The Knights Project: Animals, Animals, Animals
Woodland Recordings – 5 February 2021
Folk-pop Brighton-based The Knights Project have seen a few changes over the years. Today consisting of duo Lucy Day on vocals, guitar, lyrics, and clarinet, with Tom Cowin on guitar and cittern the duo has developed into formidable champions of lo-fi folk with a talented ear for lyrics and harmonies.
Their new album Animals, Animals, Animals consists of seven tracks and running at just over 20 minutes it’s a short, and intimate, recording. It’s an engaging and handsome listen, though, with a sound that is rich in folk sensibilities. Songs of flight, earth, the sea, wildlife, and philosophy populate the recording providing a considered and intricate listen.
The album opens with a dreamy, rather short instrumental. It’s a peaceful and playful introduction to the album. Starting with some gentle strings before picking up pace to conclude with an almost jazzy duet between guitar and clarinet. It sets the scene well for a thoroughly appealing listen.
For the title track, ‘Animals, Animals, Animals’ the duo are joined by the delicate harmonies of Rachel Wemyss. ‘For the voice spoke first through the animals, and so did I’ sings Lucy. The song makes good use of lines from Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s book on philosophy; ‘A Thousand Plateaus’ reinforcing the reflective ambience behind the album.
‘Hospital Bed’, a song about Lucy’s grandmother is a mellow, sweet lament. It’s a song about passing and fragility. A song that touches on death, but also a song about healing and hope. ‘I’ve a feeling if not for all of this great disbelief, you’d have jumped to your feet’ sings Lucy over Tom’s quiet, soothing guitar. It’s a beautifully delicate and personal track. ‘To the world, you’ve gone far, but you’re so close to me’.
The duo play with tradition on ‘High Germany’. The song, first collected by Cecil Sharp, and covered by Martin Carthy, and Pentangle amongst others, is safe in the hands of The Knights Project. No instrumentation here, just Lucy and Rachel’s voices, perfectly balanced. It’s a luscious example of the power of a traditional song and two pure, harmonious voices.
‘Barnacle Feet’ starts with some tentative guitar from Tom, before Lucy’s idiosyncratic vocals sweep in. The track perfectly captures the poetry and talent of the duo’s writing: ‘Tendrils ever reach. They have eyes that never skip a beat, as they wrap around my thorny seat. And compel me.’ It’s one of the longest tracks on the album, but at just under 4 minutes it is still a little touch of beauty.
The final two tracks, ‘Mudslide’ and ‘Eroding Seams Instrumental’ are both, as the latter’s title suggests, instrumentals. Both highlight the duo’s talent as tunesmith, with an effortless and charming duet. A blissful listen with a meditative vibe flavouring the recording.
The album is released on Woodland Recordings. The physical copy, with an individually hand-stamped linocut sleeve and hand-stamped CD-r with lyric sheet, is limited to 50 copies and a gorgeous piece of art it is too.
Beautifully produced, Animals, Animals, Animals is a dreamy, fragile, and poetic way to spend some time with.
Order via Bandcamp: https://theknightsproject.bandcamp.com/