Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society - James Yorkston

Track list:

1. Fellow Man
2. The Blues You Sang
3. Sweet Sweet
4. Guy Fawkes' Signature
5. Thinking About Kat
6. Feathers Are Falling
7. Broken Wave (a blues for Doogie)
8. Red Fox
9. King of the Moles
10. Great Ghosts
11. Sleep On
12. Embers
13. Honey On Thigh
14. As Grey and as White
15. The Very Very Best
16. You & Your Sister

Running time: 61 minutes
Released: 2014

I don't recall getting on with this album, which was a shame. It was the last JY record I picked up - not because I decided I was done with him, but because I somehow missed the record released earlier this year. That rectified, Everything Sacred ordered (and since arrived) its way, I can get on with looking back at this one and see if I can put my finger on why I bounced off it.

It being New Year's Eve there is still a little festive spirit around, and wassailing is appropriate for that. Onward.

Fellow Man is a gentle, noodley opening with very light touch on the guitar, a chorus of other instruments slowly building, but the main focus saved for the vocal, making it a tale as much as a song - Yorkston's laid back and conversational delivery (harmonising with a more melodic female voice in many places) carrying us through. I have been off work since the 22nd, but I have had hardly a moment to get to these listens. It seems there is always something to do this "holiday". Right now I am procrastinating over form filling, some work obligations to clear before I actually return to work. I mention that because I need to banish the thought and free myself to concentrate on the music. Hopefully articulating the thought will exorcise the nagging pull/push it has had over my past 3 days.

Gone are the days of The Athletes and the pacier numbers that Yorkston penned for that ensemble of his. This feels much more like a collective, James at the head but not standing out for any other reason than to publicise. I say that because the whole thing has a low key feel to it - like a group of friends happening to get together and play tunes whilst first and foremost enjoying each others' company. There is no pretense, no bombast, and no ego - just soft, gentle melodies and complementary elements. I have really enjoyed the first pair of tracks - they offer up the serenity and peace I feel that I need but haven't had over the festive season. That offering continues into Sweet Sweet, too.

The primary contributing factor seems to be the sparsity and softness of the arrangements. There are quite a lot of separate elements in play but they are all quiet and understated. The way these coalesce into a whole is where the magic happens - the ear picking out one of other of the contributing parts to follow (keys, bass, voice, guitar and percussion at least; I think I am missing some). There is a joyous simplicity to it. Yorkston is actually speaking now, telling a story in Guy Fawkes' Signature. I think I hear Johnny Lynch (aka The Pictish Trail) on the backing chorus, and a quick Google confirms it. The pair of them go way back, after all; apparently KT Tunstall also shows up too; not a huge surprise given past connections, but I doubt I would pick her voice out (indeed, it appears she was on Fellow Man, so I missed it).

I think I know why I didn't fall in love with this album initially - it's a little too low key, a little too noodley (I guess I should define that better but think sitting down alone with a guitar and just picking for pleasure without purpose) and a little too understated to make a first time impression or stand up against more energetic or impactful past favourites. However, having carved out the time to give over to it, I find it absolutely charming, totally relaxing and, thus far, very consistent in quality. The volume has picked up a bit on Feathers are Falling, there is more of a sense that this is actually a purposeful piece, a rounder sound, clear choruses, etc. I am not sure that it is better for it though, for all my "too" statements above I am thoroughly charmed by the fragile but natural approach.

Broken Wave is a tribute to Doogie Paul, the double-bassist from The Athletes. Its a farewell to a close friend who died young. It's quite a difficult tune to listen to because that emotion is quite close to the surface. I can't say I like the song much, but then I don't need to.

The sombre interlude lasts just that one track - I suspect it will feel like an outlier for the whole disc. We pick up with Red Fox which follows Feathers are Falling in terms of sounding more purposeful and rounded. I can't really follow the thread of the lyrics though, the chorus has various creatures lying inside each other which is an odd image to hear in song. I rather liked the sound of the track though. The animal theme (which, to be fair, Yorkston has used before) continues with a song about moles - or at least superficially so; I don't catch the deeper meanings as I found myself zoning out a bit for the first time on this listen.

I often find that I write a lot in the first half of a disc and not nearly as much in the second, and I can feel a similar situation developing here. Short of literally doing a track-by-track (and I have no desire to go that route; I forcibly stop myself many times per post, and yet swathes of posts do feel a bit like that all the same) ideas tend to run dry unless there is something remarkable to comment upon. The album seems to be veering away from the super-laid-back tunes of the opening minutes as the last few have all been more coherent tunes with bigger sounds. There is still nothing brash or harsh, but things have fleshed out significantly, puffed up and now the sounds fill the space rather than drifting in lightly as if on the breeze. I preferred the earlier effect if I am honest.

Having just said that...

The pace picks up for Sleep On. This is notable because the song is short as well as quicker - it hits as a change up and suddenly concludes as a breezy interval. I would probably have enjoyed the song more if I had not been typing as it went; I hear enough to realise that it contains a lot of repetition but still, the palette cleanser was very welcome, forming a nice break between the more obvious fuller songs and a return to the subtler sounds on Embers. Some really nice vocal harmonies sneak in there almost under the radar. I am certainly glad for the return to the low key numbers - they are a great fit for my current mood, and a useful aid in needing to find some mental relaxation and some zen. I find myself tuning out, forcibly dragging myself back to write this sentence, but wanting to give in, and go with Yorkston's flow.

The penultimate song on the disc is... interesting. It sounds like a post divorce or break up song - wishing the ex well with what sounds like genuine intent, but reserving the right to dislike the new partner. I don't know if that reflects a personal occurrence for the writer or not, but it sounds a little close to the bone. The final track follows this up with a sense of longing, which then ends very abruptly with a drop to silence. It feels like a strange way to close out the record.

My overall impression though is very good, and it leaves me feeling as though I never gave the album a chance to grow on me. Which is probably true; I suspect I played a couple of songs on shuffle as it ripped, then left it to the mercy of the RNG in the greater wilderness of my library. I am glad I made the time for this today. Happy New Year to all.

Black Sails OST - Bear McCreary

Track list:

1. Theme From Black Sails
2. Nassau Shores
3. L'Urca de Lima
4. The Banner of Captain Flint
5. Captain Kidd
6. On the Beach
7. Wondrous Love
8. The Wrecks
9. Silver Overboard
10. A Nation of Thieves
11. All Saints
12. Black Sails Theme and Variations
13. Streets of Nassau
14. The Andromache
15. Clamanda
16. Vane's Visions
17. Funeral at Sea
18. The Parson's Farewell
19. Pieces of Eight
20. Black Sails Main Title
21. The Golden Vanity

Running time: 78 minutes
Released: 2014

An impulse purchase. I have been watching Black Sails on Amazon Prime recently and really liking it. I also happen to really like the main theme of the show, I find the haunting tinge and the stridency a neat combination. Couple to that recognising The Parson's Farewell in the background scenes of season 1 (being a huge Bellowhead fan) and I think I will get on with this. It's good soundtrack fodder for gaming, too.

We launch straight into those bombastic main titles, which last a full 3 minutes and more. I have rarely skipped the titles because I love this piece so much. It is full of colour, threat and promise and that slightly off-sound to some of the major notes just adds the character of discomfort. Very apt. In here there is a clause that doesn't play on the episodes, so huh. Long middle section - with more recognizable electric guitars - gets chopped for TV. Probably for the best as this is actually quite weak and detracts from the end which works on screen but less so on record. Nassau Shores are built on fiddles that strike close to my heart. There is a jauntiness to it too - a good switch from the powerful opening.

This post has been a long time coming, but the run up to Christmas and general busy times have cut short my desire and availability to sit down for an hour plus for these posts. Right now I am waiting for some filler to dry, needing to go back to it in about 90 minutes or so, and this sort of long disc fills a natural gap. I don't want to divert too much into talking about the show here, but to frame the context of the music - and as can surely be guessed from the title - it's a pirate adventure of sorts. Captain Flint, pre-Treasure Island. Historical fiction. It is surprisingly good, rough edges in places, and plenty of dastardly action. The main theme is a perfect fit. It has its quieter, moments too, hopeful moments, so this is not one big long train of draining, endlessly taut pieces. L'Urca de Lima is an interlude of peace before the thumping and threatening Banner of Captain Flint strikes up.

I find myself surprised that the majority of these pieces are radio song lengths. There are a couple of monstrously long tunes later on the disc, but most are not far removed from popular music in duration. A smattering of tunes under 2 minutes reinforces that this is a soundtrack, but it is quite far removed from the machine gun of short tracks that can come with soundtrack discs (The Banner Saga, for instance). Captain Kidd sounds out of time; the twangy snap and guitars here place it about 100 years too late for the on-screed period by my reckoning (though as a recent game of Timeline showed, my knowledge of history is far from great). The tune recovers a bit from that dissonance and I rather like its fiddle and percussion structure by the end of the track.

It is no surprise to hear the ghost of the main theme haunting some of the other tunes. On the Beach is the first obvious example of this (read: that I noticed). I like this sort of technique. Like callbacks to earlier jokes in a comedy gig (Eddie Izzard was always good at this), it rewards the listener for paying attention and remembering what came before. The spectre of the title music only lasts a short while, and the tune is left to develop its own identity but it does so informed by a specific viewpoint. When it leaves it it replaced with a lonely fiddle tune, which is a little too stark and shrill for me to begin with, but which I warm up to as a greater depth of sound assembles around the leading part.

I am not disappointed with the general tension of the work, though absent the visual counterpoint I do find myself thinking more the Old West than pirates in the Caribbean which reinforces the timeline discrepancy that I first noticed a few tunes back. That is a minor quibble though, really as the period accuracy is of secondary importance to the ability of the tunes to evoke a sense of danger and threat. I feel they do this pretty well, so thus far I am well satisfied with picking this up. Nation of Thieves is perhaps surprisingly a breaker for the tension. This carries a lighter sound to it, provided by a wind-instrument (I can't tell what... flute maybe?) based theme. Not what I would expect from the title, but a good palette refresher. It isn't devoid of darkness, but it is removed from it in a way that the prior tracks were not.

All Saints is a dance tune. Guitar and fiddle, then pipes. It's cheery until the squeezebox brings a nautical edge to the party and reinforces the underlying dangers of a place built on piracy when it is audible. I find the tune wanders a line between celebration and reminding us of the situation, and id case we were in any doubt we then hit variations on the main theme full on. This theme is so darn good though. I don't usually like to do this, but here it is on YouTube for you. Enjoy. These variations explore the darker side of the theme, increasing the dangerous tones, emphasizing the bottom end and playing with the rhythm, ominous thumping percussion. Love it.

A couple more tunes drift by, veering from the olde-timey folky sound that supports the onshore scenes and the more nautical and darker music to support the seas. Funeral at Sea is the first of the two long pieces. As you might expect from the name it is tinged with sadness and regret. There are a couple of times in the series (thus far; I am nearing the end of season 2) that show funerals. They are poignant and humanising moments and this tune has a lot of space to breathe, supporting that notion. I find myself switching off a bit though as mammoth tracks like this rarely contain enough to hold attention for their full length. Attention wanders then snaps back with a change of tone or movement. Overall it seems like a good effort, although largely at odds with the tone of the rest of the disc, but I fear my wandering thoughts - turning towards the sales - caused me to miss too much.

The rendition of the Parson's Farewell is a little tinny and twangy for my liking, but then I am royally spoiled on this tune getting a full big band treatment. This version picks up when the squeezebox rounds out the sound more. This hides the worst of the tinniness behind the starker sound of the accordion, and that neutering is welcome. We do get a bit more of a large sound as the piece progresses, along with hints of the main theme to the show, which is a nice counterpoint and meld, though it then brings in electrics and utterly ruins the sense of time and place, murdering the utility of the track. Funnily enough, I don't remember the screaming guitar from the background music on the show. It is sandwiched between the long tracks, and I actually miss the transition to Pieces of Eight because of the hints of the main theme that were added to the parson's parting.

I think I need to view these 10+ minute epics as experiences rather than tracks to listen to - I just find it impossible to sustain an avid attention for that length. This one rumbles around. It clearly has distinct movements. From echoing the theme, to a sort of calm interlude, to thumping, trembling expectation, though that latter lasts too long. The tension fakes you out a bit, as the tune seems to become more about anticipation than action or resolution. It's a pleasant set of sounds, but I can't help but feel it would make a better piece if it moved on to the action phase faster or sooner. Of course, it was composed to suit a specific purpose, but I find it hard to imagine that the 10+ minute piece was used in full on the show.

Into the closing stages of the piece and it still seems more about tension than release. A wasted opportunity. There is a crescendo... but after it soothing sounds, not rushing hectic ones. The whole epic feels like a tease - an enjoyable one with pleasant sounds, but a tease nonetheless. I feel a bit let down.

We get the theme again - this time the cut from the show titles and then a final number to close us out. This is an oddly sung song with accordion backing. It's not a great closer, it's not a great track. I don't like the voice - its more growl than singing voice, and the jaunt of the piece is irritating. I think I will ditch that, but the rest is pretty much what I would have expected.

Casual Sub (Burning Spear) - ETA

Track list:

1. 45 or 33? Radio Edit
2. Stretch 'n' Vern's Rock 'n' Roll mix
3. Hixxy's HardCore mix
4. Danmass Remix
5. Stretch 'n' Vern's Skillectrix Beats mix
6. 33 or 45? mix
7. 80's Filofax mix

Running time: 34 minutes
Released: 1997

This was a single I really liked in my teens. I've heard it just a couple of times in the 2 decades since and the tune has still had a kind of nostalgic, childish appeal. I'm not sure I will feel the same after listening to seven different takes on it back to back over 34 minutes though!

We start with the radio edit - my esposure to this tune way back when (I was never into clubs as a youth, or indeed since). A breathy, panpipe-ish lead theme over a beat forms the basis of the track. I don't recall the prominence of the beats, but that staccato top end and the more electronic pattern that beckons us into the body of the track stuck with me. I don't find anything to enjoy here now though - its very flat, though it is catchy, the sort of tune that embeds itself in your mind very easily... and I am going to be reinforcing that embedding a lot. Oh dear!

The second mix claims "Rock 'n' Roll" in the title but that means nothing. There is nowt rocky about this. It goes more electronic, reminiscent of some of the beat patterns behind Faithless tunes, but without any of the other layers that group use to build interest. This will be a long half hour.

I should be doing other things. Christmas shopping for instance. I hate this time of year because Christmas feels so far off then is suddenly on you with much less time than there feels like there should be to prepare given I refuse to even contemplate the holiday before December begins. I don't mind the giving, but the organisation and the buying are a drain on my already fragile resources of time, patience and energy. In the background the third rendition has begun. This drops any sense of the main theme for the first minute, the beat is snappier and the only accompaniment is a wawing sort of hum. Actually it is more absorbing than the primary take in a strange sort of way and when the "tune" breaks out it serves more to distract from the (slightly) interesting changes than anything else. I could stop the listen right now, delete the lot and lose nothing but my sense of fulfillment fromdoing a thorough job on this post. Damn my principles.

This is the first of the mixes to really stretch the piece out too, meaning it overstays its welcome over and above being the third version of the same thing in succession. If I cast my mind backwards 20 years, I think it was the ridiculous tempo of the 33 or 45 mix that I found amusing and most enjoyable. Now I anticipate finding it childish. I don't hear this and think "what was I thinking" though. I was young, tastes shift, and I made some far worse purchases than this gimmicky single. Danmass is also overlong - doubling the length of the tune and then some! - and also abandons the main theme for a lengthy intro (3 mins and counting). It is the least interesting of the 4 so far.

The week just gone was busy; London for 3 days, the office for 2, 3 evenings out with work colleagues, including leading a bunch of Russian software developers on a pub crawl around spots that are nostalgic for me. I barely feel human today and actually, the pounding beats on these remixes really are not helping that. What I am hearing now sounds like the sort of flavourless bland background music that might pump out in arcades, or as a generic and unidentifiable beat to support the inevitable scene in cop/spy movies where the protagonists have to force their way across a dance floor heaving with sweaty kids in pursuit of their quarry. Charmless and soulless for my tastes, and still three mixes to go.

We return to sounds more like the radio version next, very, very like it. Maybe slowed a touch and the percussion backed off in amplitude. Apart from the additional run time and a different name it could be a repeat, but I haven't mucked up the player settings this time.

I find that the main theme and its perky intro sound better in my head than when actually entering through my ears. Even as I sit here listening to, and not enjoying, the actual tune, I can sort of hear my mental recollection of it at the same time, only my version has more life and a cheeky smile - more fun. Nostalgia is better left as such in many ways - though I am happy to report many Oxford pubs are still awesome. There is the caffeine-overdosed theme sped past intelligible. This should be a comedy skit backing or something. The ridiculous pace would make it work for some sped-up footage or other, whilst the beepy nature of the sounds, and the panpipes definitely have a comic air.I have broken the back of this now. Focus on the line.

I don't think I have anything else to add about the final mix; about the tune in general all I have to say is: I never want to hear it again. Thankfully I doubt I will need to.

Castaways and Cutouts - The Decemberists

Track list:

1. Leslie Anne Levine
2. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect
3. July, July!
4. A Cautionary Song
5. Odalisque
6. Cocoon
7. Grace Cathedral Hill
8. The Legionnaire’s Lament
9. Clementine
10. California One / Youth and Beauty Brigade

Running time: 49 minutes
Released: 2002

I got into The Decemberists with The Crane Wife. I remember really liking them at first but not really gelling with the direction they went later on - though I bought a couple more later discs before I stopped paying attention. Most of the Decemberists tunes that I can call to mind are from Crane Wife or Picaresque and even seeing them here, many of these titles inspire no memory at all. Rather than coming forward, this goes back to the start. As such, I hope this will be like rediscovering an old favourite.

We are straight into strident chords and a comfortable rolling pace, creating a solid base for a melody that is dominated by Colin Meloy's voice. The top end is really only there when the singing isn't, it counterpoints the distinctive accented style and long notes. Oh, it is there under the voices too, but subdued by them. I rather like this as an opening; it tells you instantly what the band are about - both musically and lyrically; it is a ghost story, whether invented or spun from traditional tales I know not.

There is a more lyrical quality to the next track (actually the transition was pretty seamless and I almost missed it). Here the music is more than just a support for the sung part. It isn't flashy, but there is more melody there; it sounds more "modern" - this is more clearly a pop song with tinges of the folk / Americana / country influences than a folk song, whereas Leslie Anne Levine had more of a rootsy feel to it. Suddenly there is another change; it feels as though this album sets off at a pace. Subconsciously I think I was expecting long drawn out tunes but the longest in the first half of the album is only a touch over 5 minutes. The second half is a little longer, but its really only two tracks that go beyond a standard pop-y, radio-friendly length.

Meloy's voice is not exactly musical, but it makes up for that with disctinctiveness. I can't quite bring to mind an appropriate adjective for it... there is I guess a certain whine to it, but I wouldn't call it whiny. It just has an uncomfortable stretch to it rather than a rounded sound. This actually works really well with some of the arrangements - meshing together to create an evocative sound; its perfectly suited for slow numbers like A Cautionary Song, for instance, where there is an edge to the track as a whole. I don't know if I have a thing for slightly odd voices, but I certainly have a few of them scattered through my collection.

Where there are keys here, they are an organ of some kind. This provides a shrill touch in Odalisque, for instance. In some ways the organ sounds out of place with the rest of the constructed sound - electric organs are certainly non-canonical for folk - but it offers a needed contrast. There is a lot of murkiness in this tune and the organ cuts through the swirling low guitars brilliantly. The next number drops all of that busy low sound altogether. In its place we have a low-tempo, largely piano driven melody with very clear and stark percussion. Cocoon does swell and crescendo in places, and when it does it has some real character, but I find the basic form of this track lacking in interest. The melody is over simple, and the vocal feels isolated, ungrounded and illustrates the weaknesses in the singing rather than adding interest to a more textured sound. It isn't a bad song by any stretch, just a little plodding and drawn out to really engage me.

There is perhaps more switching of tone than I was expecting on the disc. I guess I had mentally pigeonholed The Decemberists in a certain style. Of course as I think about it this seems ridiculous - there is plenty of variety on the albums that I can easily bring to mind. I suspect it might be a reflection of my lack of engagement with the direction they went later and of seeing them as a band that sings stories. I think the latter is still true, and a big part of the appeal, but there is no reason why stories need to be told in the same style.

I like the lyrical approach on The Legionnaire's Lament. The rhyming pattern and the structure of the lines has a gentle but fundamental appeal. Coupled with the way the words are delivered and the militarily precise percussion it sets the tune up brilliantly. It sounds sparse in arrangement but it has an incessant quality to it, a persistence. It isn't fast, but feels relentless, the snap of the snare carrying the tune along, right up to the denouement, when the top end are left to wind us out. This then provides a rather jarring transition as Clementine is so slow and low it almost feels like we have a vacuum. The drop in volume and tempo is enervating and ultimately leaves me with little interest in the song. This is a shame, because actually the gentleness of the track is rally well done, long notes that fashion a comfortable crucible for the words; it suffers for too much contrast with what came before. Too much contrast; that's not like me.

There is a comfort in California One, too. It has a stately pace, but a warm bassy thrum. Unfortunately I find that this only sustains it so far. That stately pace becomes a yoke, dragging it down once it becomes clear that there isn't going to be a lot more to the first half of this track.  My interest perks up again as we reach the hand-off from California One to Youth and Beauty Brigade. Tension appears, a taught segment with a low whisper, then a bit more pace. I find, though, that it doesn't last. The sounds don't quite gel for me, the organ too harsh, the crashing cymbals obscuring and dominating when they're hit. It leaves me feeling less positive about the album as a whole... funny how that can work; the final strains leaving a stain over the experience that preceded them. For all that, I enjoyed this listen. The raw ingredients that made up my first exposure to The Decemberists are all here, less polished than on The Crane Wife, but clearly in place. It makes me wonder if when I actually listen to them (eventually) I will increase my appreciation of the later albums, or re-enforce the impressions I carry around in my head.