Stones

This is not the Norwegian-Scots four-piece featuring Rachel Newton, whose Ahoy Hoy was a 2016 highlight. This Boreas, named after the old god of the north wind, hails from Belgium: they're a five-piece featuring singer and nyckelharpa player Martina Diessner, bassist Johan De Waele, accordionist Mieke Van Loo, multi-instrumentalist Peter Van Wonterghem, and guitarist Adriaan Van Wonterghem. They formed in 2001, and this album features traditional tunes alongside band-penned originals, plus one of the great Child ballads, ‘The Maid on the Shore’. They draw a wide range of tones and feeling from their instruments – a musical banquet of bass, bagpipes, bodhrán, qanun (zither), dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, accordion and flute – and repertoire, which includes fine vocal rounds such as the Breton traditional tune, ‘Papillon’. ‘The Maid on the Shore’ has a lead vocal sung by Martina Diessner, and opens with a simple guitar and accordion accompaniment. Her vocal style is reminiscent of what you hear on TheWicker Man soundtrack, crossed with some tie-dyed 60s psychedelic folk and a lovely electric guitar line. It's a highlight of this varied, intriguing set.