Folk Round-Up (Bailey & Keely, Hayden Thorpe and Malachy Tallack)

Saul Bailey (melodeon) & Mitch Keely (fiddle) kick things off with their debut as Bailey & Keely, Atthomis (Scribe Records ****), a beautifully crafted reworking of a choice selection of English folk tunes, complemented by some new tracks for good measure. Playfully dark, with a subtle theatrical flair – listen to the choice ‘The Grey Man / Parson upon Page’ for a taste – Bailey & Keely show there is magic and mystery yet to explore in morris and the pair demonstrate the sheer beauty and fun in their buttons and strings duet. ‘Improv 2 (The Sunny Beam)’ even throws in a church organ for variety. A beautifully Arcadian and soothing listen. 

Fellow English folk duo Adam Clark & Nic Zuppardi take us back to nature with Lutestring (Clark & Zuppardi ***), a collection of folk tunes inspired by the"‘wonderfully harmonious and intriguing" world of British moth names. The album is a gentle, delightful blend of folk music and the natural world in perfect harmony. Guitar, banjo and mandolin dance through the tracks, especially on the banjo-led ‘The Herald’, creating a pleasingly pastoral soundscape. The release comes accompanied by a beautifully illustrated tune book to allow listeners to play along.

Hayden Thorpe’s new release, Ness (Domino Record Co ***), also draws inspiration from the natural world, but in this case, the surreal landscape of Suffolk’s Orford Ness, a former Ministry of Defence weapons development site. Thorpe finds further inspiration in the writings of Robert Macfarlane, weaving reflection and allegory into this haunting release. Folk, pop and electronica merge to create an evocative, sometimes unsettling listening experience – check out ‘WTF is That?’ for a glimpse – all anchored by Thorpe’s operatic countertenor vocals. It’s an acquired taste but one that will linger long in your psyche.

Exploring the transatlantic links between Shetland and the US, author and songwriter Malachy Tallack’s That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz (Malachy Tallack ****) combined authentic sounding bluegrass and the Scots tradition in a clever crossover with the written word. A companion to Tallack’s forthcoming novel of the same name, the album’s tracks are fictionally written by the novel’s main character, Jack, a Shetlander in his mid-60s. Opening track, ‘Wide Ocean Blue’, sets the scene well for a country-infused, blues-tinged slice of Scots-Americana. That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz is Tallack’s second novel: "a soulful exploration of the power of music and the notion of belonging…" and, more than an accompanying soundtrack, the resulting album is a skilfully nostalgic and heartfelt ode to the sheer emotive effect of song. 

Scottish traditional singer Ewen Henderson’s new studio album Lèirsinn – Perception (Sgadan Records ***) delves into the imagined and the experienced, with a focus on memory, natural history and folklore, exploring their roles in the modern world. Piano, fiddle, viola and whistles combine to create a musical landscape that evokes a deep yearning for the past, while remaining rooted in the present. ‘Beinn Eighe / Ewan Robertson, Celtman’, the first single from the album, is a fine, sprightly dance of fiddle and piano guaranteed to get the toes tapping.