Russell Swallow and the Wolf are a UK indie folk band whose latest album ‘Sunrise Mountain‘ takes inspiration from the likes of John Martyn and Nick Drake as well as ‘the peace of the Countryside and islands of green between the City’s grey strips’. This promising trio have put together a great album that imbibes the everyday things that have been encouraging pen to paper for years: the soaring feelings of home and love to the mixed up emotions of betrayal.
All of the tracks stand out on their own merits although I found myself being drawn back to Paper Aeroplanes and Newfound Shore which offers a catchy Nick Drake influenced guitar and gorgeous choral harmonies through which Russell weaves a voice that wrings out every emotion. The lyrics, like the arrangements, are simple heartfelt refelctions but it is the delicacy of arrangements and the fragility of voice that makes them so powerful…
Paper Aeroplanes:
Watching old movies in the afternoon
Thinking that You’re gonna be home soon
I thought I heard You call my name as the credits start to roll
It was just my imagination running wild
Newfound Shore
Out of the beast I took all of my present tense
I knew the storm would pass
Revealing a newfound shore
Lost on the storm
And somehow reborn
This is an incredibly lovely album, from the vocal harmonies, piano, guitar and violin it is steeped in atmosphere and emotion. Russell Swallow carries a fragility in his voice that draws you into those lyrics and the accompanying harmonies are heavenly, simple yet enduring…an unforgettable sound.
Russell and fellow band members: Jess Kennedy (piano, organ, vocals) and Alison Jones (violin), along with the guest musicians on this album, have a lot to be proud of.
www.russellswallowandthewolf.co.uk