Apparitions

A significant change of tack from the Drystones' last album, Apparitions really showcases the multi-instrumental talents of this exciting young Somerset duo. The album presents a mix of original tunes and songs with traditional numbers from England, Ireland and beyond. Fiddle, guitar, tabla and synths as well as sampled news broadcasts and gang vocals are all used to great effect here, whether they be on an uplifting instrumental track such as ‘Rain’ or a song dealing with the subject of ‘fake news,’ as in ‘The Story’.

Alex Garden's primary instrument is fiddle, played with grace, energy and tasteful ornamentation, conveying the raucous hedonism of ‘Nonesuch’ with as much ease as the lyricism of ‘Daydream’. Later on this same track Ford Collier can be heard playing a wild whistle line that sounds at once Irish and Nepalese, only to be joined again by Garden in a romping jig. Further Eastern influences can heard on the next track where Collier plays tabla, yet these additions do not seem tokenistic, rather they are used for the richness that they bring to the recording. These two intrepid musicians have thrown everything into this album and the result is fantastic.