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Kan
the lilting Money Or Jewels, the eerily atmo- spheric supernatural ballad The White Hind, and the full-tilt folk-rock Lover’s Ghost rework Standing At My Window.
But the disc’s emotional core comes with
the stark Ballad Of Andy Jacobs, a heart- rending love story from the time of the Min- ers’ Strike set in Kathryn’s home village of Dodworth, which the final track, Don McGlashan’s plaintive anti-war ballad Jackie’s Song, nevertheless runs close in terms of overall impact. The disc does have its upbeat moments too, though: Hang The Rowan encourages warding off evil spirits to a decid- edly Abba-esque belter of a chorus, and The Lusty Smith’s jaunty innuendo is driven along by a clap-happy hoedown beat, while the relaxed pace of The Wisdom Of Standing Still just invites us to chill. A striking comeback for Kathryn and Sean.
www.kathrynrobertsandseanlakeman.com David Kidman KAN
Sleeper KANMUSIC CD001
It takes a while to sink in, but this first col- laboration between
Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle), Brian Finnegan (flute), Ian Stephenson (guitar) and Jim Good- win (drums) is exceptional. With a line-up like that you tend to take the instrumental quality for granted but, drawing musical inspiration from all corners of the British Isles, they’ve constructed a suite of tunes that mesh and weave in a gloriously unfussy, unhurried way, refreshingly eschewing elaborate flourish and grandstanding finishes.
The sleeve notes talk of ‘entelechy’, a pattern of light encompassed in The Tzolkin - the sacred moon calendar of the Mayan peo- ple from which the name of Kan is taken – and while its internal spiritual roots may be extraneous to most listeners, the mesmerising impact of their playing certainly feels like it’s guiding you through an enlightening array of shades, colours and patterns, systematically avoiding the usual racy, rabble-rousing instincts that will, sooner or later, seduce most instrumental groups. The entrancing beauty of Finnegan’s flute, the gliding rich- ness of O’Rourke’s fiddle and the rhythmic poetry of Stephenson’s guitar are all crucially fulfilling ingredients; yet if there’s one aspect that sets them apart from everyone else it’s
the drumming of Jim Goodwin. Drums are often the bane of this sort of music with the potential to destroy its soul in a single heavy- handed beat but, while far from invisible, Goodwin’s playing is every bit as sensitive as the others. In effect. the drums act as a fourth lead instrument in the ebb and flow of an album that engages you every swaying step of its mostly sanguine journey.
Each member of the group has made his considerable mark with other outfits – most notably Brian Finnegan with Flook and Aidan O’Rourke with Lau – but Kan sound unlike anyone else. That in itself is a rare achievement.
www.kan-music.co.uk Colin Irwin
BIG EYES FAMILY PLAYERS & FRIENDS Folk Songs 11 Static Caravan VAN242
Mostly under the stewardship of James Green and David Jay- cock, experimental- ists Big Eyes have
existed in various incarnations for over a decade. Championed for a while by the ven- erable John Peel, they first introduced their probing arrangements to the murky waters of folk song in collaboration with James Yorkston in 2009 on an album received enthusiastically enough to encourage this intriguing follow-up.
Yorkston is again involved, singing lead
on Looly, Looly and Doffing Mistress, but the net stretches far wider this time to add more substance and variety. The ubiquitous Alas- dair Roberts is here, instantly identifiable as the whimsical lead voice on the entrancing Coast O’Spain and Maureen From Gippurs- land; Mary Hampton and Sharron Kraus har- monise sublimely on A Man Indeed; Nancy Elizabeth glides sedately through Farewell Lovely Nancy; Adrian Crowley takes a firm grip on the sterner topics of Greenland Bound and Stretched On Your Grave; Elle Osborne delivers a whispery Thousands Or More; and Heather Ditch takes centre-stage on enlightened interpretations of Clyde Water and Bonny Boy.
Around them the Big Eyes team present subdued, mellifluous arrangements built on gentle strings, subtly subversive percussion and ghostly backing vocals to create enough
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Photo: Louis deCarlo
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