VARIOUS ARTISTS - 8 FOLK SONGS

Released September 2012

TOR31

Sometime in 2007, I stepped into Carlisle's best book shop, Bookcase. Down the stairs, where the vinyl and sheet music is stored, I found a pile of books. '104 Folk Songs' is a book of songs recorded by popular folk artists on the Folkways record label. It included lyrics, as well as guitar and banjo chords. The book is from the mid sixties and the songs, as you can imagine, are as old as the hills.

My initial idea was an E.P. of songs taken from the book and recorded by the band I was in at the time, with a facsimile of the cover as artwork. The band broke up before the idea could be fully realised but demos were recorded and some finished versions found their way onto Harbourcoat's final release. 'Bury Me Beneath the Willow Tree', 'The House of the Rising Sun' and 'Naomi Wise' can be found on the '12' mini album among other original songs.

I put the concept to the back of my mind, knowing that eventually I would see it through and last month, the final song was recorded.

The first track to be recorded was my own, 'The Ballad Of Mary Hamilton', recorded in August 2011. I was listening to a lot of acid folk at the time as well as the soundtrack to 'The Wicker Man'. Every folk album needs a murder ballad.

Next up is 'A Horse Named Bill' by Cat Of Tomorrow. Recorded sometime in the Spring, I can recall a boozy evening in Dave's cellar and this was the result, rough edges still there for maximum Harry Smith effect. Mandolin, Banjo and Vocals recorded live on open mics.

Shane was in town for one day in February. We headed to Alastair's house and recorded 'A Hundred Years From Now'. In two takes we got the Guitar and Banjo live track, Shane then added a vocal but the body of this track was put together by Alastair over the summer. Industrial noise, effected birdsong, feedback and other noises make this Whirlaway track a long, strange trip.

Hills! Werewolves! Run! completely abandon the idea of a 'traditional' sounding folk song and '900 Miles' is given the fuzz and speed drum treatment. Desperate, ramshackle, heavy and very nearly derailed. This was recorded in winter 2011.

British Space Program momentarily swap the folk for country on 'Blood On The Saddle'. Another track that was recorded live (apart from Dave's wonderful Harmonica solo) in the cellar. Recorded shortly after I lost my job and was recording like crazy.

The Nightowl Sings take on 'Shady Grove' is probably my favourite track on this release. Kind of experimental Americana, this is sad, slow and sounds just a little fucked up. Recorded in between the albums 'By the Light of the Fallen Moon' and 'Tip the Maps'.

'Bay of Sacremento' finds Old Weird before their recent transition into electro-velvets-kraut, and recalls the hauntology spirit radio of their first release. More ghost than song, a melody dances with the shipping forecast, a mandolin comes in and out of focus and the protagonist expresses his desire to make it to Californ-i-o.

The final song on this release, and the final song to be recorded, is 'Rio Grande' by The Dead West. By now, the notion of 'Folk' is completely forgotten as the band give some real garage psych before a saxophone and effects freak out at the end. Recorded a few weeks ago in August, exactly one year since the first. Dig the symmetry.

This album kills fascists.

- Stephen.





Download here : http://treehouseorchestrarecordings.bandcamp.com/album/8-folk-songs

Or here : http://www.mediafire.com/?0ls39bzg4uiclos