Tarantism

With a name reminiscent of The Incredible String Band you might be expecting psychedelic folk played on a variety of instruments – and you wouldn't be far wrong. The Magic Tuber Stringband is a duo from North Carolina comprising Courtney Werner (cello and fiddle) and Evan Morgan (guitar, banjo, pump organ and shruti box.)

Tarantism is a purely instrumental album, the instrumentation and style having Appalachian roots, but Magic Tuber Stringband tend towards the experimental rather than the traditional. ‘Orb-Weaver’ is the most accessible of the eight tracks, underpinned by a charming, rambling guitar figure and a pulsating fiddle. As a whole, though, the album is challenging – an interesting curiosity that doesn't bear repeated listens. I found the longer tracks – ‘Ruah’ is over 14 minutes – especially repetitive and self-indulgent rather than immersive. We’re led to believe that Tarantism ‘came together in the depths of the plague in the spring and summer of 2020.’ This might account for the unforgiving, almost menacing nature of the rather bleak soundscape.