The Eastern Swell – Hand Rolled Halo
Stereogram Recordings – 16 November 2018
Hand Rolled Halo is an enchanting new album from The Eastern Swell, a contemporary folk act from Scotland. The album reflects a blend of traditional British and American folk dressed up with modern sensibilities featuring the compelling vocals of Lainie Urquhart.
Signed to Edinburgh’s Stereogram Recordings, the band includes Chris Reeve on guitar, Neil Collman on bass, Andy Glover on drums and the previously mentioned Urquhart on lead vocal. They’re joined by friends Pete Harvey on cello and keys as well as Al Hamilton on trumpet.
These songs are well nurtured and the intentionally arranged. The album is fundamentally about love and loss, universal themes to be certain. They set the table nicely with the opener “Miles From Home” a tune that builds a whirling mysterious atmosphere. The song builds slowly, behind a nice bass line and muted trumpet.
The traditional “Blackwaterside,” done so well by Sandy Denny and others, glides along quite nicely. This version is done with the full band, unlike the many solo acoustic efforts done previously by Bert Jansch, Denny and others. It’s a beautifully crafted song with an unhappy ending for the scorned young lady who is the victim.
An album highlight is “Down Again by Blackwaterside,” a song that plays off its namesake. The lyrics, however, suggest a more positive outcome. The song features a warm solo from guitarist Chris Reeve, played in a mellow 70’s folk-rock style.
“I caught a live one year ago/There as the rain fell
I saw his eyes and let it go/Sat down beside you/Down by Blackwaterside
Deep in your eyes and still as stone/There as the rain fell/
Although the silence said it all/I called your name and you and I were one and the same.”
The band plays comfortably “outside the box” on several tunes. There’s a sense of urgency in “The Game,” a jazzy instrumental propelled along by bassist Collman, with Middle Eastern-influenced guitar grooves from Reeve and trumpet leads from Al Hamilton. A laid-back groove is at the centre of “Spindrift” although with an ominous “western” ambience, the lyrics are more troubling.
“Thoughts in the darkest morning light, swirling around inside my mind/
Hitting the rocks in an endless stream of thoughts, I don’t know why you left the way you did that day.”
“Zeitgeist,” the most upbeat song on the album, has a two-step swing/New Orleans jazz vibe along with a slight nod to Joni Mitchell’s “Twisted.” Clearly, the band is having fun on this one. In contrast, more serious tones are presented in “The Scene,” a song of regret and apology.
“Well I’m sorry about the scene/When I’ve started its hard to reign it in/
It’s one of those things that has a life of its own/Something that dives and spins …”
“Dreaming of St. Jude,” is the album closer. It’s an instrumental that gently pulls together the sonic themes found on the album. It feels like a song made for the end credits of a bittersweet love story, one with ups and downs, a proper finish to an excellent series of songs. This is an impressive album, blending the traditional folk of artists like Denny, Jansch, and the Thompsons, with more contemporary sounds from alt-folk artists like Ryley Walker. We strongly recommend giving it a listen.