Favourite Listening of 2017

Another year and another small set of albums have naturally risen to the top of the pile, identifying themselves as the very best, to me, of those encountered in 2017. I note with interest that all voices in this selection are female, not a conscious choice but perhaps Freud could tell me a reason for it; in the year of grotesque behaviour from Weinstein, Trump and too many males elsewhere it seems appropriate, and where the balance of expressed humanity is right now.


Till April is Dead, A Garland of May – Lisa Knapp (England)


A May-themed album may seem a somewhat niche notion but in the capable hands of Lisa Knapp, who has yet to put a foot wrong in an impeccable musical progression, it is an inspired match to her history and talents. Rooted in the weird and wonderful English folk traditions of May time it is constantly yet subtly and subversively inventive, highly atmospheric, and by turns stirring, elegant and beautiful – as befits the season. Listened to on a soggy January day, finally past the shortest day, it keeps the promise of longer warmer days in morale boosting sight; played loudly and repeatedly on the balmy first of May last year it was an absolute joy.


Snowpoet – Snowpoet (England)
 

Gently jazzy, with a fascinating range of musical textures and pace changes, coupled with intriguing words coming and going that demand repeated attentive listening… It all adds up to something alarmingly addictive and pleasing with some truly magical moments, I can neither leave it alone nor fully explain it! It’s a bit like spending forty fascinating minutes in that disorientating no-mans-land between sleep and awake where it’s hard to fully grasp anything; wonderfully understated yet penetrating and persistent. Snowpoet are fronted by the London-based writing duo of Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson, with Lauren performing all the vocals, while versatile musician Chris is augmented by a number of others whose collective creativity and self-restraint are to be (quietly) applauded. This is their debut album from 2016 with a second due out in just a few weeks, I intend to be first in the queue.

(Oh and they are playing a double bill with the incomparable Olivia Chaney in May, just a 20 minute drive away in a hall with fabulous acoustics; this in a week I shall be away so can only admire the perfection of my disappointment – go for me if you can)


Agiorgitiko – Stathis Koukoularis & Martha Mavroidi (Greece)
 

Agiorgitiko is an adaptable red grape variety grown particularly in Greece, for a range of wine production, and like it this album could be considered a staple fruit of the nation. Legendary violinist Stathis Koukoularis is on blistering form alongside soaring young vocalist and lutist Martha Mavroidi as they provide definitive performances of a range of traditional music and song from the Aegean and Asia Minor, along with the single fine self-composed title track. There are no gimmicks or concessions to wider populism, this is unashamedly uncompromised traditional, utterly beautiful, music from start to finish. Savour it in a world of artifice.


Viena – Varttina (Finland)
 

Female Finnish band Varttina have surely been around forever, after all I remember buying their breakthrough album Oi Dai back in 1991 so they must be really quite old (like me) now, right? Not so it seems, unlike me they appear to have access to Dr Who like regeneration powers, with frequent personnel changes meaning they have managed to sustain if not enhance their trademark youthfulness and energy. This was brought home emphatically at a live performance locally just before Christmas, fittingly in the week of the centenary of Finnish independence, when the three current members, arriving late after traumatic travel problems and with no supporting musicians, simply blew away a full house. It’s easy to be beguiled by the traditional costumes and humour (almost slapstick at times) Varttina bring to their live performance which disguise apparently effortless yet formidable vocal strength and skill in perfect synchronisation, coupled with impressive musicianship on kantele and accordion. Prior to independence Finland was part of Russia and those roots are a key inspiration musically, witness this tremendous new album (one of their absolute best, which is saying something given the number they have produced down the years) which has been inspired by visits to the lingering traditional villages and customs of the Viena Karelia (or White Karelia) region on the Russian side of the border. Inventively based on traditional words and melodies Viena provides a wonderful mix of powerful and delicate singing, often moving, and unique to this part of world – and well worth embracing.


A Pocket of Wind Resistance – Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy (Scotland)
 

Having listened to this a number of times I indulge myself with the fanciful thought that it was released in late November, just too late to be included in any music publications “best of the year“ considerations (and probably too early to be remembered next time round), as an act of charitable consideration for other contenders. So yes, it’s a bit special. How special? Respected author Robert Macfarlane when asked for his best books of 2017 by the Guardian newspaper demonstrated his alertness by majoring on a single volume, the 64 page printed version of essentially the words to this album. Yet both of these productions are subsequent to their profound source, the 2016 Edinburgh Festival theatre production Wind Resistance, a theatre debut for renowned Scottish musician and ex-social worker Karine Polwart. All three incarnations of the work individually and exquisitely capture the natural cycle of Scottish rural life both human and animal, with stunning evocations of the natural world, notably through the migration of geese, and human love, pregnancy and childbirth, the hardships of winter, and no holds barred tragedy. A powerful and imaginative combination of music (composer Pippa Murphy deserves significant credit), natural sounds, song and spoken word including Burns poetry delivers a profound story that goes way beyond a normal musical production. Formidable, utterly humane, and be warned - there may be tears before the end.



See Also:  Favourite Listening of 2016
                  Another Year of Reading - In Pictures (2017)

 

Favourite Listening of 2013

As someone with a lifelong passion for searching out and savouring new, interesting and exciting music it's always instructive at the end of the year to identify those albums that I have most reached for in the last 12 months.

 

In no particular order, they are:

Olivia Chaney: Olivia Chaney (EP)  Even though I am continually trying new music it is usually several years between those full-on "hair standing up on the back of the neck" moments. Ms Chaney is responsible for the latest of these, being an astonishing singer and instrumentalist who simply has to sit down at a piano and get stuck in to hold you in her hand. Elegant and slightly classical in feel, with mostly traditional/folk style (but highly original in content) song material it manages to be both simple and spellbinding. Exasperatingly, given her obvious talents, Chaney has for some years remained almost wilfully inaccessible - preferring to play many random supporting roles for other better-known (but possibly not better) performers rather than release any albums of her own, or tour solo. This EP contains just five songs and is stunning, and is clearly a kind of holding action in the face of growing pressure to do more. Unfortunately it's so good that pressure is now likely to rise noticeably to get that first proper album out! Rumour has it she has finally signed a deal to do such a thing in 2014, fingers crossed!

Katy Carr: Paszport  Katy Carr is half-English, half-Polish and seemed to arrive in the music worlds consciousness about 18 months ago - mainly as a result of this captivating and moving album (though its predecessor Coquette is arguably just as good). Paszport tells the wartime exploits of various Polish protagonists in varied and engaging ways, demonstrating Carrs huge musical versatility in the process - it is utterly involving from start to finish, including the sound of a Spitfire flypast on one track! Carr is a qualified pilot (something I read suggested an ex-RAF pilot), has a band called the Aviators, and is always immaculately dressed in 1940s vintage fashion. She spends a lot of time performing to Polish audiences both in Poland and the UK, and I continue to try and triangulate on a live performance I can attend. One to savour when it happens.

Helene Blum: En Gang Og Altid  Danish singer Helene Blum is stunning in both appearance (well someone has to say it) and in terms of what she is capable of vocally. Although sung entirely in Danish this debut album from 2008 remains my favourite for being more lively, varied and just plain beautiful than the two more measured subsequent albums I have (Christmas album Liden Sol and Men med abne Ojne) which are still very satisfying but in more of a slow-growing sort of way. Blum is married to fiendishly talented fiddler Harald Haugaard and the two have toured the UK regularly in recent years, generally playing in small village halls and churches. The prospect of seeing them perform in such a venue is very enticing; frustratingly I have yet to be able to make the date/place combinations on offer - but hopefully next time...

The Jimmy Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland  Well, how did I get to my age without doing Hendrix justice? I thing it's a measure of how much wonderful music there is out there that the temptation is to ignore the big obvious stuff and seek out the embarrassment of well hidden riches. This would be played even more if I didn't have to wait for the neighbours to go out first, so I can put the volume up to where it has to be. This is guitar playing that will never be surpassed, and to think I now have the rest of his back-catalogue to discover!

Lisa Knapp: Hidden Seam  This is Lisa Knapp's second album, a solid 7 years after her very promising first (Wild and Undaunted), and it confirms she is on her own very special and creative trajectory and not "just another folk singer". This album is so full of highlights, and lacks a duff track, that it's hard to pick out just one. I love the simplicity of the Shipping Song, based on the BBC shipping forecast, which burrows into your head - never to leave, and a number of other songs are similarly captivating and memorable (like the best (or worst?!) pop songs). Innovation is everywhere so that despite an underpinning traditional ethos this is highly engaging, accessible and entertaining throughout. Seeing Lisa and talented husband Gerry Diver performing recently in a very small, modest venue was a joy, the highlight being an extraordinary rendition of the Shipping Song.

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake  Released in 2010, this is an album I will continue to play regularly for a long time to come. That it would win the Mercury prize was a given for me as soon as I heard it was on the shortlist - it is so powerful and untouchable, and clearly the pinnacle of PJs output to date. Focusing on Britain's military history and the brutal realities of war and its legacies, it is pretty important, relevant stuff that everyone should engage with. That it was recorded in a country church, yards from where my grandparents are buried, adds considerable personal poignancy. I also recommend the DVD version of this album that contains 12 short films by Seamus Murphy to accompany the songs. Given the powerful nature of the songs it seems unlikely the films should work - but they really do.