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| Track list: 1. Buffalo 2. Logan's Lament 3. Castle by the Sea 4. Cats and Dogs (You Seamen Bold) 5. May Song 6. Prodigal Son 7. Sweet Susan 8. Bottle 9. 10,000 Miles 10. Whitby Lad (Botany Bay) 11. Sailors Wedding/The Swiss Boy 12. Traveler 13. Love Farewell Running time: 53 minutes Released: 2015 |
More folk. A trans-Atlantic collaboration now. This only came out last year, but it seems longer ago. I recall not liking it much on first listen and not paying it any heed since. When Carthy is good, though, she is very good so I keep giving her slack and picking up releases. Eriksen I did not know, and have not felt compelled to investigate further. So - poor first impression, what does the second chance bring?
The combination of fiddle and a really fuzzy-sounding electric guitar opens us up. I find it discordant, the fuzz, growl and resultant lack of clarity on the guitar part creates an aggravation that I can't get past. The actual fiddling and the cadence of the tune are nice, and the duet works well, but that guitar buzz just blares out over the top of everything. Such a shame. Thankfully the start of Logan's Lament has a cleaner sound, though not crystal; Eriksen clearly likes a little distortion, a bit of grunt and growl, on his strings. Carthy is singing solo here, at least for much of it, but it feels a little like she is competing with the guitar rather than being supported by it. There is something basic and appealing about the guitar part when it crescendos though and the roll of the song is an interesting and engaging one.
The fact that a single guitar, the odd tapping as percussion and one and a half voices (Eriksen's voice is added in places) can hold the interest for the whole long run is a positive thing, and actually although the third track is more traditionally arranged (i.e. losing the electrics for a nice lyrical acoustic) the track is not as arresting. It is a short variation on The Outlandish Knight (a Bellowhead/Spiers & Boden favourite of mine), and frankly not anywhere near as engaging as the other versions I have. It is, however, a good example of how the tracks of this album are infused with American roots - the structure of the playing is noticeably different from the more British traditional playing, and it is in the meeting of these two styles that I guess this album was conceived.
What is the difference? It's really hard to articulate, and now the music has moved on I struggle to find a description that will work; the next song doesn't contain such passages as to shine a light on the differences. It is, again, quite stripped back and here I don't find the two voices meshing well. As with Logan's Lament, my impression is that the guitar part is not really well placed to support Eliza Carthy's vocals. The two threads seem to cut across each other too often. Happily, therefore, May Song is a cappella and (apparently) live. This last bit is given away by the applause as it closes. Carthy has a very distinctive voice and, as a fan, I would much rather it was given room to fill the recording as much as possible.
There is a sharpness to the fiddling in the American style I think, a particular edge and a particular rhythm to the tune and vocal pitch, but the distorted guitar baseline is back on Prodigal Son and disturbing my thoughts once more. This duo are better when that particular trick is kept in the locker. The other stark difference, I guess, is that the folk from across the pond tend to fill in space more, more notes, not that the Brits are always sparse with them, but there is often a smoother feel when fewer notes are bowed, and that appears to be embraced more in the British tradition. I'm typing out of my arse again, aren't I?
In truth I am finding this mostly disappointing - some of the tunes are too long, others too short. What they largely seem to share is a harshness to the tones - be it the buzz on that guitar or long drawn out fiddle notes. Its not a characteristic that endears the tunes to me. I do rather like the very sparse nature of the title track though - some tapping percussion and a tune mostly carried in the vocal, what sounds like tight strings clipping notes in support of a catchy progression. Best so far. 10,000 Miles I was expecting to be another Bellowhead crossover but the styling of the song is completely different and it is a separate tune entirely. The style of the guitar here reminds me of Martin Simpson, though I only have one of Simpson's albums, and that was one with a deliberate nod to the American traditions so perhaps that is not much of a surprise. I find this track too slow to be interesting, the vocal subdued along with the low pace.
A jauntiness is back with the fiddle on Whitby Lad, and a tinny guitar or banjo beneath it, muted and straining to produce notes at points, combines to give us a backbone to the song. The vocal here is much improved and the familiar roll of the stresses and relaxed notes is weclome. There are nice moments where the fiddle seems to be aping a melodeon or similar, short sharp breathy notes - its a real gem of a sound. There is a traditional feel to the opening of the next couplet too, the lyrics flow fast and the fiddle keeps them company. Part dance tune, part song it feels - the instruments could be let loose to encourage movement in the audience, but they hum fast enough simply supporting those words. As half expected though the second half loses the lyrics and lets the tune flow.
Winding down now, with the return of the growling guitar. Here it seems more fitting, combining better with the fiddle, but again I find the music at odds with the vocal. I really like the punchy rhythm, employing that dirty sound in a way that lets it shine rather than annoy. Suddenly I reach the final farewell, an unaccompanied duet that I find a little distant, slow and forgettable. Its three minutes feel more like five and close the disc on an unfortunate down note as it breaks a run of more enjoyable tunes. I think I end up keeping about half of this and lamenting what could have been - there were some clear moments of brilliance but overall the combination has missed as much as it hit.
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