As recently announced the new Spell Songs II: Let The Light In album is released 10 December 2021 (via Thirty Tigers).
We recently shared their single for Oak, led by Kris Drever, now it’s the turn of Julie Fowlis. Below you can listen to the new album single ‘Birds of the Blizzard’.
the winters are ending,
the waters are rising,
In keeping with the cross-artform nature of Spell Songs, Julie Fowlis bought a poem to the residency that Robert Macfarlane had previously invited her to set to music. Working collaboratively with her fellow Spell Singers gave Julie the opportunity to ‘find’ the song in the poetry. The result is a haunting song in praise of the rare and beautiful bird, the snow bunting.
“The experience of recording this live with all the other musicians at Real World Studios will remain with me forever. The pure emotion in the vocals from all the other singers, Beth’s stunning cello lines and Kris and Jim’s intuitive musical shaping: it was profoundly moving.” – Julie Fowlis
Lyrics to Bird of the Blizzard:
Bird of the blizzard,
Will you go snow-hunting with me?
Seek out the splinters of winter,
The last of the Ice Age?
Making a map of your moving,
Bird of the North;
From glacier to tundra
In snowstorm and thunder
A map made of wonder
That tracks what’s fading.
Cold has a memory
And its colour is blue
that memory’s keeper
Is you, Bird of the North
The blue of snow’s shadow,
Of dusk on the plateau
the winters are ending,
the waters are rising,
(a blue that has drenched me to my bones)
Seckou – Mandinka:
Sandiano seletaa
Djiwo seletaa iyo
Soumouha dung-taa
Sandiano dung-ta
Sandiano
Sandiano dung taa
Sumuha Banta
Sumuha dungta
Sumuhaa
Sandiano
Bird of the blizzard,
Will you go snow-hunting with me?
Seek out the splinters of winter,
A turn of the last page,
Bright bird of the Ice Age.
Bird of the blizzard,
Will you go snow-hunting with me?
(the waters are rising)
The album is available to pre-order now:
Digital Pre-orders receive a link to the singles ‘Oak’ and ‘Bird of the Blizzard’
CLICK HERE For UK and EU options
CLICK HERE For Rest of World options
CLICK HERE To pre-order a physical album
direct from Spell Songs & Folk by the Oak,
& for details of our limited-edition albums.
The Lost Words: Spell Songs Live Dates 2022
Jan 27th Thu – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall – 2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G23NY
Jan 28th Fri – Perth, Concert Hall – Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ
Jan 29th Sat – Sage, Gateshead – St Mary’s Square, Gateshead NE8 2JR
Jan 30th Sun – Birmingham Symphony Hall – 8 Centenary Square, Birmingham B1 2EA
Jan 31st Mon – Cadogan Hall, London – 5 Sloan Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
Feb 1st Tue – Cadogan Hall, London – 5 Sloan Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
More details and ticket links: https://www.thelostwords.org/live/
Read our in-depth features on Spell Songs, including reviews and interviews.