Below Ground

The members of Effra have both high-quality musicianship and integrity. They carry both lightly – banter at their gigs is hilarious – but their music stands out because it matters. Below Ground, their second album, could be a soundtrack for the times. Though their message is wordless – every track is proudly instrumental – it can be listened to as expressing the anxieties of Brexit Britain. Their starting point is the British (mainly English) folk idiom; this is the common ground for guitarist Alex Bishop (a luthier who also plays rock and Gypsy jazz); classically trained violinist Tom Newell and accordionist Aidan Shepherd. But this is tradition with a twist. Every track is an original: there are reassuring tunes, especially ‘Molly’, which is only slightly too up-tempo for Morris dancing. Then things get edgier, climaxing in ‘ASAFP’. The final number, ‘The Source’, fades into a field recording of the River Effra splashing out of the ground somewhere in South London. An absorbing album, adroitly put together, with ingenious additional instrumentation such as banjo, Jew's harp and even bicycle, plus electronic soundscapes from Matt Barwick, an engineer with empathy.