Interlude: eagleowl and thoughts they inspired

Sometimes I have a strong need to share beauty. Most of those times I have no-one to share it with, not anyone likely to appreciate it, anyway. Right now I am sloughing away my evening listening to eagleowl and musing on:

1. I rather wish that they would release more (but I suspect this is unlikely)
2. They strike a chord with me so completely that it is hard to put into words
3. I wish that I could explore that with someone
4. If I could only save songs from one artist in my collection it would be these 22
5. Space and time to myself is great, but sometimes I'd like to have something else

I have been leaning toward elegiac sounds of late. Damien Rice the other night, Eagleowl tonight... strains of loss, of yearning for something other than what one has. How is it that I can find all this music that resonates with me, but not know anyone else who would appreciate it? 

This leads me to another, more depressing, thought. The death of my going to gigs. I have hardly been to anything for a long time... yearly trips to see Bellowhead and/or Spiers & Boden (and later this year Boden on his own, now they have split) but basically nothing else. It's a hole, a big one. Not only am I somewhere that sees little through traffic, but when I do hear about interesting events further away I have none to travel with. Gig-going alone is not so bad, but when you have the hassle of it not being nearby, the negatives are amplified.

To depress myself further, my tastes have been ossifying. I have hit that time in life, I guess when I am exposed to less new stuff and very rarely find new artists of interest. I am still acquiring a lot (more than I am posting of late, but that's not saying much) but it's all from artists and groups that I have followed for a time. That's not entirely true, on reflection. I have taken a couple of punts in "safe" genres where doing so nets you something vaguely reliable - like folk.

Anyhow, enough self-indulgent projecting for now. Time to wrap this up and get ready to wind down the weekend.

Burlesque - Bellowhead

Track list:

1. Rigs Of The Time
2. Jordan
3. Across The Line
4. London Town
5. Sloe Gin
6. Courting Too Slow
7. Flash Company
8. Hopkinson's Favourite
9. One May Morning Early
10. The Outlandish Knight
11. Frogs' Legs and Dragons' Teeth
12. Fire Marengo
13. Death And The Lady

Running time: 60 minutes
Released: 2006

This album kicked off a little bit of an obsession. I have already had course to write about (the now sadly no-more) Bellowhead on these pages and it was here that my infatuation with their music and shows began. Well, sort of. Picking this up was not my first exposure - tracks from E.P.Onymous came up on a LastFM station I picked one time - but it is the point at which interest became adoration. It is hard to imagine that is 10 years ago now.  I don't listen to Burlesque much so I can't in good conscience tag it a favourite; some tunes here are overdone through a decade of live performance, though others remain fresh. Some are just better done by Spiers & Boden as a duo. But this album does also contain on of my favourite tracks, one that I only got to see live once in years of regular gig-going. Now it is time to revisit all of it.

It is a little bit of an odd start. Chaotic, like a warm up, before Jon Boden's voice kicks in. The arrangement of our 11 piece has a circus-like air to it, with Boden the ringmaster. I haven't heard Rigs of the Time for an age, but it does rather encapsulate Bellowhead in a nutshell. Strong, charismatic vocal performance backed by a rich and varied set of skills an personality in the playing. Today is my last full day of holiday; off to the seaside for a final swim later, then lunch by the beach and a drink in one of my favourite spots. Tomorrow I fly home, and in 50 hours I will be back at work. I'd say 48, but I have to account for the 2 hour time difference.

Jordan was a live staple until the end, not an every gig number, but not far off. Here, on record, there is a much stronger presence for Rachel McShane, the only lady in the group, who is clearly audible alongside Boden's commanding tones. Both have solo works to appear on this project before it is done. This song is a striking number, strident and powerful; McShane was never this audible in concert though - possibly because the whole line up gave it a bit more welly live. Now we hit Across the Line, arranged by drummer Pete Flood (also has a solo album to come); this song I love to bits - there's a real haunting theme of loss in the main melody that makes the hairs on my arms stand up. This has none of the bombast of the two prior tracks, much more of an emotional appeal rather than a tub-thumping one.

The recording sounds flatter than in my memory; I think I cling tightly to the one time I saw them play it - in Cheltenham a few years back - and I am sure the arrangement evolved a bit between recording and then. The essence of the song is the same though and it... is ruined by some fucker with a loudspeaker driving by outside; no idea what that is about. I kid - the song isn't ruined, but the sanctity of my listen is disturbed by that and the resultant dogs barking (so many dogs and feral cats here it is unbelievable; screeching and barking at all hours).

Back to a live favourite now. I wont be doing the "actions" whilst listening and typing, but my muscles do reflexively want to point up and down in time with the chorus. The peppy pace and melodic tune are much more noticeable on record as the focus in a live crowd is all on the lyrics and the bolder, brassier pronouncements in the arrangement. Here I am noticing subtleties in the playing that are completely lost at gigs. Boden doesn't hold that one note for an impossible time on the album version either. After one live tune that stayed fresh, on to one that really didn't. I think I have vented about Sloe Gin on one of the live album discs (here or here) so I am not going to do so again, but rather let it slide by without comment, save to say that it is annoying me a little less than I expected.

Right, that over with, onwards.

Courting too Slow is, well... a little too slow. I have never really been a fan of it for that reason - whether Bellowhead or Spiers & Boden (as on Bellow, with bonus anti-Sloe Gin feeling). There may be a bit of too close to the truth to it, too - not literally but figuratively. I actually think, hearing it here, that I was off the mark with my comments in the Bellow post; the arrangement here is better than I remembered but it is largely still forgettable. We have dived into a slow patch, because Flash Company also has no pace to it. It begins with Boden warbling over chaotic percussion, and sporadic interventions from the wider band. It is a sonic mess, as it only really picks up a proper (vaudeville-inspired) tune after 2 of the 3 minutes. I just find it dull. Thankfully those cobwebs are blown away by Hopkinson's Favourite, a much more energetic number.

I keep getting this one and Fire Marengo (to come later) mixed up in my mind despite this being an instrumental, and Fire Marengo the "disco sea shanty" (as per live introductions). Actually Hopkinson's is not a favourite; it does well to reset expectation after two stately songs and it has its moments, but on record it is a little flat and repetitive until the 2:40 mark where we get the first and bassy exclamation. It is a much better track live.

One May Morning Early is a light-touch melody, high harmony song. It is one that I have overlooked, clearly. I really like the way they intertwine the various voices here. Boden, McShane and Paul Sartin are all very clearly audible in different places, and I am sure more of the ensemble are involved too. I find myself really liking it despite the slow pace; a nice surprise. We then dive into another number from Spiers & Boden's stable (and again discussed under Bellow). Here it is given a long-ish intro before the striking fiddle staccato kicks us in. The major plus point here over the duo version is the puff of the horns in the bass; the voice is actually too quiet though - weird that Boden wouldn't still be the loudest thing on the recording. He sounds distant, behind glass here. I think on balance that is probably the biggest reason I prefer the Bellow recording; that and the sheer impressiveness of making that much sound from two guys. Here, actually, there are significant portions of the song which get stripped back to a similar point, too - and that strikes me as a shame, not fully employing the resources to the task.

Just like I couldn't point and type, nor can I bounce up and down. Last encore familiarity. Far less engaging on record, but I can't hear it without picturing the antics of the band on stage. I am talking, of course, about Frogs Legs and Dragon's Teeth. It feels a little odd to get this in the middle of the disc. Wow, I am mistyping every other word at the moment. Never has a backspace key seen such regular use. Fingers too fast for my brain or vice versa. The tunes are still enjoyable, but it is largely that live association that is so embedded in my psyche that keeps them so; the horns that close it seem brighter and sharper than live though, as a final odd touch, then we're into disco territory.

The drums on Fire Marengo sound like handclaps in places, so much that I wonder whether they didn't record a clap track; they must have done. This song sees Boden in true demagogue mode, not contributing to most of the chorus lines - leaving his lackeys to do that. You can hear the strut in his voice, and it is marvelous. The man is such a performer, unquestionably the best I have ever seen for sheer charisma, force of personality and commanding a stage in any discipline. It's really hard to judge cross-style things; the strongest stage acting performance I have seen was Mark Strong in Under the Bridge where he absolutely killed it, but I would happily back Jon Boden in a head to head for charisma. My musical bias, perhaps, but the man is a born performer.

The final number (my, the hour has gone fast) is Death and the Lady, which sees McShane sharing vocals again. I love how their voices wind around each other - her more delicate and clearly northern tones offsetting his bolder ones. I actually find the arrangement here great. The tune is a very stately one (I have other versions) but they create space in the top end to explore and add oodles of interest. The wandering trumpet is the star here though. When they pick up the pace with the drums but maintain the plod of the accordion playing the standard pace, it falls apart a little. Here the two-speed sound really doesn't work for me. Thankfully it is but a small part of the tune, which as a whole is far, far more interesting than I remembered. Suddenly it is done, and I am left with the task of hitting publish, then going back through old posts to find references to this - of which there are a few.

Bottle - Eliza Carthy & Tim Eriksen

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.

Bellow - Spiers & Boden

Track list:

1. Prickle Eye Bush
2. Sloe Gin Set: Frozen Gin/Vinegar Reel/The Sloe
3. Courting Too Slow
4. Dawn Chrous
5. The Outlandish Knight
6. Jiggery Pokerwork/Haul Away/Seven Stars
7. Go And Leave Me
8. Jack Robinson/Argiers/Old Tom Of Oxford
9. Copshawholme Fair
10. Princess Royal/Cuckoo's Nest
11. Brown Adam
12. Ginger Up Lustily/Old Woman Tossed Up In A Blanket

Running time: 58 minutes
Released: 2003

Ah, a true favourite now, indulging my folky side. Spiers & Boden (leading lights of Bellowhead) are my go-to guys for folk songs and tunes. Don't they look young on the cover!

It is a great shame that they no longer perform as a duo because I always found their gigs much better as a pair than when they had all the brass and all to back them too. I shouldn't complain too much, Bellowhead are dear to me too, but still... these two, when they were on song, were fantastic live and great on record. Assuming you like that sort of thing. Many a well known Bellowhead track appears on this album (which features Benji Kirkpatrick in places too) but perhaps my favourite track here is Brown Adam, one of 5 that as far as I am aware were not redone with Bellowhead. Most of them are grand, though, so on with it!

Prickle Eye Bush is our opener, a criminal's promise to go straight if given a chance. It is a catchy tune, but a repetitive one... three times telling the same tale with a new person coming to see the condemned and - mayhap - to pay for his freedom. Naturally the first two don't but (spoilers!) the third, his true love, does. The repetition makes it a song that does not work so well on record. You can forgive the retreads much more in live performance where the mannerisms of the performers make up for the sameness of the song.

It has been too long since my last post, but things have gone a little awry and not made progressing this one before now easy. I am doing it now after a long day's gardening with sore hands and a head with no focus for anything more strenuous (like writing up yesterday's RPG session). Good job I know this one well and like it well too.

That said, the Sloe Gin Set is a bit of a bête noire of mine - I have been to so many Bellowhead gigs now that I am truly bored of it as it was ever present until last years tour of Revival where it didn't feature at the date I made. In truth it is the first tune in the set that bores me, the latter two being a bit more lively and here it works better than with the full band. That goes double for Courting Too Slow, where the wider arrangement available on Burlesque offers so little extra that the slow number is just a weight against the songs it accompanies. Here there is a great mournful tone to the combination of fiddling and squeezing that I cannot picture in my head for the Bellowhead version and it saves the song for me.

Dawn Chorus is the first track not repeated with Bellowhead - it simply wouldn't work as it is really a John Spiers solo (I wouldn't swear it, but I think I have seen him perform it as such) with a bit of support. This tune is one of the first by Spiers & Boden that I remember being fully sold on - the rise and fall of the melody, the slightly twee change up, the phasic pattern of how it returns through the theme. Its repetition done in a way that does not get old.

Ah, that staccato violin... from the first second The Outlandish Knight is thoroughly recognisable and totally arresting. I love this song for its improbability, its roots and its implementation. I love this stripped back rendition, I love the full band effort. Here, like many other pieces, I am continuously surprised and delighted at the apparent complexities that a fiddle/squeezebox duo can get into their playing, the themes they can support alongside each other, the variation in the playing. That sense only increases with the next track, a medley which is probably also my favourite Bellowhead track. The haunting nature to the tune that Spiers carries on Jiggery Pokerwork sets a tone that is then snapped in balls-to-the-wall gusto as it opens up. I maintain it is impossible to listen to Haul Away without being compelled to tap your feet and to sit still whilst hearing Seven Stars. Actually, Haul Away is such a favourite that even as I am trying to concentrate on writing this I find myself starting to mouth along with the simple shanty lyrics. To me, this set is a perfect representation of why I fell into folk music - energetic, emphatic, enthusiastic and simply about enjoyment and entertainment. If I could only take one folk track to listen to on a trip, I reckon it would be this one.

Jon Boden is if not the most charismatic person I have had course to see in the flesh then very close to it. His command of a stage is mesmeric, his love of performance highly infectious. His voice is strong, but whilst I increasingly see it as rather one-tone his sheer showmanship makes up for that and then some. It is John Spiers though who inspires me - since getting into their music I have several times thought fleetingly about the idea of getting some kind of organ and trying to learn to play. Every time one of his tunes comes up I imagine being able to produce such engaging sounds from the often ungainly-looking apparatus he uses and find myself wondering about what it would take. The expense and likely terrible realisation that I have no talent at all stay my hand (to the relief of my neighbours).

Copshawholme Fair was how I found myself getting into these guys. I don't much like this song now (I think the playing is exemplary mind), but Bellowhead's version came up on a LastFM station I was listening to based on The Imagined Village and it was a very interesting sound, which I was compelled to follow up on after reading a little about the band and their make-up. From there interest expanded and remains strong. However it is the more stripped back sounds of the duo that I find myself drawn to. At this moment I cannot think of a song done both by Spiers & Boden and by Bellowhead where I prefer the Bellowhead track. I don't know why this is, perhaps as I grow more curmudgeonly I resent having to track quite so much with my ears and mind when I have such good "simple" versions? Hah, as if.

Into the final straight now, two tune sets and the favourite amongst favourites to go. The tunes are well and good, but it is the evocative images conjured by Brown Adam that I love. The combination of the players, their voices (often in harmony here) and the song itself has a magical quality that just works for me. It's not perfect - it has more than a hint of gender inequality about it as you might expect from traditional material. I think, though (and I hope I am remembering this right) it was the liner notes that mentioned the cult of Wayland and brought folklore into the mix that sold me completely and utterly on the song. It remains a favourite.

All has gone quiet as the disc ends, finishing before I could articulate a short thought on a 6 minute track which I started to type before it started to play. Sometimes our brains just don't behave. I'm off to see if I can persuade mine to start working again.

The Awkward Recruit - Mawkin:Causley

Track list:

1. Jolly Broom Man
2. L'Homme Arme
3. Drummer Boy for Waterloo
4. Keeper of the Game
5. Cutty Wren
6. The Saucy Sailor
7. Todos Los Bienes Del Mundo
8. The Downfall of Charing Cross
9. The Cropper Lads
10. Greenlander
11. The Awkward Recruit
12. I am The Song

Running time: 48 minutes
Released: 2009

Awkward is a great work - wkw in the middle there is nice and unusual. Second album in a row with Awkward in the title and a second folk album at that. Not very familiar with this one though - I think I bought it on a punt and found myself less than enamoured with it... lets see if that holds true.

This is an album of largely traditional songs, with just a handful of new compositions, which could go either way. I have to say though, I am pleasantly surprised by the jauntiness and pace of the opening track. The singing is not great, and the song is so-so, but there is an energy and vitality about the track that somehow makes it work anyway - at least until it loses all pace at which point it cedes the interest for a moment. Then it comes back with French (?) lyrics and so interest is restored just in time for the song to end.

It is New Years Eve, and I am trying to finish A before 2014 is out. It should be easy enough, just this and a 4 track EP from Alasdair Roberts to go. I hate this evening, so funnelling my energy into something constructive instead of simply falling into a funk and an early night is a good thing. It would be an easier sell if I were feeling more positive about either set of tunes, but still.

L'Homme Arme is an instrumental piece for the first 90 seconds, a very jaunty number again, then it comes in with a vocal that is quite demanding - spoken as much as sung and a mixture of French (I am sure this time!) and English. My recollections of this album did not have its pace and tempo so high and merry so perhaps I have simply created a false image of the disc and damned it unfairly in the past? No sooner typed, than disproven (again!). The pace drops off for a much more sombre number - and yet the delivery of the song does not really carry the melancholy of the lyric as the arrangement is relatively bright and the singing strident. The fiddles of sadness do arrive, along with a note of remorse in the voice, but only as the song is closing. All in all, this is pretty good so far.

Keeper of the Game is the first non-traditional song on the album, to go by my WMP metadata, but it is definitely in a traditional style, lyrically and in line structure. The arrangement is less so - the guitar part in particular stands out as modern. On the other hand, it somehow taps into a simple chic, almost Parisian in the use of accordion, and I like the result. I am not entirely off the mark with my memory though - for as much as I have enjoyed the first 4 tracks, Cutty Wren is the track that turned me off the album. I have nothing remotely positive to say about this song - badly sung, repetitive lyrically in a way that amplifies the effect of the poor singing and offensively arranged. It is so awful that it is entirely possible that this one song caused me to classify the whole album as un-listenable.

Thankfully it is now in my past (and already deleted) so perhaps the other songs can rescue the disc. That said, The Saucy Sailor does little for me and will be joining Cutty Wren in my cutting room. It is followed by a piece of Spanish origin which is sort of OK I guess, but does not offer much demand to stay in my library, so that is the middle third laid waste.

The Downfall of Charing Cross is more promising, though - a darker song, it still has an element of the spiky playing that characterised the opening two tracks and generated a good impression. It swells and contracts nicely in volume and in arrangement and whilst the edge on the accordion playing is sharper than I would like the song works, generates a decent atmosphere before giving way to something that really fits a view of a traditional English folk song with ample fiddling and communal singing. I can fully understand why some people would find The Cropper Lads and its ilk difficult to appreciate outside of live performance, but somehow it is this sort of folk that has captured my heart in the last decade despite me not moving in any social circles where it is really appreciated. That appreciation is not universal, and songs and tunes still need to be played well generally, but my chief interest was sparked by Spiers and Boden where that was guaranteed. There is enough in most of the tracks performed on this album to meet my approval, though none of them have really made me go "wow".

There are plenty of nice touches at start and end of this record - it is just a pity about that middle. I am currently listening to the title track and this is, I think, the best so far in terms of its construction - powerful, atmospheric, tuneful and catchy all at once, it feels like everything comes together synergistically in a way that does not quite hold true for the other songs on the album. The disc ends with a fiddle-and accordion based number, a sort of slow dance tune that gives way to a faster paced song just shy of two minutes in. The lift in pace improves it, for purely as a tune it was too slow to be interesting. The song itself is pretty dull but the evolution of the tune with it keeps a nice feel to the track as a whole and it is not an unsatisfying end to the album.

I have enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to, a quarter of it disappointed significantly and has been excised as a result but the remaining 9 tracks sit quite happily amongst the gamut of folk music in my collection.

Anglicana - Eliza Carthy

Track list:

1. Worcester City
2. Just As the Tide was Flowing
3. Limbo
4. Little Gypsy Girl
5. No Man’s Jig / Hanoverian Dance / Three Jolly Sheepskins
6. Pretty Ploughboy
7. Bold Privateer
8. Dr McMBE
9. In London So Fair
10. Willow Tree

Running time: 54 minutes
Released: 2002

Perhaps this will blow away a cobweb or two. I have a love/indifferent relationship with Eliza Carthy's music; when she is good she's very good indeed, but when she is not I struggle to maintain an interest. She is, of course, well rooted, Britain's "First Family of Folk" and all that. This record also features my two favourite folk musicians - John Spiers and Jon Boden - in the backing band, before they made it on their own (and later with Bellowhead).

Worcester City (I keep forgetting Worcester is a city) is a more vibrant tune than I remember. There is something life affirming about the fiddle/melodeon combination that makes it very easy for me to see how it survived into the thriving modern folk scene. The tune is a little more raucous than I would like (too many musicians, I think) but it is enjoyable enough. The vibrancy ebbs away though, in favour of a slow, low song without enough depth of arrangement or lyrical interest to hold full attention in a good example of how Carthy's music can go from captivating to just there in the background. The song itself is sung nicely, played proficiently but just... lacking - and at 8 minutes long, the tide was flowing for far longer than it should have.

Limbo is an enjoyable track, but I think I prefer Ruth Notman's version which has a bit more tempo and accompaniment. Then we dip into more stereotypical folk - a staccato accordion piece with a gypsy theme. It is a little twee for my taste, though it is accomplished in delivery. I am coming to the conclusion that this album, as acclaimed as it was, is not really for me... or is it?

The dance tune set could have come off a Spiers and Boden album and so moves closer to my taste in folk. This is partly because both are playing (the backing musicians on the disc are different from track to track), as they are on Pretty Ploughboy which shares a style with some of their songs. It is these intersections where I find Carthy most pleasant on this disc - trusted hands and all that. It makes me wonder a little about how the arrangements were set up, and whether the similarities are because John and Jon had influence here, or because Eliza was a major influence on them. At the point this was released, Spiers and Boden had released one album as a duo already, but the sound here is more reminiscent of their later material and the credits point to Carthy so I guess the latter is more true.

I like her voice, and admire her drive, diversity and talent, but sometimes I find Eliza Carthy very flat indeed. Bold Privateer is just... not quite there in the same way that her version of Limbo was too dead to be a favourite; the exaggerated length (7 minutes) just emphasises the lack of arrangement, and whilst the fiddle/guitar combo works there is just not quite enough life to the tune. Dr McMBE is her one original tune on this disc, played with her father Martin on guitar. Again the composition of the track is missing something. It tends to lament, and there is a lack of energy as a result. Personally I find folk music much stronger when it plays up the celebratory roots of tradition or has a touch more life. There is a place for sadder material, for sure, but on this listen, I think Anglicana overdoes it. In London So Fair continues that theme, but is far more interesting for me because it is a live delivery and the backing is a simple but melodic piano piece. Still too long though.

The album closes with Willow Tree, which is actually the tune I most associate with this album; its the one that I can hear in my head when I see the cover image. The rest of the material here never created a strong association with the album when heard on shuffle, but this tune did. Amusingly the tune itself is different enough from my recollection of it to make me smile wryly. It's a more upbeat tune though and a welcome change of tone to end on.

Overall? I am not a huge fan of this album. All of it is decent, but it struggles for pacing and too many laments make it hard to listen through in full. The three longer tracks pump up the running time and all in all I think it is better enjoyed piecemeal where Carthy's talents can shine then be replaced by something that picks up the mood or otherwise counterbalances. I am not cutting any tracks here - I can see enough in each individual track for the right circumstance to make it welcome - but I can also say with some certainty that I will never sit down to listen to Anglicana right through again.

11:11 - Rodrigo y Gabriela

Track List:

1. Hanuman
2. Buster Voodoo
3. Triveni
4. Logos
5. Santo Domingo
6. Master Maqui
7. Savitri
8. Hora Zero
9. Chac Mool
10. Atman
11. 11:11

Running time: 45 minutes
Released: 2009

So apparently dedications are their thing, since this album has one for each track, too. Rodrigo y Gabriela get to be the first to appear twice in this list (before I began I expected that to be Sigur Rós) by virtue of using numbers. Woo.

Actually the dedications are the point here. 11 songs dedicated to 11 artists that inspired them. Cool idea for a theme, though I do not recognise most of the artists concerned (Pink Floyd and Hendrix are the exceptions).

It is quite a big, brash start. Hanuman dives right into a bigger sound than I recall from 9 Dead Alive but then again, that's probably because my speaker was not connected properly and it was using the brassier laptop speakers instead. Still, right from the first note there is a lot going on. Again. I am expecting not to like this as much to be honest;  the liner notes make it seem much more of a love letter to heavy metal from two fans, which means it is more divergent from my interest. However it remains mostly acoustic and intricate and interesting... just a little less so.

I never cease to be amazed by how much sound duos can produce, and how two musicians can appear to be playing 4 or 5 parts if they are really good. I first noticed this in a completely different genre and style with Jon Spiers and Jon Boden's combination of fiddle and melodion (with foot stamps for percussion) but it is present here too. Less noticeable for me because of the similarities in the instruments each is playing but definitely there. I guess it appears in larger groups too, but the impression is stronger the fewer people there are to contribute.

Logos is an interesting departure in sound, one I was not expecting. Much more open, free, melodic and less busy. It is also shorter, and a transition I thought was a bait and switch was actually WMP ticking over to the next track. This makes for an interesting section, but frankly a less enjoyable one. I am not sure whether that is because I have preselected what I want from this pair and this feels like a departure from that, or just a lesser appreciation for these tracks without a bias. I am also in a strange mood this evening, which does not help. Dog tired, I would be in bed if I thought I would sleep through - but it is only 21.40 and the last two nights have been a perfect illustration of going to bed early making me wake early (03.30 this morning). For that reason, I suggest, my opinions may not be fair tonight.

Master Maqui starts differently again, the balance lying with the percussive, before sliding back into more familiar weighting. It is more staccato in effect, and until the sections where that fades into the background, I do not enjoy the track. I am rather relieved when it ends, as my ears feel like they have been boxed.

When Savitri starts and my subconscious immediately goes "same; bored now" I know that I am not being fair. If fair reviews were the point of this exercise I would stop at this point, but that is not what these Listens are about, so I plough on, forcing myself though another 15 minutes or so and trying to bite back on harsh and unwarranted words. From an intellectual standpoint this is probably my favourite track on the disc so far despite that initial reaction.

I feel like I should have a glass of wine and be sitting back curled up, feet under me, not leaning forward at a keyboard though when Hora Zero reaches the two minute mark, had I been so positioned my sofa would likely now be stained. The elements of 9DA that had me purring are still here, but I have mostly been missing them. Most tracks do generally still contain multiple sub-tracks and variations that almost feel like distinct pieces joined in seamless medley.

Not so much Chac Mool - short, sparse; like Logos an odditiy amongst the larger sounds that surround it. Atman, which follows, I was expecting to be the most Metal on the disc (a result of the guest musician and dedication) and the least enjoyable as a result, but in practice I am pleasantly surprised and actually it may be my favourite... for the first 4 minutes at least. Then the (I guess) guest electrics come in and I am bored immediately (see the comments on 9DA re guitar heroes). When they fade there is an interesting echo, but the attention is long lost.

11:11 is the Pink Floyd dedication. Floyd will show up a fair bit later on so this should be interesting, but I cannot help but feel that the track is not long enough to be dedicated to prog! The tune turns out to be interesting enough. I can hear hints of the space present in a lot of David Gilmour's playing and there are echoes of High Hopes. Oddly it fades to keys, that feels somewhat out of place - for the track, for the album and for the dedication - but actually it brings a pleasant curtain down on the album, and my efforts to be productive this evening along with it.