Storied Sounds

Accordionist and composer Tuulikki Bartosik made quite an impression with her previous album, Chatterbox, with Hannah James. Her latest project, Storied Sounds, sees her responding to her own Estonian heritage and landscape while bringing along a few very well chosen friends – Timo Alakotila on piano, Villu Talsi on mandolin and Dylan Fowler on guitar.

This is a finely crafted album with much care and thought having gone into the narrative. A number of the tracks include field recordings of nature or animals, giving the listener the sensation of arriving in a clearing after walking with friends, or hearing the cry of a bird in the dead of night. Without exception the melodies are beautiful, with a spacious northern melancholy and a lilt in the step. The playing throughout is outstanding, as you might expect from this line-up, with Bartosik directing quirky rhythms and exquisite textures that provide a playground for her own contributions on free-bass accordion, voice and metallophone.

The journey ends with a delightful wedding march, which is much more about celebrations than a solemn walk down the aisle. Definitely an album that leaves you wanting more.