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59 f So far, so predictably good, but the real
fun of Dust On The Nettles lies in digging down to the sedimentary layers of the scene, where obscure, frequently self-released curiosities by the likes of Plymouth teenagers Frozen Tear, Cornwall’s Warm Gold (still per- forming every Friday at Bodmin Folk Club, folks!) and Bristol’s Folkal Point can be found, alongside preposterously-monikered acts like Paper Bubble, Benjamin Delaney Lion and The Occasional Word (“Mary, Mary, quite contrary, prepare to meet the skyyy…”)
With 63 tracks and a photo-packed 40
page booklet, Dust On The Nettles is proba- bly the most comprehensive UK psych-folk compilation currently available, and a verita- ble cornucopia for anyone whose pulse still quickens at the memory of patchouli-scented folk clubs, the feel of cheesecloth kurtas, or the sound of sitars being earnestly twanged by callow English youths.
Shirley Inspired (an expanded version of the triple-LP set) is a compilation of new recordings of songs associated with Shirley Collins. All tracks were donated by the musi- cians involved, with the proceeds going directly towards the production of The Ballad Of Shirley Collins, a film by Fifth Column.
While that alone is reason enough to purchase, there’s plenty of good stuff on offer here, with the likes of Alasdair Roberts, Meg Baird, Will Oldham, Jackie Oates, Shar- ron Kraus and Bonnie Dobson & The Lords of Thyme all yielding expectedly excellent per- formances.
Much of the early press attention has focussed on Blur guitarist Graham Coxon’s Cruel Mother, a just-under-seven-minute bal- lad which demonstrates both his mastery of the British folk guitar style and his limitations as a vocalist (think of the times you’ve wit- nessed a folk club organiser’s floor spot accompanied by the guest artist…). More sur- prisingly satisfying are the contributions of Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Marco Pirroni (Adam & The Ants, Siouxsie & The Banshees, etc) who boldly apply their signature electric guitar rackets to The Plains Of Waterloo and Turpin Hero, respectively.
At the opposite end of the spectrum,
Crying Lion’s unaccompanied harmonies on Shepherd’s Arise are beautiful simplicity, while Belbury Poly’s Roobarb & Custard-evok- ing interpretation of Cambridgeshire May Carol provides some welcome levity among the more funereal electronics.
Several songs appear in more than one version, and attempting to ingest all 45 tracks in a single sitting can leave the listener encountering blacksmiths and Oxford girls bidding adieu to old England, every time the tide flows in and out. Repeated listens reveal hidden charms however, and new favourites emerge from the unfamiliar. Shirley Inspired provides not only a fitting tribute to Shirley herself, but an accessible gateway to the work of artists operating outside the listen- er’s usual comfort zones, and a validation of these remarkable songs – in all their “fresh and various, beautiful and sometimes chal- lenging!” manifestations.
www.earthvinyl.com Steve Hunt
PASCUALA ILABACA Y FAUNA Busco Paraíso Brownie 09
Valparaiso native Pascuala Ilabaca (singer- songwriter-accordeonist-pianist) fronts the ensemble Fauna (guitars, flute, clarinet, sax- ophones, electric bass, drum kit, percussion, chorus), and has also performed with the politically emblematic Ensamble Transatlán-
Kate Burke & Ruth Hazleton
tico De Folk Chileno. Drawing upon Chilean and Andean traditions as well as Hindu sounds Ilabaca absorbed as a child living in India, she returned there as a conservatory student to immerse herself in the music for an extended period. Much inspired by nueva canción chilena legend Violeta Parra, Ilabaca is yet herself a stylish, passionate performer, bittersweet, reflective, coquet- tish, and ever-surprising.
Rezos En Montegrande offers a charac- teristic example of her extraordinary vocal range, where elusive Indian vocal intonations meet jazz scat singing. Take the driving rhythm and raga-like character of Es Dificil, or the slightly crazed heavy-metal strains of her anthem to India’s southernmost city, En El Tren A Kanyakumari. Add to that the eastern European gypsy allusions of Pecado Original (Original Sin), where Ilabaca caresses each word, “Don’t try to burden me with all your pain/I’m certain the Virgin Mary knew love/ Tomorrow, tomorrow, I’ll begin my crying/ Tomorrow, because now I’m going to dance”.
The album’s intimate, atmospheric, con- trolled-chaotic feel builds on sudden tempo, mood, and genre changes that speak of the brutality and turbulent beauty of Chilean social history, reinforced by found sounds Ilabaca has collected along the way, woven into the total mix. Busco Paraíso (I Seek Par- adise, an ironic title given the overall tenor of the recording) is an astute and evocative work, smartly packaged with an illustrated foldout bearing the lyrics transcribed into Spanish. Ilabaca and her merry pandilla constitute an inventive and compelling talent on the rise. (UK distribution via Discovery Records.)
www.discovery-records.com Michael Stone
KATE BURKE & RUTH HAZLETON Declaration Own label KR005
Kate and Ruth, two of Australia’s most respected folk musicians, have been perform- ing as a duo since 1998 – and yet they’re something of a best-kept secret. They now emerge from an eight-year family-raising sab- batical following their last CD (Summer’s Lonesome Tale), with this excellent new offer- ing. Still intact are the duo’s trademark spine- tingling vocal harmonies and a level of con- summate musicianship that delivers a subtle
and intricately woven accompaniment with mini- mal resources, where every stroke, note and nuance counts. Additionally, Kate and Ruth continue to favour material that’s often challeng ing in its subject matter. Also like its prede-
cessor, Declaration closes with a Dylan cover – this time the tradition-inflected Lay Down Your Weary Tune, which receives a matchless, fluid contemporary interpretation here.
Repertoire-wise, Declaration is a more rounded collection than its predecessor, with just six of its eleven cuts being traditional in origin. The remainder comprise three covers (the aforementioned Dylan, plus Martha Scanlan’s Little Bird Of Heaven and Martyn Wyndham-Read’s setting of Australian lyrical poet John Shaw Neilson, a contemporary of Henry Lawson), plus two notable original compositions which showcase Ruth and Kate’s increased songwriting prowess. Kate’s contribution, The Freeze, inspired by an EAnnie Proulx short story, is a tender descrip- tion of intense but unmanageable love, whereas Ruth’s Hearts Of Sorrow is a lament- cum-call-to-arms for our times.
Declaration is also a leap forward from
Kate and Ruth’s previous albums in terms of its greater clarity of focus, matched by the extraordinary degree of light and shade brought out by Luke Plumb’s (Shooglenifty) magnificent production, which conveys the duo’s special qualities with remarkably little intervention (some bouzouki/mandolin and only very occasional studio effects).
Ruth and Kate’s uniquely fresh interpre- tations of traditional song remain a corner- stone, and they retain their ability to commu- nicate a complex viewpoint which can make the listener jettison preconceptions. Katy Cruel and the Lomax-collected Father Adieu are especially vitally managed, as is the perennial allegory Queen Of Hearts, whose ominous inevitability is well caught in Ruth & Kate’s measured reading (hear it on this issue’s fRoots 55 compilation).
Throughout the disc, the duo’s acutely- observed realisations and arrangements are a model of precision and intimate, intricate simplicity. Declaration is a real gem.
www.kateandruth.com David Kidman