I would expect from a young folk nominee but well... that's what I have got. It is not as loud and leery as I would have anticipated and actually it suffers for that. Not interesting enough. And so to the final song of this marathon... fittingly it ends in a puff of nothing, for this has been a particularly bad collection. Between frumpy old-sounding material and re-use of the prior year's releases I think this should draw a line under my desire to buy any more BBC Folk Awards albums. The final count is 3 of 27 kept, with an honourable mention for one more that triggered a purchase; that is a poor return.

I can now look ahead, but not too far. I'll have another string of "very similar" stuff to wade through within B as I hit first a load of Ben Folds (Five/Live) and then the Big Box of John Lee Hooker - six discs with 20 tracks each. B is turning out to be pretty hard work.

BBC Folk Awards 2013 (Disc 3) - Various Artists

Track list:

1. Working on the new railroad - Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar
2. St. Andrew's flight/Last tango in Harris - Thalla
3. More than boys - Luke Jackson
4. Father Eugene's welcome to Cape North/St Kilda's wedding - Graham Mackenzie & Ciorstaidh Beaton
5. Shiver - Mae Bradbury
6. Breaking of old branches - Jack Pout
7. Were you at the rock?/The college groves - Matt Tighe
8. Liverpool lullaby - Rosie Hodgson
9. My heart is holding up a shield - The Crosstown Trio
10. The night before - Hugh Sheehan & Jack McCaugherty

Running time: 41 minutes
Released: 2013

Another track title/artist combo that completely breaks the formatting of my blog unless I alter my pattern of putting the track list into a caption for the cover image. Ah well, as no-one is reading it can afford to look stupid, and I have not the time or care to learn enough HTML and/or CSS to sort it out or find a better way to deal with listing this information. Maybe if I am still doing this in a year it will have bothered me enough by then?

2013 has definitely been the best of the Folk Awards years to date and has lead to a spurt of purchases as it uncovered Anaïs Mitchell and Kathryn Roberts' voice. This third disc though has nothing that is even slightly familiar to me so I am more than a little unsure what I am going to get. The first effort is a formulaic song that falls very flat for me, only coming alive late on when the fiddle picks up more. The singing is passable at best and the guitar strumming away is bland and devoid of distinction. When the tune really takes flight it gets rather decent, but to enjoy that you have to endure 3 minutes or more of blah. Not a positive start.

The next pair of tunes starts more promisingly though - airy, expansive. The high pitched pipe is a little too close to squeaking its way through the tune, but the simple structure provided by the other instrumentation gives a sense of space. It reminds me a bit of Afro Celt Sound System. At no point are these tunes really stellar or even particularly stand out, but they craft the sound well to give an open sense to things. They could definitely do with being shorter though - the disc already feels like it has been playing forever and I am only one fifth through in terms of tracks. I am more hopeful of enjoying Luke Jackson's effort, since I kept his tune from disc 2. Why he gets two entries... who cares. His singing is a definite high point, the playing is functional and the song is not the worst. Damning with faint praise overall if you take the sentence at face value and in this instance I think that is fair. Unlike on disc 2 where he vocal had more than a hint of Chris Wood's gravitas, here it is merely good, less weighty. Then we get to the primary offender for the template-breaking badness. It starts nicely enough as a fiddle tune, accompanied by harp it appears. The harp is a little too sharp in places but the tune is nice enough and I do like the fiddle playing here, it has a warmth to it. The second tune trades more on the harp and again it seems a little too stark at points but once it flattens out it is also plenty listenable.

Better than generic guitar, at least. Where Mitchell intrigued me with her playing and got me over the hurdle of guitar noodleing as poor entertainment mindset that I have found myself taking a lot recently, Mae Bradbury does not stack up. I do rather like her voice and I am amused by the tale spun in the song so I can look past the less than endearing approach. She reminds me of someone... I think maybe an English Ani DiFranco in terms of delivery. The song goes by fairly fast and we're staying in noodle-land for the next song and here it is far more of a problem for me with less of interest about the performance or the song. I guess I am of the opinion that whilst, as Thom Yorke rightly sang, anyone can play guitar, you actually have to be really good to make fiddling about with one on your own interesting in and of itself.

Solo fiddle piece eh? A nearly man, I think. There are flashes of interest here but the strongest ones simply give me aural flashbacks to Jon Boden, and I keep expecting Squeezy's to start up any second. Overall I feel there is a lack of depth to the sound of these pieces and that leaves the fiddle squawking by itself against a vacuum that makes every harsh edge magnify to unpleasantness. A pity, but goodbye Matt Tighe. Rosie Hodgson sounds like a less angelic Kate Rusby, the odd word here or there carries a carbon copy inflection and the rhythm of the lines is also very reminiscent. There is a significant artefact or two of the rip here which spoil it further, but ultimately it is noodle-like and not as good as Rusby. It feels like an imitation and one that I do not need to keep. Crosstown Trio are more promising, mandolin or ukulele replacing guitar, but the tune is made by the nice backing harmony on the chorus and the little bit of depth added by having another set of strings at a different pitch. Another stutter from the rip near the end and that is getting to be a serious annoyance with this disc, but the song is interesting enough to keep and I have hopes for the final tunes based on their intro. Some form of squeezebox and guitar, very reminiscent of a John Spiers tune, particularly with the little stutters (from the organ this time) of quick repeated notes. This is a positive way to bring the disc and the 2013 awards set to a close. Only one more to go; I can then get back to crediting or slagging artists and groups on the basis of more than one track. Hurrah!

BBC Folk Awards 2013 (Disc 2) - Various Artists

Track list:

1. The bird that winds the spring - Lau
2. Caw the yowes - Maz O'Connor
3. Lullaby for Mel - Ross Ainslie
4. Gentlemen Jack - O'Hooley & Tidow
5. Last train - Luke Jackson
6. King of birds - Karine Polwart
7. Billy in the lowground - Blair Dunlop
8. The ballad of Andy Jacobs - Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman
9. Black trade - The Unthanks
10. Wild wood amber - Sam Lee
11. Sea of Okhotsk - Treacherous Orchestra

Running time: 57 minutes
Released: 2013

I recognise very little on this disc. I am surprised to find that I do not have the Unthanks' track elsewhere, even. The only songs I have from this disc - much longer than the first - are Sam Lee's (I have a feeling I found him really hard to get into) and Lau's. I am familiar with some of the other artists - like Karine Polwart, who I have only ever been able to stomach as part of The Burns Unit. I think I have been overly harsh in my reading of her in the past so it will be interesting to pay attention to her effort here.

The disc starts with hand-claps. I do not really know what to make of that; not a lot, I suspect. It surprises me by being a song, not just a tune. Whilst I have this track elsewhere I did not really like that album on first listen so it has gathered dust since to the point I cannot recall the name and do not feel like looking it up. Somewhere near the end of my library though, relatively speaking. I actually rather like this, the clapping I presume meaning a live performance but that is not inherently clear. I might have to look up the other version to decide which to keep. There is a nice air to the tune once the fiddles appear too, all in all a pretty decent track in this form, though the end is a bit feeble.

The next song is an enigma; really well performed and stunning in places, yet simultaneously really dull. It veers from one to the other, changing its style along the way becoming a fiddle/guitar led song after having started out very sparse in instrumentation, then dropping back to song and not much more. I like the middle bit a fair amount, but the bookends are not compelling and I think I lean towards getting rid of it. Not so for the follow-up - a flute/pipe melody of admittedly slightly twee but mostly genuine simplicity and pleasantry. It is far from the most original or immediately outstanding folk tune you'll come across, but it is really solid - slow pace made up for by sheer tunefulness. It loses it towards the end, trading the wind for fiddle then bagpipes which do not quite have the same warmth whilst keeping the melody which still appeals. It is the sort of tune that would not be misplaced with a Cara Dillon (or someone of that ilk) singing over it. Gentleman Jack is repetitive. The patterns at play here are trance-like in their regularity and the problem is that they are not particularly good, so you get sucked into a trance state that you want out of. Its not that it is a bad song per se but it is lacking something to generate more than a nodding "go along".

Luke Jackson sounds like a young Chris Wood; I would not be at all surprised if the latter was a strong and overt influence, particularly on the singing style but also - it appears - on the writing. The song her also seems to be pretty serious in tone. It is a little raw in places, but generally of interest. I might have to look up more of his work - I seem to be in a "what else can I buy" kind of mood this week. Now it is Polwart's turn and - as I expected - she does not engender the same sentiment. There is just something about her voice that does not gel for me and the song itself does not make up for it - too sparse in places, too much in others. It feels like this song goes on for ever, but it is one of the shorter ones on offer here. Prejudice may come into it, but I find the tune lacking spark, lacking genius, lacking a reason to listen. The chorus not even being words really does not help there, I think. Oh well, position confirmed.

The tune that follows it is everybody's bad stereotype of folk music, or so it seems to me... not really being folk and instead relying on twee hooks and faux-comedic lyrics to be as inoffensive as possible whilst engaging no-one and going on far too long. What a waste of data.

I keep seeing Kathryn Robert's name and thinking of Kathryn Williams. One I have a lot of, one I have none of. I might need to address that, if this song is anything to go by. Roberts' singing voice is lovely and Lakeman's piano is a good partner for it. The pairing is making my eyes droop, but in a relaxing, positive kind of way - it does not inspire me to write, but to listen. Yeah, I'm going to have to investigate this pair further. So far this disc may have its share of casualties but it also has some inspiration; the best of the Folk Awards bunch to date. The rip may be bad though, there have been a number of skips in places, alas.

Oh this Unthanks song sounds different... I think I know in retrospect what it is from and why I do not have it, but that might need to be rectified too. Themes can often help bring creativity out or be powerful adjuncts to appreciation and this is a really strong offering right up with the best that I have heard from them, so I have again dug into my pocket. Too many purchases today, but it will not break the bank just yet. Sam Lee's album I think I bought because of a Mercury nod (perhaps?) and, like Lau's, I did not recall getting on with it and that inkling is backed up by this song. I must say that I am looking forward to getting out of these compilations and back into more coherent albums again. Whilst I am generally enjoying this disc the stylistic wandering all over the place, and in particular the tone and structure it brings to these posts - almost demanding writing about each tune or song in turn - is getting a little boring. Only two more of these discs to go now, a third one from 2013 and the single-disc 2014 iteration which will likely be a long one.

This disc ends on the least folksy of tracks; I vaguely remember seeing this performed on the TV coverage of the awards I think. The song starts like an alternate universe Doctor Who or Knight Rider theme, and only after a minute and a half does a fiddle come in to make it clear why it got categorised as folk. The tune it carries is clearly derived from traditional tunes, but the overall sense of the piece is more new age weirdness for most of it. When it really kicks in with an electrified thrum underneath it, it sounds like a knock-off, dumbed down Bellowhead aiming at the mass market crossed with sci-fi videogame music. It does not work for me in the slightest. I could see it being fun when stood in a live audience, but on record, just no - the balance between the elements is all wrong for my tastes. It cycles back to where it started, with far too much of a hint of shlock TV shows about it and it is only now that I realise the obscene length - almost 9 minutes of this poison. Get out!

So a really mixed bag this one. Some great, some awful, and much of both will be leaving.

BBC Folk Awards 2013 (Disc 1) - Various Artists

Track list:

1. Roll the Woodpile Down - Bellowhead
2. The Farmer's Cursed Wife - Hannah James / Sam Sweeney
3. Tailor - Anaïs Mitchell
4. Unknown Air - Duncan Chisholm
5. Tha Sneach'd Air Druim Uachdair - Kathleen MacInnes
6. Doctor James - Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts
7. Texas Girl's Lament at the Funeral of Her Father - Nic Jones
8. Hatchlings - Emily Portman
9. Mary - Rura
10. Small Coals - Kathryn Tickell

Running time: 34 minutes
Released: 2013

Yup, it is time for some more Folk Awards nominees. My retention rate on these is really low so far, maybe skipping 2012 (and 2009 and 2010) was a good idea. Hopefully 2013 will reverse the trend of mass culling established in 2008 and 2011. The first two tracks I have elsewhere and the others I know not at all.

Bellowhead are, to me, best when they concentrate on really tuneful numbers - tunes that employ their large and varied numbers to craft melody - and then use their sheer power to blow the roof off them. Whilst on balance I prefer their first couple of albums, this song is a good example - with the primary theme being nice and melodic but the emphatic chorus impressing the big band idea. I can see why this was a massive success as a single. This next tune made it onto my Albion playlist - when dealing with a magical view of the British Isles, stories about devils come to take people fit nicely in to the landscape. In truth I am not a huge fan of the song - I find James' singing less than enticing, but Sam Sweeney's playing goes some way to counter-balancing that. I can only hope that the album this came from is a little more accessible for me.

Those two past, I recognise a couple of the names of artists to come but none of the songs so it is a step into the unknown. I like the plucking on Tailor, but not the singing. I must admit to a degree of surprise finding an American artist on a British Folk Awards listing, but as her song progresses her style grows on me and I find myself enjoying it a lot. When the instruments pick up they are played with warmth, but the voice is left plenty of space to tell its tale. Pretty well constructed, then, Tailor cedes the stage to a fiddle lament which is piercing in its sorrow. Chisholm holds a real edge on some of the notes that make this a stirring and moving tune. If I close my eyes and concentrate on the strains I get goosebumps. There is magic in sadness; or maybe it is joy - I am famously bad at this... one of my favourite Spiers & Boden tracks, Union, was written for a wedding yet always sounds sorrowful to me. In the end it does not matter which emotion is raised, for the mere fact that it raises one strong enough that it being "off" matters is itself indicative of praise.

I am then treated to a Gaelic number. I have a number of tunes sung by different Gaelic singers, and I love the alienness of the language to my ear. Yet only Julie Fowlis has really captured my heart with her singing, and that holds after this - which is nice but no more than that. It is short, and over before I realise, replaced by a tune that I cannot help but conflate in my head with Doctor Jones by Aqua. That really is an unfortunate similarity of title and no more, but the two songs do share something else: they do nothing for me. This one is not offensively bad in the way I found that Danish (?) pop act to be, but it is very bland and feels like it is straight out of generic TV western soundtrack land, at least until near the end when there is a weird tonal shift before the final verse. It speaks of telling secrets; here is one: this song is no longer in my library.

Nic Jones is one of the names that I recognised, even if I have little else by him; I recall seeing him pick up an award (quite possibly in 2013) one year. I cannot really say I like this tune though, but at least it is short. Emily Portman appeared on a previous Folk Awards album and I think I even kept her offering as an interesting piece rather than one I liked a lot. The same might be true here; I was going to say "no thanks" but then the song went and mentioned the fae in the lyrics and now my hand is stayed. It is an interesting song but my problems with it are twofold: I am not keen on her voice and the banjo-like playing is a bit too plinky-plinky for my tastes (yeah - way to go on the description there, eh?). I might have to err on the side of getting rid. The next song makes me think of Admiral Fallow in terms of the singer's voice; I rather like the song though - it goes a little iffy in the chorus on occasion but is generally a fairly easy-going ballad.

The disc ends with a tune that I can only describe as odd. I cannot pick out the instrumentation as it opens; I thought some kind of squeezebox-pipes hybrid and it seems to be a shrunken set of bagpipes so I am not a million miles away. It is another short tune and in the time it took me to write that sentence and Google Kathryn Tickell it is over. I am left with silence, wondering just how I managed to get to it, and what to do with a surprisingly short collection of songs. I do not see many being kept again, but I might have to look up more from Anaïs Mitchell and Duncan Chisholm if their efforts were representative.

Interlude: Putting Together a Playlist

So I am currently listening to a selection of songs and tunes from across my library. I have cobbled together a playlist to try to build the right kind of atmosphere for the Albion game that I will be commencing on Wednesday.

Playlists like this are odd things. Curating for effect is much harder than curating for enjoyment and that goes double when trying to call to mind what would be possible to play in a future without today's recording technology but wanting to carry through some more modern songs along with traditional material. I also wanted to shy away from too much over-reliance on squeezeboxes, since they are probably slightly beyond the tech in the post apocalyptic Celtic future, or from simply populating the soundtrack with dance tunes, jigs, etc. In the end, there is plenty of accordion in there anyway, and a smattering of tune sets, along with the odd tune that is simply too voluminous to imagine being performed in Albion, but there are also a plethora of acoustic songs that work nicely without sounding too modern. It is not particularly coherent, but it is meant primarily as background so that may not matter too much.

One problem I ran into was that I did not like enough of the songs that would have fit best, or was avoiding them because they focused too tightly on certain styles. In the end I have not got much real Celtic themed music in there (though I have to say it was not my aim to). It is a shame not to have more identifiably Welsh material though given the location that forms the base for my idea is on the border between Shropshire and Wales. I almost went for an acoustic cover of the Manic's A Design for Life but left it out in the end because it relies on keyboards that would be vanishingly rare in setting. A shame, because acoustic covers of modern classics is pretty much one ideal I was shooting for. I have a few more things to trawl - from the late Charlotte Greig, mainly - which might yield a genuine Welsh presence but I am not going to throw it in for the sake of it.

Truth be told, I probably have more than enough as it is; 105 tracks from around the UK and Ireland (and a sneaky couple from beyond) coming in at almost 8 hours, yet it felt like I was not finding a lot to add as I went through - and I did not even attempt to vet Jon Boden's Folk Song a Day project (which I have in full - 365 songs). Next job, tomorrow morning, is to get the starting point down to go with the cast cooked up today. Then we shall see how things are received in the week.

Here's hoping that the playlist serves as a point of inspiration, which was part of the reasoning.

BBC Folk Awards 2011 (Disc 2) - Various Artists

Track list:

1. Sweet Honey In The Rock - Kris Drever
2. South Australia - Fishermen's Friends
3. Freefalling - Michael McGoldrick
4. Tramps & Hawkers - Ewan McLennan
5. Mad Family - Fay Hield
6. Mingulay Boat Song - David Gibb & Elly Lucas
7. Potato/Theatre - Andy Cutting
8. The Demon Lover - Andy Irvine
9. Working Town - Megson
10. Because He Was A Bonny Lad - The Unthanks
11. Reul na Maidne - Mairi & Steaphanaidh Chaimbeul
12. Captain Ward - The Demon Barbers
13. Hares On The Mountain - Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell

Running time: 46 minutes
Released: 2011

I do not recognise much from this line-up which is either a worrying sign or a good one. I am going to choose to be positive and go with good: everything I like will be a bonus. I recognise a couple of the songs, as done by other artists, and some of the names do crop up elsewhere in my library but still...

It starts with a really drab song which harks to American-flavoured folk. That is not necessarily a bad thing - it often comes with a lot of energy - but in this case the impression is flat and I am happy to hear it come to a close. The male voice rendition of South Australia is nice, though I am not fond of the random whooping and animal noises introduced the harmony achieved by the singing voices is really good. It's a short song, too meaning it doesn't have a chance to lack anything. It is followed by a set of pipe reels which get progressively more modern from tune to tune, through the addition of different musicians. I like the sense of progression this brings but at the same time the central theme carried by the pipes, which unites the different parts, is just a little too repetitive and uninteresting for my liking. The song that follows it also underwhelms. I do not know if my tiredness is making me hard to please (it would not be the first time) but a simple rise-fall melody and minimal arrangement is just not doing it for me.

The next song is another "pass" for me. The harmonics in play set my teeth on edge somehow - the accordion managing to linger on frequencies that I abhor and the singing leaving me cold. So far the hit rate has not been good and I do not really expect that to change too much. Mingulay Boat Song is more palatable but I cannot help but feel that it is not really having its full impact on record and it still suffers from a lack of interest even if it has managed to up the charm factor.

Andy Cutting's name is familiar and these tunes of his have a little more life to them, which I sorely need in my half-asleep state. Guitar and squeezebox make for a good combination and there is something cheery about the roll of the first tune. The second starts as a tighter sound but gradually expands, opening out in a way that makes it my pick of the tunes thus far. That stays the case as The Demon Lover does not live up to its name... it does feature a cloven-hoofed demon but it is not a particularly compelling song either lyrically or musically. The Megson tune is more lively than I was expecting; I have their 2008 album Take Yourself A Wife but if I recall right I found them a little dry and never paid them any further attention. This is a fairly quick number and the vocal pairing is nice, not enough for me to re-explore them, but enough to hold onto. The Unthanks appear again (their 2015 album Mount the Air arrived yesterday, not that I have had a chance to listen yet) with a song I have elsewhere and one that is definitely not my pick of their finest, certainly not when I am feeling sleepy. Oh dear, is this disc a conspiracy to make me nod off? The Gaelic number that follows is so slow and quiet that it utterly fails to leave any impression at all for fear of someone noticing it. I am pretty certain that Captain Ward will wake me up, knowing the song, but The Demon Barbers will have to go some to beat the version I adore from Spiers & Boden.

There is still soft Gaelic singing going on at the minute; I do not understand a word of it, and it is not compelling, cute or tuneful in the same way Julie Fowlis makes it. Glad when it finishes, but yeah... this is a disappointing effort at a piratical tale. The vocalist is not a patch on Jon Boden and the arrangement is dull as dishwater. I was expecting a bit more oomph, verve and energy but instead it is staid and repetitive until it ends really suddenly.

The final effort here is, alas, wishy-washy and boring for it. The song is apparently traditional, but despite giving me echoes of Kathryn Williams at points I find myself not enjoying it. Too little going on. It may be my mood, but this disc has seriously disappointed, and considering this was meant to represent the best folk of 2011 it must have been a poor year for people like me who prefer a bit more life in folk music. If I want downtempo sparse stuff I look first to other genres. Oh well, clear-out time!

Be Still My Soul - Iona Marshall

Track list:

1. Be Still My Soul

Running time: 3 minutes
Released: 2013

A singleton from a Scot. I do not know how I came across this or why I picked it up but we shall see if it is worth keeping shortly.

Some form of organ and a nicely accented voice, this is rather nice, a warm edge to her vocal and a fuzzy edge to the main tune are both disarming and enjoyable. I am not sure about the lyrics, or about how much repeat listening it would offer but there are some nice tones coming together here, and the way it is recorded feels like it is being sung to me as the listener which is always nice. I might have to look up a little more by Ms Marshall.

BBC Folk Awards 2011 (Disc 1) - Various Artists

Track list:

1. New York Girls - Bellowhead
2. Willie Taylor - Heidi Talbot
3. Poor Wayfaring Stranger - Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson
4. Good Drying - Breabach
5. Now Is The Cool Of The Day - Coope Boyes & Simpson
6. Stick Stock - Emily Portman
7. Untitled Song - Adam Holmes
8. Belfast - Brian Finnegan
9. Hollow Point - Chris Wood
10. Queen Of Waters - Nancy Kerr & James Fagan
11. A Brother Slips Away - Richard Thompson
12. The Hornpipes Set - Moore/Moss/Rutter
13. Rock Of Gelt - Chris While & Julie Matthews
14. The Fiddlers' Bid Ode To Joy - Fiddlers' Bid

Running time: 63 minutes
Released: 2011

Well it has been over a week since I posted anything. A combination of being busier than usual and more tired than a very tired man have kept me away more than the hour-plus length of this disc and the fact it is more Folk Awards nominees.

I have just come off the back of a really bad Bloodbowl game - the sort where the dice stick it to you in turn 1 and carry on doing so for the whole game and need something positive so I come here to get into this. I see a number of things that I have duplicates of here, but far fewer than on the 2008 discs.

New York Girls sounds really bland on record. Really bland. I remember being underwhelmed by it when it was released as a single, but enjoying it a lot when seeing Bellowhead live and, yeah, that is borne out here. It goes because it is a duplicate; (the album version will be kept despite it not having the same verve as it does in person, the protection of favouritism or something. The again, maybe I'll ditch that idea by the time I get there. Heidi Talbot does not sound like I would have imagined from her name. I do not really know what I mean by that, but I think I was expecting something fuller or sound, heavier of voice. I do not much like the flighty song sung here. The voice does not quite do it for me and the cadence of her singing is a little too predictable and made for swaying from side to side for my taste. It could just be the bitterness of a wasted evening though.

Oh my, that is a darker start than anticipated. I have the album that mother/daughter pair Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson released, and I can hear the song in my head before the singing starts, but I did not recall the broody start to the tune. I do rather like their harmonies and the grim nature of the performance here. I really should think about adding this to a playlist for the game I am preparing but then again that would take away from the actual preparation. So does writing this post instead of writing up characters and motivations. I need to get that done this week, especially as I may lose access to the software I am using to do my relationship maps. Yup, the fact I am going to be running an RPG again for the first time in a while is a big contributing factor to not being creative here - and the post-apocalyptic Celtic fantasy future Britain setting (Albion, which I may have linked here before) is ripe for this kind of British folk music.

I have no idea who Breabach are, but... oh dear, bagpipes. Jigs, OK. Knowing that I can put the right face on and once you are used to the idea they are not so offensive but it has to be said that pipes are polarising and very easy to dislike on initial exposure. Now that I have adjusted I rather like the cut of their jib, the form of the tune works well, nice hooks, good structure and a reasonably concise tune. It is followed by another lot I know nothing about, but am immediately struck by. Harmonies, harmonies, harmonies. These guys can really sing. It is a shame that there is nothing much of interest behind them - a really dull rhythm, no tune - but I suppose that might risk overshadowing or detracting from their vocal performance which is stunningly good. The song itself I could take or leave but the impression is made. The same is true of the next track. This is a much weirder collection of songs and tunes than 2008 (the inclusion of Tunng there aside). I am not sure I would ever want to listen to Stick Stock by choice but I am glad that I have now heard it, it's really interesting. There is a harmony here, but I cannot work out if its achieved by one person and a recording or not (a quick Google suggests no).

I am amused by the fact "Untitled Song" is the title of a song put up as typifying someone who was up for an award. It shows either a real lack of creativity, an insouciance at formalities, or a poke in the eye at the nature of these collections. Or something else entirely. This is a less striking song, pretty dull to be honest. One dark voice and a strummed guitar, the components are as standard as they could be, and it simply falls flat for me because neither is virtuoso in quality. It goes. Replacing it, pipe jigs - but not bagpipes this time. I do struggle after a while to tell tunes like this apart - they merge into a generic Celtic-flavoured country dance medley in my mind with every other reel that I have heard, fiddle or pipe-led, but I do not mind that. Dance tunes always speak more to my hopes and wishes and mental pictures than anything else, not least because I cannot dance and am far too inhibited to inflict an attempt to on anyone. In my head, though, I can retreat to somewhere my feet are as fast as the fingers of the players and imagine that I am not stood or sat on my own, looking or listening in. It speaks of a lifestyle that appears achingly beautiful from the distance I perceive it, but which would not suit me one iota were it actually in my grasp. That is far too depressing a sentence for the tune I have just heard, but it fits much better in tone with the song that has just started, Chris Wood's Hollow Point, which I have on his 2010 album Handmade Life so I do not need to keep this one too. The song is a reference to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes by the Met, a tragedy of the counter-terror age. Wood's song was acclaimed; he has the gravitas to pull it off, although I think it is easier to say that 5 years on.

The next offering lightens the mood, but it does so with a duet that is just a little too bland for me. No interest in the music, and nothing compelling about the singers. I imagine that this would be very pleasant from a live stage but as the clock turns 22:00 on a cold winter's night in front of my laptop not so much. Richard Thompson's effort is a little sedate and delivered in a Leonard Cohen-lite kind of way. It does not work for me. The set that follows is more appropriate for the turn of my mood - a bit more pace, feels like it is driving towards the end as I am anticipating the end of this disc and the post to go with it, allowing my mind to skip forwards to the thought of sleep. Well, I was until the set transitioned and completely changed the mood in a way I really do not think worked, oh well. It recovers a bit but then slows right down again. That is the last thing I want and I find myself liking most of the set but still being about to ditch it for tonic dissonance. The disc seems to be ending with a whimper as the penultimate song is also pretty indistinct; nothing to latch onto and adore, just the march-like procession of a dreary rhythm and a boring song. It lifts a little when the pipes arrive but too little too late. It really is the drums that kill interest in this one.

Finally getting to the end now and I am a touch disappointed that The Fiddler's Bid Ode to Joy is not immediately recognisable as a fiddle rendition of Ode to Joy sped up immeasurably to make it more jig-like. I do like this though, it takes a bit for me to warm up to it but it builds enough body to be interesting and keeps a high enough tempo for me to close my eyes and let my mind drift off to less isolated situations again. It is a better end to the disc than I was expecting after disliking everything else since Hollow Point in some way or other. Could have done with a better conclusion to the track but hey.

So one post in 10 days; not good enough - must try harder.

BBC Scotland 10.8.9 - The Second Hand Marching Band

Track list:

1. Bottle of Anger/Lies
2. A Hurricane, a Thunderstorm

Running time: 10 minutes
Released: Unclear

So I am advancing this up the order to break up the Folk Awards albums a little. I am not certain where I came across The Second Hand Marching Band but I know that I fell in love with A Dance to Half Death from the release of the same name. They are made up from members of other Scottish groups, including Eagleowl, who I love a lot, so that comes as no surprise. These two tracks, freely available here, form part of a session recording, along with one more track that is not so free, but my search-fu is weak and I cannot find a date.

Bottle of Anger/Lies is a mass-sung number and to be honest it is quite unpleasant. The only instrumentation for the first 90 seconds is a quite harsh, unmodulated organ and the harmonies in the chorus are not great. However when the tune picks up and the other parts come in the tone changes completely to the sort of charming, under-produced, raucous play-along that easily tugs at my heart. A song of two halves - brittle then brilliant. Annoying then heart warming. I think the opening is enough to damn it though as I have more of the latter feeling. The main piece here is the second track, a longer effort which keeps the tumbledown charm and slightly off-kilter performance. The tone of the delivery means that the harmonies are much more pleasant and there is a lilt to the singing that works well with both the arrangement and the disparate voices represented. It is better whilst it maintains a sense of purpose, and when it dwindles down to almost nothing it becomes dull and some of the worse aspects of the harmonies reappear - I keep waiting for it to build again for a better finish but it does not.

Frustratingly there are 2 halves of really nice pieces here, but alas it is the second half of one and the first half of the other. I do not think either are worth keeping, which saddens me some.

BBC Folk Awards 2008 (Disc 3) - Various Artists

Track list:

1. Homer's Reel/Magician's Wedding/Dick Gossips - One String Loose
2. Will You Run Away with Me/Mouth Of The Tobique/Famous Bridge - Emily Hoile
3. The Train - Jackie McNeil & Charlie Heys
4. A Turkish Melody - Doğan Mehmet
5. Mike Foley's Bodhran Problems/Rastafarian Camel & The Singing Clouds/Humours of Tulla - Ryan Young
6. Mad Tom of Bedlam - Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller

Running time: 24 minutes
Released: 2008

OK, those track names are totally ridiculous and this post will look rubbish because of them.

This third disc from the 2008 Folk Awards is indeed young musicians, and supposedly live. I guess that may partially explain the slant towards what I assume are tune sets. Time to find out if they are any good.

It does appear to be live, since the first sound on the disc is audience applause, and then we are launched into a pipe reel accompanied by bass, or at least guitar played like bass. That's a neat combination (and actually it seems to be both guitar and bass), and sets this set apart from more traditional recordings. I like it a fair bit, adding depth. The start of the next track suggests that whilst it may be a live recording it is not a through and through. This time the dance tunes are played on lightly fuzzy strings, a harp played at some speed. Again the choice of instrument creates a different take on a lively jig reel and whilst at least one of the tunes is fairly dull, the novelty is appreciated.

A more traditional partnership then comes in on The Train, the surprise here being the voice... he sounds much older than he can be if these were all nominees for a youth award. It is reminiscent of Gomez in delivery except over an acoustic guitar/fiddle match rather than an indie band. Again I find myself liking this. So far the youngsters (then!) are delivering in a way the main turns did not. We take a turn eastwards next with sounds of Turkey, slightly out of place amongst the tune forms heard thus far, but certainly in the same spirit, just from different roots. I am not hugely taken with it though so a return to the tune sets is welcome. Fiddle flayed through these oddly named pieces, it is a little bare in places but very pleasant and well done. The final offering is a song, a striking accented voice soaring out over a very simple backing. Moments of harmony here that really work, and others that do not quite. When the two voices are in sync they are amazing. When the intentional delays are added it does not have quite the same impact.

So the youth did deliver a much better hit-rate. Only the Turkish Melody had little for me this morning.