Edgelarks – Feather
Dragonfly Roots – 17 May 2019
There are often many ways of making a point. In today’s world, where political and social divisions seem to be greater than ever, it is common to see artists, writers and performers of all kinds use their platform to deliver impassioned pleas for change, angry diatribes against those in positions of power or fiery defences of the rights of downtrodden groups or individuals. That is doubly true of folk music, which has always had at its core a sense of social responsibility and a genuine role to play in historical situations where a strong dissenting voice is called for. This type of protest is often valid, and indeed necessary. But among this, it is sometimes easy to forget that making music can be a way of rediscovering and describing the moments of joy that still exist in the world. Music can revel in its own happiness, and this in itself can be a potent protest in a climate where happiness might seem hard to come by.
Feather, the fourth album by award-winning duo Hannah Martin and Phillip Henry (and the second under the name Edgelarks), is an album of happy songs, an upbeat meditation on the best life has to offer. The pair have made a conscious choice to eschew negativity, to sing, as they themselves put it in the album’s liner notes, songs ‘against sadness, loneliness and the erosions of time.’ With such a choice in place, Feather is a statement for these times, a form of protest music inasmuch as it urges the listener not to give in to the negative forces currently at work in the world.
Musically, Edgelarks are in a perfect place to make such an album. They were recognised in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards as Best Duo, an accolade that reflects not only their accomplished songwriting but also their considerable musical skill – and, just as importantly, their willingness not to be confined by traditional British folk tropes and instruments. Feather’s first song and title track is a reminder that they take as much inspiration from American as from British folk music. It is driven by Henry’s National guitar and Martin’s brisk banjo, while Martin’s voice, full of depth and richness, would not be out of place in old-time Appalachia. Where the song really stands apart, though, is its arrangement, and how its lyrics fit that arrangement. It is a complex thing, but in the hands of this duo, it sounds fluid and natural. The song itself is about mystery and freedom, and this is reflected perfectly in the playing, which is both intricate and laid-back.
Where I Stand is something of a cultural and historical melting-pot of a song. Its lyrical content tells of ancient migrations and the way landscape and language are inextricably linked, while the music retains a distinctly transatlantic accent – once again the banjo and National guitar are to the fore. It also sees the introduction of another of the album’s important themes: the pair deliver the line ‘the only constant in life is change’ with a weight and gravity of a manifesto. Back From Hope – a tribute to the joys of sharing the natural world with a loved one – sees the duo further sharing vocal duties. The whole album sees Henry emerge as a vocalist in his own right, and here his singing has a soft strength of emotion that works superbly in tandem with Martin’s voice and energetic fiddle playing.
On Wanting Nothing the duo create an initially minimal tapestry of dobro and banjo that acts as a backdrop to a tale of domestic fulfilment, before building into a joyous, rhythmic pulse. What We Save From The Tide is more reserved but no less beautiful: the two guitars and the two voices weave in and out giving the piece a mesmeric and fittingly oceanic quality, while the lyrics use the sea as a metaphor for a world in which creativity is valuable but difficult to pin down. The link between nature, happiness and creativity is evidently a preoccupation of Martin’s lyrics: she explores similar ideas in Oyster, a song that works on many levels. It details how nature can create beauty despite adversity, and how humans could learn from that. It also reveals that Martin’s songwriting influences go well beyond the music world into the realm of poetry – in this case, Emily Dickinson, whose poem Hope Is The Thing With Feathers is directly referenced in the song. Martin has her own knack for the pithily poetic lyric too – ‘we fail until we don’t’ is a clever observation of both the creative process and the human condition.
Time Away is a deceptively simple song about the necessity for rest and recuperation that nestles in a swell of strings, while Growing is inspired by a real-life good news story in which a lost wedding ring was found in extraordinary circumstances sixteen years later. Again, the lyrics hide a deeper message about the nature of hope and the endurance of love.
As well as being an excellent guitarist Henry also contributes the innovative beatbox harmonica. On Wander, it provides a driving rhythm to a song about the human connectedness to place, the urge to travel and the need for tolerance and acceptance. To its credit, this song – and many of the others on Feather – feels more like a celebration than a sermon.
While the duo have made a name for themselves of late with the quality of their original material, they are still consummate interpreters of traditional material. Here, their version of Spencer The Rover is proof that Martin, if she wanted to, could stand alongside our finest folk singers. It is a beautiful, stripped back interpretation, given an experimental twist by the addition of the atmospheric drone of Henry’s shruti box. Closing track The Longest Day draws the whole album together with disarmingly sedate verses punctuated by fluttering, impressionistic passages of fiddle.
There are some albums that reflect a current mood or fit snugly into their own period of history. With Feather, Edgelarks have not tried to achieve that. Instead, they have accomplished something more impressive. They have created an album that captures something much more long-lasting, universal and difficult to pin down: the nature of human happiness and the need for hope, not just now but in perpetuity. And in that respect Feather is an uplifting triumph.
Feather is out now. Stream it here: https://ffm.to/edgelarksfeather.oyd
Order the CD via Bandcamp: https://philliphenryhannahmartin.bandcamp.com/album/feather
Upcoming Feather Album Launch Tour Dates
04/06 – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
07/06 – The Beehive, Honiton
08/06 – The Acorn Theatre, Penzance
14/06 – ACE Space, Newbury
15/06 – Feather Launch Party at West Town Farm, Ide, nr Exeter
16/06 – Gower Folk Festival, Wales
20/06 – Anteros Arts Foundation, Norwich
21/06 – Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden
22/06 – Shutlanger Village Hall