The pioneering Folkatron Sessions, a collective of eight folk, jazz and electronic musicians from England, Ireland and France return on 2nd July with their second EP Home No More which includes a collaboration with Mercury Prize nominee Sam Lee.
Below you can watch the accompanying video for their single An Bonnán Buí (The Yellow Bittern) which is released tomorrow (Thursday 13th May).
In the video, time is visually slowed for a calming and tranquil visual performance as Hannah Jacobs serenely hands out flowers to the players. For me, it has a contemporary and very dreamlike Sean–nós feel, with Hannah Jacob’s beautiful and striking ornamented vocals lending to that notion.
The Folkatron Sessions arrangement of the Irish classic, An Bonnán Buí (The Yellow Bittern), was inspired by Anne Briggs‘ iconic solo vocal version, a Thomas MacDonagh translation of the original poem by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna. The song, exploring grief and alcoholism, was reimagined for intricate electric guitar, synth, flute and string textures. The stunning vocal performance from Hannah Jacobs tops it all perfectly.
Folkatron Sessions are:
Rémi Allain – double bass and vocals. Normandie, France.
Philippe Boudot – drums and percussion. Normandie, France.
Hannah Jacobs – piano, synth and vocals. Suffolk, England.
Nicholas O’Brien – sound design, synth and clarinet. Paris, France.
Jack Ó hAonghusa – flute, bodhrán and vocals. Ballymore, Ireland.
Lauren Spiceley – fiddle and vocals from Oxford, England.
Martha Wiltshire – cello and vocals from Oxford, England.
Joe Woods – guitar and vocals. Suffolk, England.
Produced and mixed by Upcycled Sounds.
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