fR314 PAGES 20-21 2/7/09 18:48 Page 1
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Alasdair Roberts
Medieval poetry, German philosophers and the natural
world all influence his latest work. Jon Lusk nods wisely.
In contrast to his “Well, I haven’t practised them. It’s
usual sonic austerity, more just like a kind of curiosity. I don’t
Spoils has a colourful subscribe to any particular belief system.”
sound palette, combin-
Although he says he had a more-or-
ing electric folk rock
less atheist upbringing, his mother later
with archaic instruments
became a minister in the Church of Scot-
such as baroque guitar,
land, “… [so] maybe one day I’ll accept
hurdy-gurdy and
Christ as my saviour, but I haven’t done so
psaltery. It variously sug-
yet!” he quips, before explaining how
gests the Incredible
another German author (theologian
String Band, Steeleye
Johannes Valentinus Andreae) partly
Span and even the odd-
inspired his song The Flyting Of Grief &
ball psych-folk of his
Joy. Andreae claimed to be the author of
label mate Joanna New-
an anonymously published 1616 book (The
som, with whom he
Chymical Wedding Of Christian
recently toured. When I
Rosenkreutz), a key text of a ‘secret society
meet Roberts backstage
of mystics’ called the Rosicrucians.
at London’s Bush Hall,
before his low-key gig in
“Especially the last couple of verses,
April, I ask if there was
where there’s things transforming into
any master plan for it.
other things, kind of alchemical processes.
And there’s that ballad or standard where
“Not really, I mean I
couldn’t tell what it
the rose and briar are intertwined, and
sounds like,” he says in a
they grow together in a true love knot. It’s
self-deprecating murmur
like a play on that idea.”
that’s often difficult to
He acknowledges that the melodic
hear. “It took a long time
structure of So Bored Was I draws most
to make, like, I started
obviously on British folk traditions and in
off making it alone in the
Hazel Forks, he performs a little word alche-
studio with engineers,
my on Seven Yellow Gypsies. According to
and then most tracks
Martin Carthy: “They sang so sweet and so
were done with me and a
complete that they stole the heart of a
drummer and a couple of
lady-o.” But Roberts sings: “They snarled so
other musicians. A lot of
sweet and incomplete that they stole the
overdubs went on it. It
heart of a little song thrush.” Go figure.
seemed at the time of
making it that it was
Photo: Ian Anderson
quite directionless.”
But Spoils is ‘all over
T
he connection with Germany isn’t
surprising (Roberts’ mother is
German and he was born there) and
growing up near Callander in Stirling
the place’ in the best
must have influenced his frequent use of
sense, reflecting his
images from the natural world. “I can’t
eclectic interests and seem to stop doing that,” he chuckles. “I’m
artistic associations. One aware of trying to evoke the natural
that’s particularly note- world, but not in a way that’s bucolic or,
worthy is that with Ali- err, unproblematic [but] in a way that sort
son McGillivray (viol) and of reflects the reality of the world as it is
Dave McGuinness (harp- and the fucked up nature of [things]. I’m
F
ifteen years into his career and six
sichord, harmonium), both members of not into the pastoral escapist thing.”
since he featured on the cover of
Concerto Caledonia, who specialise in
While Nedd Ludd’s Rant (featured on
fR244, Alasdair Roberts has arrived
medieval Scottish music. And Roberts’ eso-
this issue’s fRoots 33 CD) apparently
at a new creative zenith. Described
teric reading choices illuminate, if not
in the press release as a “syncretic” series
addresses his own ‘Luddite tendencies’, his
exactly clarify, his lyrics. There’s Song Book
of songs, inspired by “folk tales, fables,
habit of putting himself in the narrator’s
Of The Pillagers, a tome of medieval Gaelic
myths and religions”, Spoils (see fR311) is
seat (most obviously in the hilarious
poetry, from which, he admits: “I’ve kind
simply one of the year’s best records.
Unyoked Oxen Turn) shouldn’t be inter-
of pillaged a bit myself.” He also expresses
preted as singer-songwriter navel gazing.
Aside from his rich, playful use of lan- admiration for the 20th century German
After all, this is a song in which Roberts
guage, Roberts’ frequently bizarre and social philosopher Theodor W. Adorno,
runs around, um, looking for his legs.
opaque, but strangely compelling narra- whose book The Stars Down To Earth
tives are shot through with references to dwells on beliefs in the irrational and
“Obviously, the story didn’t actually
philosophers, theorists and activists. His supernatural. Another favourite is Robert
happen to me! The ‘I’ in the songs is
wry and often overlooked sense of Graves’ The White Goddess, concerned
almost never me. It’s like an ‘I’ that I hope
humour surfaces more strongly than ever, with theories of poetic inspiration, the
that anyone who listens to the songs could
often in surreal, laugh-out-loud wordplay. emergence of belief systems and their
identify with.”
Who else could rhyme ‘focus’ with ‘crocus’, relation to the natural world. Not that he
Or bend to the task, at least.
or ‘serious’ with ‘Sirius’? follows any of these.
myspace.com/alasdairrobertsofficial F
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