Faeland – All My Swim
Green Sage Records – 20 January 2018
Back in October, Bristol duo Faeland (Rebecca Nelson and Jacob Morrison) provided us with a very promising taste of what to expect from their debut album All My Swim. Crafted around guitar, bass, percussion, and Rebecca’s gently alluring vocal; We’re Just A Love Song was the perfect introduction to the duo. Quietly upbeat, with Rebecca and Jacob’s accomplished song writing providing sharp observations on clichéd love (And we sing so sincerely / Of things we’ll never speak), it promised a rich vein of folk-inspired music that comes teasingly close to pop, country and a host of other flavours. The cast for We’re Just A Love Song included Lizzie Tucker (double bass), Rowan Sterk (drums), Sarah Moody (cello) and Martin Solomon‘s catchy fiddle riffs. That winning combination provides the bulk of the sound for the whole album, along with a few more friends for good measure.
Watch their latest video Silent Story which we have the pleasure of premiering today:
One of the things that impress most about what this flexible collective have recorded is just how understated the end result is. Despite the range of musical voices in the mix, the sound sits pleasingly somewhere between sparse and involved, with occasional outbreaks of dynamism when a little theatre fits the bill. Too Much provides as gentle an introduction to the album as you could wish for; with a soft, dreamy guitar intro and Rebecca’s sweet vocal. Moving gently on to the wider mix of drums, bass and keyboards, an accomplished foundation for most of the album, there’s a hint of the Mediterranean in the guitar, and the pulsing of Lizzie’s bass contrasting with the glassy tones of Michael Stanton‘s hammer dulcimer. That gentle build-up is also employed effectively in the album’s title track. Strings and a softly beaten drum open All My Swim, perhaps an ode to the healing powers of wild swimming? Matthew Heyse-Moore‘s clarinet certainly seems to dance like eddies in a gentle current, and the extended close builds from a soft tinkle of clàrsach, through to snare drum like the stab of sharp summer rain. Even the vocal seems to close on the catching of breath in cold water.
The English folk influences are many and wonderfully referenced, but Faeland have far more to offer. The scant three-line lyric of Prayer Song leaves ample space for an exploration of American roots and an empyrean lull of clàrsach. That ethereal fragility is gently cast aside for Train, an accordion waltz with an old-timey lineage that moves towards a quickening pulse and explores the outlands of pop. In a delightful contrast, Chantress harks to balladry for a tale of feminine mystery with a rich, evocative poetry in the lyrics…
And as he slept he heard an ancient song and call
Within his bones were notes so sad and beautiful
An oak an ash a thorn a drum a hand a heart a song
Colliding memories of places he had never walked
The themes of love, healing and magic, beautifully hinted at in the album’s artwork by Jen Howarth, are never far from the surface in these enchanting songs. The sleepy drone of the cello in Strings exudes a warm contentment for an affirmation of the joy of solitude; and in The Wheel, fiddle carries the dreamy melody along like a river, while Hammond organ adds a touch of heavenly majesty. With Rebecca’s soft but fiery vocal and Jacob’s earthy banjo, it’s an elemental offering. To The Green celebrates the healing power of nature, and offers a glimpse of what Rebecca and Jacob are capable of as a duet in their own right, with a live performance that’s every bit as accomplished as their song writing…
And bless the sunlight who seeks me out in shadow
Won’t let me wallow
Won’t cease till I follow her lead
Find Me closes the album with layers of vocal that hint back to 70’s folk/jazz. As ever, though, change is in the air; and while fiddle toys with the melody, the spirited combination of cello and double bass build towards something more dynamic. There’s movement throughout this album, like a sleepy current with latent power that comes into its own as the river narrows. Full of songs you long to return to – because there’s certain to be a gorgeous detail that passed you by on the first listen. Throughout, Faeland exhibit a soft, measured assurance in the performances and a rich, inviting warmth in the production. All My Swim is a debut that does far more than impress, it delights.
All My Swim is Out Now, order via Bandcamp: https://faeland.bandcamp.com/
Faeland 2018 live performances
25 April, Benjamin Perry Scout Hut, BRISTOL
13 May, Spirit Fest, BRISTOL
22 May, Kingskerswell Parish Church, NEWTON ABBOT
25 May, Loves Cafe, WESTON-SUPER-MARE
9 June, Hawthorns, GLASTONBURY
16 June, Silk Mill Studios, FROME
29 June, The Royal Oak, BATH
7 July, Stroud Sacred Music Festival, STROUD
13 July, El Rincon, BRISTOL
19 July, Buddhafield Festival, TAUNTON
14 Sept, The Golden Lion, GUERNSEY
15 Sept, Sark Roots Festival, SARK
12 October, The George (of The Plough Arts Centre), DEVON
Photo Credit: Rupert Russell