ALBUM REVIEW: Tristan Le Govic - 'Awen'

Tristan Le Govic, Awen (BNC Productions, 2009)



Awen is the second album from Brittany's Tristan Le Govic, an album of harp music with a beguiling enigma, and charming subtlety. The harp is an instrument that is fast becoming my favourite; I'm drawn to its winsome combination of sensitivity and nimble complexity, which are both facets that Le Govic demonstrates deftly. Borrowing from across the various Celtic traditions, the thread that binds Awen is telling throughout though never clichéd, offering tunes from Ireland and Scotland as well as Le Govic's native Brittany, alongside a selection of original material.

A relentless repetition of low notes, plucked with a determined vigour create a menacing undercurrent to the opening track, "Dañs Plin," with a persistent rhythm that maintains a degree of intimidation right through to the close of the track. There is an almost palpable degree of anticipation prior to each note on Le Govic's own composition, "Le Songe d'Orianne," played with a poise that allows you to relish the build and fade of each individual note that lend themselves to this beautifully flowing and lyrical air.

Le Govic explores the diversity within the Celtic traditions with a couple of Irish slides providing a spirited frivolity, to be followed by the more stark determination of the traditional Scottish reel, "On The High Road To Linton." There is also a Scandinavian detour on "Ar Vag," Le Govic's own variation on a traditional Swedish tune, with its demanding melody and less intuitive time signature.

Ultimately it is Le Govic's own compositions that leave a lasting impression, and in particular the intensity with which Le Govic is able to express a sense of place and emotion. "The first golden ray of light coming through a sleepy forest after an autumnal rain" is the brief description that accompanies "Glaz." These words alone conjure up powerful imagery, an imagery that is truly heightened by the evocative eloquence of the melody that they inspired.

There is much to enjoy about Awen, and Le Govic's world is certainly a pleasant and rewarding place in which to spend some time.

Visit Tristan's web site here!

Visit Tristan on MySpace here!

ALBUM REVIEW: Emily Smith & Jamie McClennan - 'Adoon Winding Nith'

Emily Smith & Jamie McClennan,
Adoon Winding Nith (White Fall Records, 2009)



Released to coincide with the celebrations in 2009 of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, Emily and Jamie offer a collection of songs that shine with utmost clarity. At the root of this is almost certainly Emily's flawlessly beautiful voice, and coupled with the animated and uncluttered arrangements fashioned by the duo, Adoon Winding Nith makes for an enjoyable and engaging recording. A steady depth is provided by the double bass of Duncan Lyall, but all the other instruments are played by Emily and Jamie themselves. Predominantly, this involves the punchy rhythms of Jamie's guitar and the unconstrained fervour of his fiddle, whilst Emily plays the accordion with her customary seamless ease.

Burns' words draw attention to both the playfulness and longing of love and lust, emotions that Emily and Jamie flood with life in their colourful interpretations. "Silver Tassie" tends to the darker side, telling of a soldier preparing to embark on a war-bound ship, allowing Emily to display the full force of her captivating and emotive vocals as she wraps them around Burns' lovelorn words to stunning effect. A more joyous celebration of love is found in "The Plooman," with Emily's sprightly vocals seemingly dancing with joy alongside Jamie's spirited guitar and fiddle accompaniment. And so they continue, moving effortlessly between exuberance and woe.

A fondness for the subtle features of nature are oft present in Burns' writing, as a defining backdrop or an allusion to a more mortal beauty. There are a few songs here that deliver to this promise, with the wild birds, spreading leaves and flooers of "Craigieburn Wood," or the blooming heather in "Gala Water." These scenic hints define the landscape in which Burns' words flourish, and this might well be an influence on Emily's own writing, as she displays a similarly well-trained eye to the finer details of the natural world around her.

Many of the songs featured on Adoon Winding Nith were passed down to Emily through the oral tradition that was very much a part of her Borders upbringing. The sleeve notes include a brief commentary on each song, as well as a useful glossary to aid your understanding of Burns' Scots dialect. Emily's reference material is also quoted, reassuring you that this is no passing whim, but a subject about which Emily is well versed; indeed, there may well be no better Scottish singer to reinterpret the words of Burns. Between them, Emily and Jamie have fashioned a fine album that demonstrates the enduring relevance of Burns' words, whilst adding much to their beauty and character.

Visit Emily's web site here!

Visit Jamie's web site here!

ALBUM REVIEW: Chris Wood - 'Handmade Life'

Chris Wood, Handmade Life (R.U.F Records, 2009)



You will be hard pressed to find another recording that is quite so attuned with public sentiment in these times of mistrust and indignation. Throughout Handmade Life, Wood homes straight in on the prevailing unrest, and a potential aftermath that involves much soul searching. This is however no brash soapbox rant, with Wood avoiding patronising arrogance, and opting for a gentler, conversational style. An intimate and considered accompaniment comes courtesy of a four-piece band comprising drums, trombone, cello, and guitar, played with a restraint that serves to carry Wood's narrative along on a harmonious current.

Opening with the autobiographical backwards glance of "No Honey Tongued Sonnet," Wood reflects on a misunderstood childhood, recalling one valuable lesson from his education: "the one thing I did learn in English is she favours the tongue that is true." This is a lesson to which Wood must have paid particular attention, as his writing throughout Handmade Life is dripping with truth, albeit an uncomfortable one at times. On "Spitfires" Wood takes that most British of emblems and its associated wartime grit and determination, rebuking modern-day right-wing extremists for hijacking Britain's patriotism in the name of their own cause, mischievously reminding that the sound of the spitfire evokes "the song of how they hung a little fascist out to dry." There is no overt aggression in these lyrics, the seed is just planted and the imagery nurtured, though you're left in no doubt as to Wood's resentment.

"Hollow Point" gives the nation's shame a good airing, recounting the shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes. The focus on the apparent ordinariness of De Menezes' commute to work, blinkered to the shocking events that were unfolding around him, heightens the discomfort, with an ominous tension building towards the inevitable and tragic denouement, and lyrics that seek answers yet find only exasperation. Providing a universal call to revolution, "Caesar" seems most likely aimed at those British politicians who have been filling their pockets at the expense of the electorate, and their incredulous placing of blame on "the system," a system that they created: "did you see how all the clowns were looking fatter as they tore the big top down?".

There is a further call for revolution in "The Grand Correction," where Wood casts an eye over some of the inequalities and inevitable failings that have given rise to the recent collapse of financial markets, astutely tracing the rot back to the greed instilled in society by Thatcher's government of the 1980s, and seeking little more than a return to honesty and common sense. Wood himself seems happy to accept a personal "grand correction," alluded to in "My Darling's Downsized," a return to simpler, happier times that finds Wood extolling the virtues of a life with less material worries and a greater emphasis on nurturing a personal relationship.

This is music and sentiment of which a nation should rightly be proud. Wood writes with an understated poignancy and intelligence that genuinely gives the listener something to think about, whilst also offering a glimpse of what a better world might look like.

Visit Chris Wood's web site here!

Visit Chris Wood on MySpace here!