In his review of Sarah-Jane Summers and Juhani Silvola‘s 2016 album ‘Widdershins‘, Neil Mcfadyen highlighted how “the rebellious tendencies of both players are given free rein to delightful effect. Juhani’s guitar turns on a sixpence between driving rhythms, breath-taking picked complexity and soothing atmospheres, while Sarah-Jane’s fiddle could take you, at any moment, across the dance floor or across the mountain tops – you never quite know until you’re there.” He concluded “Rarely is music such an overwhelming joy.”
We again hear that improvisational playfulness in their new single ‘Borrowed Days‘ (out today) taken from their forthcoming new album The Smoky Smirr o Rain (due 21st May and available to pre-order now via Bandcamp). While folk music forms the starting point, this soon transforms into some sublime and quite breath-taking improvisational moments as Sarah-Jane’s bowing takes flight in a freeform graceful arc above Juhani’s binding guitar, her fiddle at times mimicking strange birdsong, before touching down again. The playing, as described by Juhani, is very storylike:
We are inspired by storms, natural phenomena and bird watching, as well as everything from abstract art to contemporary music, from hard techno to hardcore Scottish and Scandinavian traditional music. This track has a cinematic feel, and tells a story that can be interpreted figuratively or as a metaphor for the inner soul life.
After listening to this breathtaking single, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s a physically demanding and intense performance. Whilst that intensity can be heard in the music, it’s also a deeply poetic language – the duo has created a musical universe that is both comfortable to be in, but that also surprises and challenges. It is music for body and soul, dance and reflection, and is guaranteed to take the listener on a journey full of positive surprises.
“Borrowed Days” is described as a raging and beautiful storm with the calming interlude being the psychedelic ‘eye of the storm’, where time stands still and the main character hallucinates, accompanied by birdsong from alien planets. The intensity slowly builds up again, and the song ends in the same storm it started in.
The title refers to a fable that exists in several countries, including Scotland, Ireland and Spain. It tells of an old cow who boasted that even the harshest weather in March could not kill her. March, therefore, borrowed three days from April and filled them with all the rage March could muster, killing the old cow. The last three days of March were therefore known as ‘Borrowed Days’, and people who are superstitious neither borrow nor lend during those days.
Borrowed Days is released today and is available on streaming services. It is taken from their forthcoming album The Smoky Smirr o Rain which you can pre-order via Bandcamp now: https://sarah-janesummers.bandcamp.com/album/the-smoky-smirr-o-rain
Website: https://www.sarahjanejuhani.com/
Photo Credit: Jonas Sjøvaag