There, I told you it would be along soon…
The Wardens – “Sold Out At The Ironwood”
When three Canadian National Park rangers get together what else are they going to call their band? Not as you might think a live album, but the music feels spontaneous, maybe it’s birth over lockdown contributes to that. A mix of Country and folk musically the words seem drawn from their lives in and around Banff in rural Alberta. While the early songs are quite light in tone that all changes with ‘Timberwolf Reprise’ A tale of the recovery from human attempts at the extermination of “undesirable” wildlife, like the Grey Wolf. This is uncomfortable listening for the most part. We really aren’t a nice species… Guitarist Bradley Bischoff contributes ‘Last Cowboy in the Outfit’ about his retirement from the National Park, and this is another highlight of the album. With other songs about people they have known, Bill Peyto, one of the first park wardens, and a colleagues Tim Auger and Neil Colgan there is an authentic intimate feel to the songs. As a bonus they are all good songs played well with the emphasis on the words, which with stories like these is as it should be.
2022 is turning into a vintage year for music, and The Wardens have given us a classic folk/country album where you can smell the Pine forests and hear the Grizzly Bear in the woods.
Their website is here for CD orders, other than that it’s streaming sadly…
Wolf and Clover – “Twelvemonth And A Day”
Still on the other side of the pond, but now in Columbus Georgia, Wolf and Clover describe themselves as Progressive Folk/Bluegrass. Opening piece ‘The Columbus Set’ is a Celtic tune with an intricate Banjo part front and centre. Maybe moving the similar piece ‘The Animal Set’ elsewhere on the album might have made for a better flow. I like them both so ultimately no complaints. English folk song ‘The Unquiet Grave’ is next and the “progressive” aspect pops up with the Hammond Organ that leads the tune. ‘An Rógaire Dubh’ (The Black Rogue) is another place where they take some risks with a traditional song, and produce an atmospheric piece like ‘An Rógaire Dubh’ sung in Irish Gaelic. Just edging out ‘The Unqueit Grave’ for best song here is their version of Van Morrison’s ‘Into the Mystic’. Singer Michelle DeBruyn turns in an epic performance on this song and elsewhere on the album. The closing piece ‘O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music’ attributed to 18th Century Irish harper Turlough O’Carolan is proof of how far they are willing to stretch their traditional material. This could easily have come off an album by folk/progressive band Renaissance about 1975. But there is a timeless quality of the music. You can hear Ireland, Scotland and Brittany spread across the album as well as Bluegrass Banjo.
There is if I’m honest one too many of the medley “sets”here. Individually they are great fun, but collectively a bit much. Another song might have given a better balance to the album. This group of Georgia residents have however turned in one of the best Celtic flavoured albums of recent years.
And you can buy it on Bandcamp
Rain of Animals – “Nali’s World”
And it’s back to Scotland to round up a mammoth trip round some of the ebst albums out there at the moment. According to their press “Rain Of Animals is the euphonious collaboration between Pepita Emmerichs (Oh Pep!) and Theodore Barnard (Wire & Wool) and their love of all things mandolin, fiddle, guitar, harmony vocals, bluegrass, old time, swing, tunes and songs.” Opening piece ‘Eibsee’ is a charming tune around Mandolin and Fiddle. And the rest of the album proceeds in much the same vein. ‘Blaven’ has a distinctly Appalachian feel to it. ‘Chipotle Jam’ replaces fiddle with guitar for the first half of the tune, to provide a contrasting texture. The bass line that drives the tune would make this a great tune for Country Dancing. The stately ‘Sandy’s Waltz’ would be another tune for a Ceilidh. This is a brilliant fun album that I have had on while working over the last couple of weeks and I’m pleased to learn that another album is in the works. This is truly unique music, and I can’t wait to hear more.
Recorded over lockdown in rural Perthshire, this is an album of tunes composed on their travels in Australia and Europe. They are apparently pals of German Bluegrass band Stereo Naked, whose excellent album I reviewed at Americana UK last year. The two bands are touriung the UK at the end of 2022 and that is a gig that’s gone in the diary to attend.
Once again available on Bandcamp.
