Our Song of the Day comes from three world-class musicians who celebrate the traditional music of Wales: Oliver Wilson-Dickson, Jamie Smith and Dylan Fowler. Together, the trio go under the name of ALAW, a Welsh word meaning ‘melody’.
Their latest album Dead Man’s Dance (Dawns y Gŵr Marw) is a Featured Album of the Month (reviewed here) on which Pan O’wn Y Gwanwyn features. In his review, Neil described the tune as “full of growing light and the warmth of a beating heart.” The accompanying video (by www.georgemorrisfilm.com) is stunning. It was filmed at Twyn y Gaer, an iron age hill fort near Abergavenny. I have a deep love for Wales and its countryside and visit there often (my wife spent a large part of childhood in Abergavenny), and the views from Twyn y Gaer are spectacular, taking in the peaks of Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du and the Black Mountains. Stick this trio on there and you have the best spot in the country.
With Dead Man’s Dance (Dawns y Gŵr Marw) ALAW have not only created an impressive follow up to their 2013 debut, they’ve surpassed the brilliance of Melody with an even more invigorating, wider-ranging exploration of Welsh poetic and musical traditions. Placing those traditions in such a perfectly balanced and beautifully executed contemporary setting, and adopting a more expansive bi-lingual approach (exemplified in the packaging’s informative layout), has shown that ALAW can expand on those traditions with craft and sincerity. Dead Man’s Dance (Dawns y Gŵr Marw) is an inspired and unique album. Neil McFadyen, Folk Radio UK
Dead Man’s Dance is out now. Order via ALAW | ProperMusic | Amazon
ALAW will perform as part of OffWOMEX in Poland this year and look forward to album launch concerts with guests on the 29th and 30th November. See live dates below:
29th November, Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff
30th November, The Chapel, Abergavenny
1st December, Postlip Hall, Winchcombe, Cheltenham
2nd December, Chapel Arts, Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Hall
3rd December, Florence Nightingale Memorial Hall, Holloway