The Unthanks – Diversions Vol.5: Live And Unaccompanied
Rabble Rouser Music – Out Now
For well over a decade now, the umbrella name of The Unthanks has been used to denote and represent many different incarnations of the creative output of the uniquely talented members of the close-knit collective (for want of a better word) which has at its core sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank and Rachel’s husband, Adrian McNally, along with Niopha Keegan and Christopher Price. The Unthanks’ career has thus far encompassed what is by any standards a huge range of impressive creative endeavours, including ambitious large-scale orchestral explorations, one-off collaborations and special projects. Several of these have formed the ongoing series of “franchise-style” album releases which goes under the brand-title Diversions, of which this new release is the fifth. And – of course – it’s an entirely different animal from its predecessors in that instead of presenting a theme-driven concept-artefact it focuses on showcasing one particular facet of The Unthanks’ artistry: the very special alchemy of their wholly natural expression of storytelling in song through the medium of the unaccompanied voice, whether solo or in unison or harmony. For the pure and unadulterated human voice has, by rights, to be regarded as the most basic (the original, indeed) medium for conveying – and enhancing – the meaning of words in a musical context or setting; it’s the true wellspring of folk music.
Diversions Volume 5 is a double-disc edition, consisting of an audio disc and a DVD. The audio disc treats us to a collection of 13 individual songs recorded over the course of 31 live shows that took place variously in Newcastle, Dublin, London, Brighton, Durham, Bellaghy and Belfast during April and May 2019, on which the Unthanks’ celebrated “band within a band” trio (Rachel and Becky together with Niopha Keegan, the latter abandoning her violin for the evening) examined the storyteller’s art in front of an audience. These songs provide a good cross-section of the Unthanks’ knowingly eclectic a cappella repertoire, with their embracing of traditions both ancient and modern, songwriting both well-loved and newly championed, demonstrating their canny knack of making priceless discoveries.
While not in any way denigrating, devaluing or playing down the not inconsiderable talents of Messrs. McNally and Price, it’s important to recognise that the special performance art of singing in unaccompanied harmony is where Rachel and Becky started out and still what they do best. So within the context of an Unthanks concert, in complete contrast to the more complex, luxuriously heavily arranged and instrumentally scored items, some of the most memorable experiences will derive from the three lasses’ utterly distinctive blend of voices and their wonderfully intimate (“up close and personal”) renditions that will be greeted by totally hushed attentiveness, and invariably met with rapturous and enthusiastic applause (just sufficient of which is retained on this disc to not intrude on the frisson generated by the moment). By nature, unbelievably spellbinding, combining intensity and a sure control of both dynamics and technique, allied intuitively to their inborn grasp of the oral tradition.
Theirs are well-contrasted yet spine-chillingly complementary voices that blend eerily naturally and yet occupy discrete adjacent airspaces in a cool white-heat of togetherness. Especially perhaps on those songs which are taken at a slow, measured and unhurried pace, this togetherness can seem quite detached, and (entirely unfairly in my book) sometimes criticised for almost draining or numbing emotional expression. There are also listeners who find this tendency towards deliberate pacing overly ponderous. Still, to my mind, in every instance, the carefully considered approach is justified, for it signifies a thoughtfulness and a very real emotional commitment to the songs that for the Unthank sisters is a natural and subconscious stage in the necessary folk process of making the songs their own. It’s both highly effective and – in the end – thoroughly plausible. And – undeniably – singularly electrifying.
Now, this isn’t a live album in the conventional sense of in-concert run-throughs of songs made for a studio album or “fan favourites”. The majority of the 13 songs included here are exclusive to the Unthanks’ live gigs and have not hitherto appeared on record – the three exceptions being Poor Mum (one of the settings of Molly Drake that appeared on the mini-collection of “extras” for Diversions Volume 4); Where’ve Yer Bin Dick? (a trifle from the 2009 album Here’s The Tender Coming); and David Dodds’ Magpie (an accompanied version of which appeared on Mount The Air), which has become something of an Unthanks trademark – not least for its appearance on a series 3 episode of Mackenzie Crook’s charming, poignant cult TV series Detectorists. Another item familiar to me was the crucial Johnny Handle composition Guard Yer Man Weel, the sisters’ pin-drop account of which had previously stopped me in my tracks at an Unthanks gig just over ten years ago; this is one of the real goosebump performances, with a chilling poise to its unsettling, brooding harmonies. But the remaining choices, individually and together symptomatic of an enterprising developing repertoire, provide equally stimulating, and sometimes even more challenging, experiences. (It’s a pity, however, that no information was forthcoming for the reviewer beyond a bare tracklist, thus entailing a large amount of detective work.)
Rather in the vein of the Unthanks’ discovery of the poems of Molly Drake, here they bring to our attention two songs by the virtually unknown Connie (née Elizabeth Eaton) Converse, an enigmatic NYC (Greenwich Village) singer-songwriter who wrote a number of intimate personal songs in the mid-’50s (several years before it became “the vogueish thing”), then turned her back on music in 1961 and (somewhat mysteriously) disappeared altogether in 1974. These songs may often be desperately sad and lonely, but their character is curiously charming and richly deserving of championship, and the Unthanks prove both enthusiastic and well-suited to the task. I’m mesmerised by the way they transform the melodic sparsity of the originals into sublimely sumptuous (but not overly so) harmonic adventure. One By One, deceptively slight in its original incarnation, maybe uncannily simple, but here it’s deliciously beguiling and eerily lonesome, while the more chirpy, almost singalong Honeybee is exquisitely poised and impeccably arranged, with vocal lines weaving like something from the swing era or the Andrews Sisters’ repertoire. It proves a true masterstroke to follow Honeybee with The Bee-Boy’s Song, Peter Bellamy’s delectably “puckish” setting of Kipling. (Now how about a future volume of Diversions devoted to Connie Converse songs?… That would be something really special.)
Another astounding performance comes with the trio’s clear-sighted interpretation of the extraordinary We Picked Apples In A Graveyard Freshly Mowed by the unique Richard Dawson, an achingly strange but intensely beautiful composition whose thorny structure and unexpectedly caressing poetry uncompromisingly demand your fullest attention. In fact, it’s the standout of the entire set for me, without doubt – and it definitely spurs me on not only to investigate Richard’s own version of the song (on his 2015 album The Magic Bridge) but to immerse myself in his other work too. Another album highlight comes when the sisters demonstrate their penchant for, and keen empathy with, the work of one of Teesside’s greatest songwriters, Graeme Miles, with a superlatively harmonised account of Caught In A Storm, one of his most spine-tinglingly evocative (and quite bleak) songs chronicling a personal human response to nature. At the other end of the spectrum, the Unthanks’ rousing take on Mimi Fariña’s setting of James Oppenheim’s anthem Bread And Roses possesses a sense of resolve, that in its quiet determination scores all the more power for being less self-consciously tubthumping in its delivery.
Moving into the more traditional realm now, Becky revisits a haunting piece that she sang back in 2013 for Martin Green’s Crows’ Bones project. Lycanthrope ballad The Griesly Bride is a transformation (either written or adapted) by Australian poet John Manifold, which here takes on an even more spectral dimension than in the steely, unruffled 1983 a cappella recording by Cindy Mangsen. Finally, tradition itself is represented by two contrasted selections: the dialect-rich Geordie Wedding Set (a medley comprising We’ll Aal Be Wed In Our Auld Claiths and Hi Canny Man) and the beautifully mournful I’m Weary From Lying Alone, on which Niopha takes the lead.
Not quite every item performed in the concert sets appears on the audio CD (for instance, a captivating little sequence of Lullabies is unaccountably missing, and I’m told that the trio’s “rabble-rousing” choral backing for support act Tim Dalling was something else!), but as consolation all but one of the songs that did make it onto the disc are (properly) given in their entirety. The unfortunate exception is the final selection, Mervyn Vincent’s Farewell Shanty, a glowing performance which is (inexplicably) faded in on its second line and then (well before its true ending) faded out into a shimmering haze. Thankfully, there’s no such studio-trickery intervention on the remaining songs.
The 26-minute DVD As You Go, which supplements the “in concert” audio CD in the “special edition” version of the package, is described as “an atmospheric and beautifully shot account of life on the road”, through the eyes of filmmaker Ainslie Henderson (Becky’s partner). The film’s exclusive features comprise concert highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, family life and special performances during soundchecks and in found spaces, indoor and outdoor during the tour. (Sadly I can provide no further details since the DVD was not submitted for review.)
Nevertheless, the seriously riveting concert performances here represent jewel-like chamber-vocal “diversions” from the repertoire-highway – these are byways stacked with abundantly vital and yet quietly spectacular interpretations that are to be much treasured; and how very convenient to have them gathered together on one CD. It’s like having a concert in your very own home which gains, from the concentrated exposure and presence, to savour both the parts and the whole of a unique vocal blend that’s at once rarefied and luscious.
also more here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-unthanks-please-keep-us-ticking