Mawkin – Down Among the Dead Men
Goodform Records – 5 October 2018
There is muscle aplenty from the off on Down Among the Dead Men, London band Mawkin‘s fourth studio album. 2015’s Ties that Bind effort punted them right back into the thick of the folk world, with David Delarre’s vocals gathering confidence and momentum after the guest vocalist and instrumental heavier Crow, their first after Jim Causley left the setup. Down Among the Dead Men begins with clever and logical splicing of two Full English archived songs, ‘The Midnight Ranger’ and ‘Who’s Coming out for a Midnight Ramble’, both by Sam Bagnall and with an original melody by guitarist David Delarre. The juxtaposing works well, and the group vocals for the choruses really breathe life into the song, but the most exciting thing here is still the band coming together for an instrumental workout towards the end of the track. Lee Richardson’s drums are meaty but don’t overpower Nick Cooke’s masterful melodeon playing or James Delarre’s violin, which sweeps in to work with Nick’s drone. Danny Crump’s bass also adds depth to the song, while David’s guitar during the solo vocal holds it perfectly and sits subtly behind the others later on, a bit like Kris Drever’s playing on Lau’s wonderful ‘Horizontigo’. Watch the video premiere below.
It’s all about James’ fiddle playing on ‘Blind Fiddler / The Cabin’, the former being a song learned from Phil Beer. His line throughout this tragic tale sets a hell of a pace and doesn’t slow up much, even when at the halfway point the tune shifts into the more traditional sounding ‘Cabin’ dance. The emphasis shifts in the latter part of ‘A Smuggler’s Song / Daniel Wright’s Hornpipe’ to Cooke’s melodeon, where his higher notes alongside that slinky bass are gorgeous. This band clearly have a gift for shifting and merging several times in a single track, pulling away from each other and coming back together to re-structure the song without putting a foot wrong. It’s all done without showing off, but the playing here is still confident and accomplished, and you begin wondering how it will sound in a full venue and want to be part of the crowd stomping their feet and throwing beer everywhere.
But it all slows up considerably for a beautiful piece of instrumental music in ‘To Wednesday’, a slight tongue in cheek tribute to a gruelling festival diary, taking its toll on the body and the wallet. The tune itself is glorious, with a patient melodeon line being joined and underpinned by a more leisurely paced violin refrain before a minimal bass line plants its feet. The percussion here is more considered too, as is David Delarre’s guitar playing, seemingly electric this time, which lends a kind of clarity to the piece. I’m a sucker for a decent instrumental song, and this one is multi-layered and textured and performed with impeccable skill. Towards the end, it drifts into a somewhat abstracted dreamlike structure before coming back in and taking the notes slightly higher to finish one of the strongest pieces on the album and a lovely interlude from the vocal-led songs.
After a slightly maverick carnival song in ‘Old Fool’, with its distorted intro and disjointed structure and scatty guitar line, we return to traditional Full English archives with ‘Saxon’s Hornpipe / Pretty Girl’s Polka’, two apparently underused tunes. Here the melodeon, fiddle and mandolin sit behind a strong bit of acoustic guitar playing, before the big three step forward to take the lead. The result is a sweet dance that shifts into a more urgent piece, with a quick drum beat and violin line closing the track. Completely different is the title track, leading onto ‘Cut and Shut Hornpipe’, the former being an ancient form of drinking song. The intro here is unexpected, with a distant drum beat giving way to a slow distorted guitar line, reminiscent of something (as ridiculous as it sounds) off of Arctic Monkeys’ AM album, in all its late-night boozey lounge glamour. The vocal here is cool too, with a hint of laziness and mischief. The wavering melodeon and violin parts that intersect the vocals are also clever, with their clean lines nicely contradicting the boys’ slightly drunken singing. The result is the longest song of the set, but one full of interesting contrary playing and structures that somehow blend seamlessly. I think this track may be the one that best demonstrates the ability and imagination of the band on the album.
Penultimate track ‘Cooke’s Wafer’ is probably the slightest on here, but its gentleness and the strength of the tune puts it alongside ‘To Wednesday’ for charm. The violin and melodeon come together again to create something special, but it’s a piece that’s over before you know it – leading straight into ‘Jolly Roving Tar’ – and one that could carry on for another ten minutes without outstaying its welcome. ‘Tar’ is another drinking song with strong connections to the mariner, and another gentler one to end the set on. The vocals here are more sympathetic, without so much of the punch of earlier songs, and it suits this little sentimental tune and closes things nicely. In fact, the medley at the end contains some of the most considered and restrained playing on the album, but I feel it’s a balance that has been provided by the more uproarious and upbeat songs, along with the instrumental nuggets and little curve balls popped in here and there. Overall, Down Among the Dead Men is an extremely varied and enjoyable set, but one that also reminded me at times of Lankum’s incredible Between the Earth and Sky LP in its ability to pack a punch. It is the sound of a band cementing their sound and having a blast playing these wonderful songs with exciting and enviable energy. This is an album to relish and then savour, a confident set that brings great playing together with splendid tunes to create something rather special.
Down Among the Dead Men is out 5th October 2018
Order via: Amazon (Digital/CD/Vinyl)
For more details visit: https://www.mawkin.co.uk/
Photo Credit: Elly Lucas