Good Habits continues to
operate as an entity in its own right and Quarter-Life is their
third album, (released with support from the brilliant Help Musicians UK and the
Alan Surtees Trust.) The album features five collaborations with other artists.
There’s a breathtaking cover of The Who’s Baba O’Riley (featuring
Lunatraktors) but, for me, my favourite track is Sunday, a Bonnie
composition that fuses Bonnie’s voice and cello perfectly with the banjo and voice of
Kate Griffin (of Mishra fame.) This languorous gem of a song
reminds us of the importance of recharging our batteries.
Among the Celtic
traditions, the folk music of Cornwall is a little under-represented compared
with Irish and Scottish folk. One distinctive Cornish voice is Richard Trethewey
who, earlier this year, released a beautiful album called Two Halves, (the title
coming from the idea that it would be released on vinyl with a ‘side one’ and a
‘side two,’ each with slightly different moods.)
The musicianship and instrumentation
on Two Halves is phenomenal. Richard (a graduate of Newcastle’s folk music
degree course) sings and plays fiddles and a cittern on this, his second solo
release, but the musical landscape is further enriched by beautiful playing by guest
musicians on cello, oboe, harp and flute ...and there’s even a brass band. The
stand-out track for me is Bringing the Harvest Home – an unlikely homage to the
harvesting of plums along the banks of the River Fal. It’s a lovely blend of
melancholy and celebration.
Anna and Rowan Rheingans – The Rheingans Sisters –
have produced a startlingly experimental new album. Start Close In challenges
the listener with its extended drones and irregular electronic beats. It took me
a few play-throughs before I could really enjoy the immersive, layered
playfulness of this record but now it’s becoming a bit of a favourite.
Many of
the tracks are tricksy and full of surprises. Un Voltigeur, sung in French with
a banjo accompaniment, begins by recalling those other musical sisters the
McGarrigles but, when saxophonist Daniel Thorne joins in, there are shades of Jan
Garbarek and then a subtle electric guitar makes an unexpected appearance. Over
and Over Again is minimalist and mesmerising, with its repetitive fiddle and Justin
Adams-style electric guitar while its lyrics literally repeat “Over and over
again.”
The meaning of Rowan’s song Drink Up, is ambiguous, ambivalent: “Scroll
down/Everyone’s craving time/Everyone’s holding their place on the
line/Everyone’s job is a compromise/Swim, everyone synchronise/Strike,
everything stops and starts...” It seems to sum up an effort to find joy in the
mess we’re in, which isn't a bad idea at all.