In support of Ukraine, this week’s folk show features several tracks from Ukrainian groups; they include a double helping from DakhaBrakha, one of the most well-known folk music quartets from Kyiv, Ukraine. Founded in 2012, Eteria is a choir based in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, whose music includes Ukrainian folk calendar-ritual songs. Although Casa Ukrania‘s folktronica trip-hop vibe may offer a more contemporary feel, their music is still imbibed in Ukrainian roots. They told followers on Facebook recently: “We want you, our friends all over the world, to know that Ukrainians fight like lions”. Gamardah Fungus are an electroacoustic duo; the track I’ve included is taken from their latest release, ‘Crossing the Wasteland’, which was inspired by a trip across India; specifically, the Thar Desert, a large, arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent that forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. The final band, Laboratorium Pieśni, are actually from Poland but perform songs from all around this region, including Ukraine, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Kosovo, Poland, through forests, fields, villages, seas and rivers!
Below, are also details on how you can help support Ukraine.
Alongside these artists are new releases from Oysterband, our Artists of the Month. Roll Away is taken from their new album Read the Sky, which we reviewed here.
Taken from their forthcoming new album Bourdon (a French word that literally means ‘bumblebee’ – but also the drone of a bagpipe), we have Toppette!! featuring the top talents of fiddler James Delarre, accordion virtuoso Andy Cutting, Tania Buisse’s propulsive bodhrán and Barn Stradling’s singularly distinctive bass grooves.
We also have music from two of our Featured Albums of the Month: DLÙ‘s Moch, which we reviewed here. This self-proclaimed ‘trad fusion’ band have heralded themselves as a fresh, innovative and exciting band with a unique, original and eclectic sound. “This may already be a strong contender for one of the debut albums of the year.”
And from Bird in the Belly‘s After the City – “a concept album that provides a kind of musical prequel to Richard Jefferies visionary novel. Eloquent, lovingly detailed and touched with a welcome dash of experimentalism, they have made it accessible, gripping and mythical.” Read our full review here.
I’ve included a few new singles, including Cinder Well & Jim Ghedi’s I Am a Youth That’s Inclined To Ramble, taken from their new EP, which we covered here. They are on tour this month, tickets and dates here – https://bnds.us/ahaqtr.
Taken from Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage’s forthcoming new album ‘Ink of the Rosy Morning’ on Topic Records is the tender folk ballad ‘False True Love’. We recently premiered the accompanying video. They head out on tour towards the end of March; details and ticket links here.
And finally, taken from Nine Waves, the new album Ye Vagabonds is their lead single ‘Blue Is The Eye’ (watch their live video here).
Music Played
DakhaBrakha – Lado (from Alambari – Bandcamp)
Oysterband – Roll Away (from Roll Away – ProperMusic)
Topette!! – Just Heavy (from Bourdon – coming soon – Bandcamp)
DLÙ – Bràighe Loch Iall (from Moch – Proper Music | Arc Music)
Eteria – Rozlylysya Vody / Розлилися Води (from Zillya – Bandcamp)
Casa Ukrania – Sum (from Terra Ukrania – Bandcamp)
Cinder Well & Jim Ghedi – I Am a Youth That’s Inclined To Ramble (New EP – Bandcamp)
Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage – False True Love (from Ink of the Rosy Morning – Pre-Order here)
Ye Vagabonds – Blue is the Eye (from Nine Waves – Pre-Order here)
Gamardah Fungus – Samsara (from Crossing the Wasteland – Bandcamp)
DakhaBrakha – Ya siv ne v toy litak (from Alambari – Bandcamp)
Laboratorium Pieśni – Käppee (from Rosna – Bandcamp)
Bird In The Belly – Smokeless Chimneys (from After the City – Order via Cargo)
Eteria – V Chystom Poli Klenochok / В Чистом Полі Кленочок (from Zillya – Bandcamp)
Help Support Ukraine
There are a number of charities providing humanitarian relief in Ukraine, including the Disasters Emergency Committee here:
https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
The British Red Cross, The UNHCR refugee agency, UNICEF, Save the Children, and The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain are also among those collecting funds for Ukraine.