Bendith

Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, Bendith is a beautiful set by a group of musicians that is essentially the Welsh indie-pop four-piece Colorama (led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Carwyn Ellis), augmented by the sibling trio Plu, from Bethel in Snowdonia. Guest artists include harpist Georgia Ruth, and Calan's fiddle player and piper Patrick Rimes, who add to the rich, pastoral textures of a music that evokes Edenic purity and languor.

Bendith is above all about roots – the sense of place, family and home. Opening instrumental ‘Dinas’ is inspired by the Dinas Valley in Carmarthenshire, and features a mesmeric repeated refrain on piano, harp, guitar and cello overlaid with wordless vocal harmonies. ‘Mis Mehefin’ (June) has more of an indie-pop flavour, while ‘Danybanc’ draws its atmospheres from Carwyn Ellis’ memories of holidaying at his grandparents home in Dinas. Further in, ‘Angel’ brings vocals and acoustic guitar to the fore, and guitar takes the lead on the following instrumental ‘Ffynnonlefrith’. Plu's Elan Rhys picks up the reins on ‘Y Gyfrinach’ (Secret), and duets with Ellis on ‘Dan Glo’, while ‘Pan O’wn Y Gwanwyn’ (As I Was in Spring Time) is the one traditional song, sporting a haunting tune of possibly medieval origin, while the closing title-track returns us to the beginning with a laid-back piano refrain.