Mishra – Reclaim
Shedbuilt Records – 29 October 2021
It’s not often that, at first listen, an album almost literally takes your breath away. But Mishra‘s Reclaim has a freshness and a lightness of touch that did just that. I fear I may be a little late to the Mishra party, having failed to register the band’s 2019 debut album, The Loft Tapes (reviewed here), but Reclaim has fired me with enthusiasm to catch up quickly. Mishra describe themselves as a “global folk collective” and, quite reasonably, consider that their music “defies definition”. So, with easy pigeonholing ruled out, let’s start with the influences at the heart of their music. Indian percussive rhythms, slightly Celtic melodies, often played on a low whistle, British and North American traditional songs, hints of soulful jazz, all these and more besides are present, just waiting for an attentive ear to latch on to them. But don’t expect any one of them to linger long, maybe with the exception of the percussion. There are subtle and not so subtle changes built into every piece.
It takes both exceptional musicianship and limitless imagination to bring all this together to create attention-grabbing music that is also easy on the ear. Primarily responsible for this are the two people who make up the song and tune writing core of Mishra, Kate Griffin and Ford Collier. Kate is a clawhammer banjo player, described by Dan Walsh as “one of the top players in the country”. But the talents she brings to Mishra are far broader, adding guitar and dobro to the instrument line-up and vocals that effortlessly match Appalachian traditional songs, Indian classical rhythms, and, I’d wager, all things in between. This is the first time I’ve come across Kate but Ford I heard in 2013 when he was still at school, performing as one half of The Drystones at a Halsway Manor Easter showcase event for young musicians. Since then, alongside The Drystones going from strength to strength and releasing three albums, Ford has studied for a music degree at Sheffield University, where he met Kate and, in 2017, formed Mishra. His whistle playing is a fundamental part of the Mishra sound, while he also plays guitar and an array of African and Indian percussion. He learnt to play the tabla from John Ball, a musician in residence at the University. The connection has continued; John is now part of Mishra, playing tabla and santoor and bringing in his twenty-plus years’ experience of Indian classical music. Completing the Mishra line-up are Joss Mann-Hazell on double bass and Alex Lyon with clarinet, bass clarinet and vocals. Her vocals are primarily heard in harmony with Kate, the blend of the two voices so good that there’s a danger of entering a permanent state of goosebumps while listening.
Reclaim opens with tabla and whistle, setting the mood for Truth, a song that the liner notes tell us was inspired by the “themes of childhood innocence in Phillip Pulman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy”. By the time Kate’s voice comes in, the initial, jaunty rhythm has slowed, the vocal matching it for a couple of lines before she changes to a phrasing that’s almost staccato in style. She doesn’t stay with this for long either and, the section that follows, beginning “I want to know the truth…”, is rich with harmony and soulful phrasing that, after a moment’s thought, reminded me of Sade’s album Diamond Life, back in the 80s. So much to take in, and only just over a minute into the first track.
While songs make up the majority of tracks, there are two tunes, and they each have quite a different feel. Reel to Reel is a set of tunes written by Ford. Naturally enough, they highlight his whistle, although Kate’s banjo gets a look in, along with a variety of percussion. For the most part, true to the tracks title, there is a definite Celtic air to the melodies. Still, the Indian percussion ensures the oriental influence that infuses the whole album is never hidden for long. The second instrumental track, Remain, whilst nominally a clawhammer banjo tune from Kate, is far more varied than that suggests. It strongly features John Ball’s santoor playing, a type of hammered dulcimer from India, alongside his usual percussive contribution. This warrants a share of the writing credit along with Ford and Kate. It is also a track on which Alex Lyon’s clarinets play a significant role in the middle section. Kate acknowledges the overriding Indian atmosphere of the piece describing it as loosely inspired by a raag from the Hindustani classical tradition, Raag Yaman. Rise also has its origins in a traditional raag, Raag Vrindavani Sarang and, as in the tradition, Rise has a vocal component. It is sung by Kate, the lyrics were partly written by her and, I surmise, partly traditional.
The lyrics of the remaining songs are generally written by either Ford or Kate, with a few notable exceptions. Rolling English Road sets GK Chesterton’s poem to a melody from Kate, its rhythm gently echoing the rolling road of the poem. Swell also has a literary inspiration, this time Yann Martell’s Life of Pi, specifically Pi and the tiger riding out the storm. The track features Kate’s dobro, an instrument ideally suited to communicating the title’s mood, ably supported by Alex on clarinet. Kate has written lyrics, but the song also incorporates a spoken word section, written by Ben Allen, spoken by Ford. I Never Will Marry is the only traditional song on the album, Kate taking her version from Alan Lomax’s collection. She accompanies her vocal on banjo, so far, so traditional. But the spirit of the album dictates that India inspired percussion is also there; additionally, this track allows Joss to contribute bowed double bass. In the wrong hands, that combination could spell disaster, but, as with this entire album, with the talents and imagination that Mishra provide, the adventure pays off handsomely.
As with their previous album, Reclaim was, as far as humanly possible, recorded with the entire band playing live at Wayside Studio in Gloucestershire. Kate and Ford produced, and the mixing was handled by Andy Bell, mastering by Martin Nicholls. The result is a set of recordings that combine the best qualities of a live performance with the polished sound that only a studio can provide. The recordings bristle with vibrant energy. I’m well aware that I can be pretty analytical when reviewing an album, and that wasn’t always easy to achieve with Reclaim. Mishra’s music is enthralling and, like any adventurous music, capable of transporting your mind to new and exciting places. An analytical brain doesn’t readily travel with you on such a journey, so, with that in mind, I’ll happily crank up the CD player and let Mishra work their magic one more time.
Pre-Order Reclaim via Bandcamp Now (according to their website, pre-orders will ship amount a month ahead of the release date of October 29th): https://mishramusic.bandcamp.com/album/reclaim
https://www.mishramusic.co.uk/